In an era when the privileged can publicly embrace the benefits of psychedelics and sex positivity, marginalized communities continue to bear the brunt of interpersonal and systemic violence in everything from health inequities to overdose deaths. In the 17 essays in Body Autonomy: Decolonizing Sex Work and Drug Use, leading advocates, sex workers, and scholars who have been harmed by American neocolonial policies critique the ideological wars on body autonomy and map the tactics from the War on Drugs onto legislation that criminalizes and disenfranchises sex work. This bold and timely collection uplifts the right to freedom in one’s own body, drawing connections between erotic labor, the use of psychoactive substances, and the impact of violent policing and incarceration.
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By illuminating the sacred and liberating aspects of erotic labor and foregrounding decolonial perspectives on substance, Body Autonomy emphasizes healing-centered harm reduction practices to shine a path beyond punishment and inequity. If we gaze together through the lens of a pleasure-oriented future, we can learn to prioritize compassion over criminalization, collectively expanding our understanding of survival, healing, and embodied liberation.