Siobhan Brooks
Encyclopedia
Siobhan Brooks is an African American
lesbian
feminist sociologist
known for her work with African American women in the sex worker
industry and feminist issues affecting these women. She holds a B.A.
in women's studies
from San Francisco State University
, and a Ph.D.
degree in sociology from New School University in New York
.
, and Brooks did not start school until age 8.
peep-show to support herself through college, and noticed that the club hired very few black women, and that they were restricted from working in the "private booth" section of the theater, where dancers have the opportunity to make more money. After raising her concerns to the club's manager, Brooks was reprimanded and told that "black women make the club lose money." Brooks worked with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Local 790, to file a racial discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
. Her efforts proved successful: the club hired more black women than ever before in its fourteen-year history.
The story of the unionizing efforts at the Lusty Lady
are chronicled in Live Nude Girls UNITE!, a documentary
by Julia Query. Brooks is featured in the film. Dr. Brooks also wrote Organizing From Behind the Glass, an account of the successful unionizing effort, for the January 1997 issue of Z magazine. In the article, Brooks stated that at the Lusty Lady, where she had worked, "the only Black show director, Josephine, informed me that Black dancers have always done poorly in the booth, it was just a reality of the business, but she provided no evidence of this."
(ed. Amy Sonnie), and she interviewed Angela Y. Davis about her views on race, gender
, and the sex industry in the post-Civil Rights
era for the University of California Hastings Law Journal (Winter, 1999). She also appeared on the cover of Colorlines Magazine in the winter 2004 issue, "Sex, Race, Gender." Brooks is the author of the book, Unequal Desires: Race and Erotic Capital
in the Stripping Industry (SUNY Press, 2010).
Brooks helped organize the country's first and only workplace union
of sex workers at The Lusty Lady
, a well-known peep show in San Francisco's North Beach
district.
race identities, women in the media, race and class
. In October 2005 Brooks co-organized a conference on Hip hop music
's global impact at Lehman College
, where she was an adjunct professor in the department of
sociology. She is currently an assistant professor in women's studies at Temple University.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
feminist sociologist
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
known for her work with African American women in the sex worker
Sex worker
A sex worker is a person who works in the sex industry. The term is usually used in reference to those in the sex industry that actually provide such sexual services, as opposed to management and staff of such industries...
industry and feminist issues affecting these women. She holds a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in women's studies
Women's studies
Women's studies, also known as feminist studies, is an interdisciplinary academic field which explores politics, society and history from an intersectional, multicultural women's perspective...
from San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
, and a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
degree in sociology from New School University in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Childhood
She was born in the Sunnydale Housing Projects in San Francisco. Her mother, who is deceased, was mentally illMental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
, and Brooks did not start school until age 8.
The Lusty Lady Incident
While a student at SFSU, she worked at the Lusty LadyLusty Lady
The Lusty Lady is the name of a peep show establishment in the North Beach district of San Francisco. It was also the name of another now-defunct location in downtown Seattle...
peep-show to support herself through college, and noticed that the club hired very few black women, and that they were restricted from working in the "private booth" section of the theater, where dancers have the opportunity to make more money. After raising her concerns to the club's manager, Brooks was reprimanded and told that "black women make the club lose money." Brooks worked with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Local 790, to file a racial discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is an independent federal law enforcement agency that enforces laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination complaints based on an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, perceived intelligence,...
. Her efforts proved successful: the club hired more black women than ever before in its fourteen-year history.
The story of the unionizing efforts at the Lusty Lady
Lusty Lady
The Lusty Lady is the name of a peep show establishment in the North Beach district of San Francisco. It was also the name of another now-defunct location in downtown Seattle...
are chronicled in Live Nude Girls UNITE!, a documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
by Julia Query. Brooks is featured in the film. Dr. Brooks also wrote Organizing From Behind the Glass, an account of the successful unionizing effort, for the January 1997 issue of Z magazine. In the article, Brooks stated that at the Lusty Lady, where she had worked, "the only Black show director, Josephine, informed me that Black dancers have always done poorly in the booth, it was just a reality of the business, but she provided no evidence of this."
Work on sex workers
Brooks has gone on to interview sex workers across the country and has published several articles as a result. Her work has appeared in the anthology Whores and Other Feminists (ed. Jill Nagle Routledge,1998), Z Magazine, Feminism and Anti-Racism (eds. France Winddance Twine and Kathleen Blee, 2000), Revolutionary VoicesRevolutionary Voices
Revolutionary Voices: A Multicultural Queer Youth Anthology, edited by Amy Sonnie, is an anthology created by and for radical queer youth, committed specifically to youth of color, young women, transgender and bisexual youth, abled youth, and poor/working class youth.The anthology gave rise to the...
(ed. Amy Sonnie), and she interviewed Angela Y. Davis about her views on race, gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
, and the sex industry in the post-Civil Rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
era for the University of California Hastings Law Journal (Winter, 1999). She also appeared on the cover of Colorlines Magazine in the winter 2004 issue, "Sex, Race, Gender." Brooks is the author of the book, Unequal Desires: Race and Erotic Capital
Erotic Capital
Sexual capital or erotic capital is a form of social worthiness granted to an individual, as a result of his or her sexual attractiveness to the majority of his or her social group...
in the Stripping Industry (SUNY Press, 2010).
Brooks helped organize the country's first and only workplace union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
of sex workers at The Lusty Lady
Lusty Lady
The Lusty Lady is the name of a peep show establishment in the North Beach district of San Francisco. It was also the name of another now-defunct location in downtown Seattle...
, a well-known peep show in San Francisco's North Beach
North Beach, San Francisco, California
North Beach is a neighborhood in the northeast of San Francisco adjacent to Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf and Russian Hill. The neighborhood is San Francisco's Little Italy, and has historically been home to a large Italian American population. It still holds many Italian restaurants today, though...
district.
Academic Interest
While she is known as a sex worker activist, her academic interest and activism expands to gender and institutions, women of color and mental illness, queerQueer
Queer is an umbrella term for sexual minorities that are not heterosexual, heteronormative, or gender-binary. In the context of Western identity politics the term also acts as a label setting queer-identifying people apart from discourse, ideologies, and lifestyles that typify mainstream LGBT ...
race identities, women in the media, race and class
Social class
Social classes are economic or cultural arrangements of groups in society. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'...
. In October 2005 Brooks co-organized a conference on Hip hop music
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
's global impact at Lehman College
Lehman College
Lehman College is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, USA. Founded in 1931 as the Bronx campus of Hunter College, the school became an independent college within the City University in 1968. The college is named after Herbert Lehman, a former New York governor,...
, where she was an adjunct professor in the department of
sociology. She is currently an assistant professor in women's studies at Temple University.