Photographs from last Saturday’s gathering at the corner of Yurong and Stanley Streets, East Sydney, to promote the petition to reinstall Loui May’s statue of ‘Joy’ - a tribute to sex workers - after it was vandalised and eventually removed in 2000. The statue currently resides in storage at Macquarie University.
The artwork is distinguished by being the first statue of a sex worker in the world.
Last Saturday’s event was MC’d by Julie Bates, founding member of the Bring Joy Back Campaign Committee; the statue’s sculptor, Loui May (Fraser); Labor Councillor at the City of Sydney, Linda Scott - who is submitting the petition to Council; Chantelle Martin, outgoing SWOP (Sex Worker Outreach Program) manager; and Eurydice Aaroney, also from the Bring Joy Back Campaign Committee. Amongst supporters present on the day were historian, Catherine Freyne and Professor Basil Donovan, who has been instrumental in sex work law reform.
The petition aims to bronze the original statue and redeploy it at its original East Sydney site. It requires at least 400 signatures and is due to be put to Council this coming Monday.
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