The problem with Shane Gillis’s joke isn’t just sexism, it’s sex work stigma

In his Oct.

10 Saturday Night Live (SNL) monologue, American comedian Shane Gillis joked that women at the gym dress like “whores” these days.

The backlash was swift and widespread, in the news and across social media .

Critics zeroed in on the sexualization of women who are simply trying to exercise without being harassed or judged.

While that’s fair, much of the criticism overlooked another problem.

The objections often came down to this: these women aren’t sex workers, so they shouldn’t be called “whores.” That response leaves the insult itself intact, along with the assumption that being compared to a sex worker is degrading.

However well-intentioned, Canadian actor Dan Levy, for example, argued on Instagram only that wearing short shorts to the gym doesn’t make women “whores,” it makes the men calling them that misogynists.

The normalization of stigma toward sex workers runs deep.

Everyday language, media coverage and public conversations all contribute to stigmatizing attitudes toward sex workers and to social norms that can fuel discrimination and exclusion .

When we object to women being called “whores,” we can unintentionally reinforce the idea that being compared to a sex worker is an insult.

Gillis also joked about looking lesbian and gay, adding homophobia to the mix.

Sex work stigma and homophobia have this in common: both are rooted in ideas of sexual immorality and deviance.

Stigma toward sex workers matters Sex workers around the world experience profound health and social inequities.

A recent series in The Lancet Public Health documents their disproportionate exposure to violence , unsafe working conditions and poor health outcomes .