LONDON — Dominatrix, educator and entrepreneur Eva Oh is celebrating being named "Sex Worker of the Year" by the 2022 Sexual Freedom Awards.
A rep explained the Sexual Freedom Awards promote "excellence in erotic performance and sexual services and celebrates pioneers in the field of sexuality." Proceeds from the awards ceremony are used to fund the work of the Outsiders Trust, noted as a charity which supports disabled people in their sexual freedom and expression.
"The award was given to Eva for her talks and events to promote the understanding of sexuality and sex work worldwide," a rep said, noting she is the creator of the "#teakink" and "Safeword" podcasts and has been featured by Washington Post, Wired, Rolling Stone, InStyle, Entrepreneur, Newsweek, VICE, i-D and Dazed, among other outlets.
"It is an incredible honor for me to be recognized by the Sexual Freedom Awards," Oh said. "Becoming and being a sex worker has taught me so much about claiming my bodily autonomy, recognizing privilege and injustice and how to understand and stick by my joy — and so to be recognized as someone not only within that but as a celebrated representative of it makes me feel ecstatic.
"This year they celebrated the lifetime achievement of those who started the Pride movement in the UK 50 years ago," she continued. "Recognizing the work that such people have done to establish the freedom of generations after is beyond important. Celebrating sexual freedom and understanding needs more space in the world in order for us to have healthier individuals and societies."
Oh has used the recognition to reflect on "the unique challenges of being a sex worker today."
"On one hand we are able to be more visible than ever through the medium of social media, which is great for us in order to best represent our own voices," she said. "However, with this comes a reminder as to the repression and oppression that society holds itself under — through the censorship of our voices and bodies on those platforms, as well."
Find additional details about the Sexual Freedom Awards online and on Twitter.
