Culture Series: Sex Work in Civil War Washington and Beyond

Washington, DC saw an unprecedented rise in sex work during the Civil War due to the thousands of Union soldiers who flooded into the city for training. Brothels provided income, shelter, and independence for women who, in some cases, had few other places to turn. They built businesses and turned access to politicians into influence.

The DC neighborhood known as Federal Triangle used to be in DC's early days, a notorious slum known as M**der Bay and later as Hooker's Division during the Civil War. The latter name evolved from the usage of that neighborhood as one of the city's most concentrated red-light districts. The sex work industry exploded during the war due to the heavy presence of soldiers throughout wartime.

But why do we demonize sex workers? Why do we continue to stigmatize sex work?

Join HumanitiesDC and guest curator Katie Kirkpatrick in this Culture Series, which will explore M**der Bay/Hooker's Division during and after the Civil War. The event will bring together visual representations, experts on Civil War Washington, sex-work historians, and members of today's sex-work community to discuss how the oldest profession was practiced when it was legal, compared to today's ongoing struggle to recognize sex work as real work.

The event will begin with a walking tour starting at The Willard Center, 1455 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004. Please dress comfortably.

ASL Interpretation will be provided.

More About the Curator: Katie Kirkpatrick is the founder of Off the Mall Tours. She is proud to call herself a DC resident since 2002. She moved to the capital after college for graduate school and then worked in government for many years. However, history was always her first love. She started her touring career by giving historical ghost tour pub crawls and discovered a passion for sharing the varied and layered history of the capital area. So, she started her own company, drawing upon her interests in unique stories, a flair for costuming, and her love of DC.

Please note: RSVPs are not required for entry, and entry is based on a first-come, first-serve basis. We appreciate your donations, but please note that if the event reaches capacity, donations will not be refundable.

For reasonable accommodation requests regarding access and inclusion, please contact Jimmy Watkins ([email protected]) no later than five business days before the start of this event.

Info: Guests will enjoy a special walking tour led by Katie Kirkpatrick, highlighting the locations of former historical brothel sites.

Info: Featuring the esteemed panel: Dr. Cindy Gueli, Mark Herlong & Lazima Mills. Conversation moderated by Katie Kirkpatrick.

Host or Publisher HumanitiesDC