The Story of Joy, the First Statue of a Sex Worker
The topic is a sculpture.
A statue of a mythical woman named Joy was installed in 1995.
Joy is a strong and sexy woman.
She wears a short dress and leans against a doorframe.
Joy represents all women who work hard to support their families.
Joy is a sex worker.
Joy was first installed in 1995 in Darlinghurst, Sydney.
The artist, Loui May, got her idea from women standing in doorways.
Joy is a tribute to the sex workers in the area.
She had fans and critics, including some sex workers.
Joy was removed in 1997 due to vandalism and complaints.
She was kept at Macquarie University for 25 years.
Important women
Julie Bates has been trying to bring Joy back for 24 years.
Bates used to work in a brothel in the area.
She is proud to be a sex worker.
Bates wants Joy back to represent all sex workers.
Joy is a symbol of respect for sex workers.
The first step was to contact the artist, Loui May.
Loui May created Joy to honor the sex workers.
May had a clear vision of Joy.
May saw sex workers on the streets when she was in art school.
She wanted to show that sex workers are important women.
In the 1970s, the law changed to allow sex work.
More sex workers came to the area, but brothels were still illegal.
By the time Joy was installed, sex work was fully legal in NSW.
Bates was awarded for her work helping sex workers.
Sex workers helped promote safe sex during the HIV outbreak.
At first, some sex workers did not understand Joy.
One sex worker, Chantell Martin, did not believe Joy existed.
Martin worked in the area and later understood Joy's significance.
Some people did not like Joy and vandalized her.
The artist, May, felt sorry for the vandal.
May met the woman who vandalized Joy.
The woman had lost her daughter, who was also a sex worker.
The statue of Joy looked like the woman's daughter.
May did not know the woman's daughter when she created Joy.
May changed Joy's face before the installation.
The woman's daughter died on the same day May changed Joy's face.
May believes in a connection between people's souls.
May thinks Joy belongs in Darlinghurst.
Joy was moved to Macquarie University after the vandalism.
Joy's return
Most sex work is now done online or over the phone.
Having Joy back will not increase sex work in the area.
Former sex worker Chantell Martin supports Joy's return.
Martin wants the history of sex work to be remembered.
A former councillor, Linda Scott, helped bring Joy back.
Scott thinks there should be more statues of women in Sydney.
Scott believes Joy represents a movement to honor women.
Restoring Joy is about remembering Sydney's true history.
Instructions to view images
Joy returned to Darlinghurst after 30 years.
A new, bronze version of Joy was created to protect her.
The artist, May, is happy to see Joy back.
May has been diagnosed with cancer and has limited energy.
May is glad to see Joy back before she dies.
Many people, including sex workers, celebrated Joy's return.
The celebration was a significant event for the sex work industry.
May is happy to see Joy back, and it is a great end to her life.
Despite progress, sex workers still face discrimination.
Bates thinks a monument like Joy can help reduce discrimination.
Having Joy in a city like Sydney is an important step.
Joy will help change people's negative views of sex workers.
Watch the story of Joy on ABC iview.
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