Who are you?
Raquel Savage — Board Certified Sex Coach, Sex Educator and Sex Worker. I hold a master's in Counseling (Marriage and Family Therapy) and a board certification (state of Florida) in Human Sexuality.
{Sex Work is an umbrella term for anyone in the sex industry, including: porn performers, cam girls, full-service sex workers, strippers, etc.}
What do you do?
I provide regular mental health counseling AND I'm trained to handle issues around sex, sexuality, intimacy, sexual dysfunctions, gender identity/sexual orientation, etc. I am also a certified Trauma Incident Reduction (TIR) counselor — most of what I do, clinically, involves helping clients process trauma. Trauma can be as broad as negative/disruptive feelings, emotions, sensations, attitudes, and pains, as well as more specific incidents (like sexual assault, car accident, death of family member, etc.). I predominantly see individual,s however, I also see couples and families.
Additionally, I do Savage Sex Ed workshops and presentations. These cover a variety of topics including: female orgasm, fetishes, ethical non-monogamy, consent and more. Presentations are typically done with larger groups (like universities and community centers) while workshops are done privately (eg. for someone's birthday, and I facilitate the workshop at their house with a group of 10-20 friends).
I do most of my online education via Patreon where I offer #ThoughtProvokingThirstTraps (thirst traps with informative captions), live streams, educational YouTube style videos, monthly Q&A's, and more. On Patreon I cover topics such as: the psychobiology of trauma, vaginal hygiene, STD basics, masturbation tips, how to unpack internalized isms/phobias, anal etiquette, etc.
In terms of Sex Work, I'm an unapologetic hoe! Autonomy, equity, liberation, sexuality, etc. are huge parts of my being and inform every area of my clinical/educational work, as well as, the Sex Work that I do. I've been doing (some form of) Sex Work for 6 years.
What are you most proud of from 2018?
Everyday that people remind me how important my existence is to them, I feel a sense of pride. Whether they are doing internal work surrounding their mental health, trying to finish their graduate degree, trying to secure a bag, balancing being a mom with being sexually liberated, a survivor reclaiming their body — their support reminds me that being a scapegoat/symbol/example is important work. Knowing that I inspire people to create a safe space, somewhere in their lives, to be authentic is really meaningful to me.
I'm also very proud that I'm at a point in my life where I can offer reparations to people who my privileged identity directly oppresses (like giving my money to transwomen!). Also, I'm happy to know that I am responsible for healthier, more reciprocal, ethical, and orgasm-filled sex lives!
What do you think will be your biggest challenge in 2019?
Navigating the impacts of FOSTA/SESTA and bigots, generally.
FOSTA/SESTA is legislation that purports to decrease sex trafficking by holding websites responsible for activity on their sites that appear to "facilitate" sex trafficking. However, the language used in the description of the law is (intentionally) vague, essentially making it about censorship; its immediate (and long-term) repercussions include making websites inaccessible to sex workers, people who are sex work-adjacent (like lingerie companies) and unassuming people using "hook-up" language. Because there are no comprehensive guidelines to discern what is or isn't "facilitating" sex trafficking, anything "they" deem "facilitating" is removable by law.
Ultimately, I face having my online presence, and thus access to my fanbase and income, deleted.
What do you think will be your biggest opportunity in 2019?
Any opportunity that elevates me and my voice AND runs me a check!
Where can we follow you?
Twitter: @Raquel_Savage
Instagram: @RaquelSavage
Raquelsavage.com
Patreon.com/raquelsavage
