Grisélidis celebrates 25 years of commitment

Since opening in 2000, creativity, sharing, diversity, and inclusivity have been the words that define Les Abattoirs' commitment to giving meaning to “living together.” They also express the institution's daily efforts to make this cultural venue a space for everyone to enjoy and share, while respecting diversity and difference.

It is around these shared values that Les Abattoirs welcomes the Grisélidis association as it celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary with a rich program of round tables, photography exhibitions, and DJ sets.

The Grisélidis association is a key player in local solidarity, recognized for its inclusive, caring, and militant approach to human rights and public health. Also founded in 2000, Grisélidis is a community health association that works with and for sex workers. It operates mainly in Toulouse, on the streets and on the Internet, to improve access to health, rights, and dignity for the people concerned.

Grisélidis defines community health as action taken “with and for” the people concerned, and not simply “on their behalf.” This means that sex workers are not only beneficiaries, but also actors in the process: they participate in the design, implementation, and evaluation of projects.

Its missions include:

• Prevention of HIV, hepatitis, and STIs;
• Reduction of risks related to sexuality and drug use;
• Social support: access to housing, employment, and social rights;
• The fight against violence, discrimination, and stigmatization.

Program for the day

1:30 p.m.: Welcome and presentation of the event

2:30 p.m.: Round table: “Migration of female sex workers”

• Françoise Guillemaut: strategies and autonomy of women in their migration journeys (20 min)
• Milena Jaksic: the paradoxes of public policies on human trafficking (20 min)

Screening:

Film by the Grisélidis association: testimonials from four migrant users of the association (20 min), followed by a discussion with the audience.

4:00-4:15 p.m.: Break

4:15 p.m.: Round table: “Community health”

• Anne Coppel: The history of community health in sex work (20 min)
• Acceptess T: Historical and political approach to health mediation (20 min)
• Griselidis: Community health in practice (ethics, professional stance, methodology) (20 min)

6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.: DJ set, exhibition, and cocktail reception (Frac space - Les Abattoirs reception hall)

You can also join the Grisélidis association on October 27 at the American Cosmograph for a screening and discussion of the film Les prostituées de Lyon parlent by Carole Roussopoulos (1975).

Grisélidis Réal (1929–2005), Swiss writer, painter, and activist, was the patron of the Grisélidis association.

Grisélidis Réal defined herself as a “revolutionary courtesan”, claiming her identity as a prostitute as much as that of a writer. She campaigned until her death for the dignity, rights, and voice of prostitutes.

She claimed prostitution as a political and militant choice and was a central figure in the Prostitutes' Revolution in France in the 1970s, defending the recognition of sex workers' rights.

Her literary work, marked by direct and committed prose, includes:

• Le noir est une couleur (Black is a Color) (1974), her autobiographical novel;
• Suis-je encore vivante ? (Am I Still Alive?) a diary written in prison;
• An extensive collection of correspondence and activist texts.

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