Carol Leigh was an American artist, author, filmmaker, and sex worker’s rights activist. Leigh was a victim of rape, and this rape was the change and motivation which made her devote her life activism for sex workers rights. She joined COYOTE a sex workers rights organization and was involved in activities and being their spokesperson. Leigh later co-founded Bay Area Sex Workers Advocacy Network in 1990 (BAYSWAN). She was an active member of ACT UP and was so much involved in the AIDS direct ac... moreCarol Leigh was an American artist, author, filmmaker, and sex worker’s rights activist. Leigh was a victim of rape, and this rape was the change and motivation which made her devote her life activism for sex workers rights. She joined COYOTE a sex workers rights organization and was involved in activities and being their spokesperson. Leigh later co-founded Bay Area Sex Workers Advocacy Network in 1990 (BAYSWAN). She was an active member of ACT UP and was so much involved in the AIDS direct action groups.
She was born in New York city and grew up in Jackson Heights, Queens. She attended Binghamton University and Empire State College where she attained her BA in creative writing. She attended the Boston University MFA program for creative writing too.
Leigh is credited with coining the term sex work and she also co-founded the Sex Worker Film and Arts Festival. Besides being an advocate and co-founder, she was a writer she wrote her one-woman satirical play The Adventures of Scarlot Harlot, which she regularly performed at theatres and clubs. Having been such an advocate for sex workers, Leigh was bisexual, and she died of cancer at the age of 71 in San Francisco.
