“Women are people – that’s why they should be respected.”
At first glance this seems like an obvious and simple statement; but as Sally Tonkin, CEO of St Kilda Gatehouse; an organisation that works alongside those involved in street sex work, explained during a recent Tedx talk – when you dig a little deeper, it’s not always the case.
“When people speak about women being somebody’s sister, mother or daughter – they have good intentions – but for women to matter, why do they need to be defined by their relationships to other people, rather than being people themselves?”
This was the hard-hitting question Sally asked a packed audience at St Kilda Town Hall and viewers across the World Wide Web. During her talk, Sally shared her story of growing-up in a rural-poor community in South Australia, and later moving to Melbourne to work with women experiencing urban-poverty.
At the heart of her story was a community lesson about the importance of love, value, and giving women a sense of belonging. Sally passionately explained how St Kilda Gatehouse’s mission is to bring hope to those who seek out street sex work as a result of abuse, addiction, poverty and other hardships by providing a place of belonging, creating connections, and building strength. It’s a safe haven off the streets where women can find the support and care they need.
Sally also shared the story of another woman, Tracey Connelly, who was brutally murdered two years ago in St Kilda. Her murder shook the Gatehouse community to its core, and on the evening it took place Sally went to bed wondering how the media would report the terrible news.
“I wanted to shout from the rooftops and let everybody know what a wonderful, incredible woman had been taken,” Sally recalled.
Instead, the newspaper headlines read: “St Kilda prostitute murdered”.
Tracey was labelled. She was not seen as someone. She was not respected.
Following these headlines, St Kilda Gatehouse and Pesel & Carr humanised Tracey, sharing her story and helping the community realise that she was somebody who was warm, funny, clever, generous and loved.
“The story gathered momentum. Over 50 articles subsequently appeared, but the important thing was that 80% of them mentioned Tracey’s name in the headlines.
“She’d gone from being a nameless prostitute, to a woman who mattered, whose life had been taken unjustly.”
Through sharing her story and showing her bright personality, Tracey was loved for being herself. She wasn’t defined as a prostitute, a Gatehouse customer or a girlfriend – but she was loved as Tracey.
Through darkness, Sally emotionally revealed during her Tedx talk how an inclusive, embracive urban community emerged that valued and respected women as individuals.
To watch Sally Tonkin’s Tedx talk, please click here.
Pesel & Carr received an Excellence Award at the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) 2015 Gold Quill Awards for ‘Her Name Was Tracy and She Was Loved’ media relations campaign for St. Kilda Gatehouse.
