“Frances Shaver has made groundbreaking scholarly contributions to the field of sex work. Professor emeritus at Concordia University, she is lauded for her respectful engagement with those working and living in the industry. Many researchers in this field have been inspired by her approach to research, her advocacy, and her commitment to fight for legal and policy changes to support and protect marginalized Canadians.”
https://www.gg.ca/en/order-canada-appointees-june-2024
I am honored to be appointed as Member of the Order of Canada. I thoroughly enjoyed my activities as a community worker, researcher, ally, and friend—through the good times and the bad—right from my first interactions with women in the sex industry back in 1967 to my appointment today (June 27, 2024).
I want to share this honor with the sex workers, sex work organizations, and allies with whom I have collaborated and with the students I have trained. Any contributions I may have made to sex workers’ health and safety are grounded in the support received from the many industry people with whom I connected over the years. It was a pleasure working with you all as an ally and advocate for the legal and social policy changes that are needed.
In addition, thank you for welcoming, teaching, and encouraging me to pass on the lessons I’ve learned to my colleagues, students, policy-makers, and the public in our joint efforts to improve the health and safety of all sex workers.
Fran! I was so delighted to hear of your Order of Canada appointment! Congratulations. This is so well deserved and so important to the whole sex-workers’ rights community. You have been a beacon to so many of us in the field for so many years and it is wonderful that your work is being recognized in this way. Many, many thanks for your years of dedicated work that really opened the door for a great deal of research and activism that came after.
Congratulations Fran !