Against the Grain

Sex Trafficking and Sports Events

Some causes make for strange bedfellows, but few like the campaign against sex trafficking, which brings together radical feminists, Christian evangelicals, the US state, and even QAnon. Cultural anthropologist Gregory Mitchell separates myth from fact and examines how allegedly rescuing women and girls from trafficking, included at mega sporting events, leads to increased police violence, including sexual violence, against sex workers.

Resources:

Gregory Mitchell, Panics without Borders: How Global Sporting Events Drive Myths about Sex Trafficking UC Press, 2022