March 30, 2021 by Maggie McNeill
Whenever a person expresses surprise upon discovering that I'm a colossal nerd, I have to wonder if they've actually been paying attention for the past decade. I mean, it isn't like I've made any effort to hide it; I made a Star Trek reference in my very first column, and I have frequently mentioned sci-fi stories and TV shows, comic books, horror movies, Dungeons and Dragons, and many other nerdy things here, on Twitter, and in real life (this column was inspired by my glancing up at the tiny Dalek atop my desk). And really, it's important that I and other "out" sex workers not hide our nerdiness (or academic brilliance, or any other trait not generally associated with hot chicks), because showing the world what we're really like makes it harder for prohibitionists to depict us as two-dimensional victims, vixens, or villains. Social media does a lot more for sex workers than act as a vehicle for marketing; it allows people who might never have thought much about sex worker rights to recognize us as real, complex human beings like themelves, worthy of rights and respect. And if Maggie Fucking McNeill can admit to owning enough stuffed animals to fill a good-sized display case, I doubt it will hurt your business to 'fess up to writing Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanfic.
