Bea’s Story

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I’m known across the Internet as Bea Dux or HoneyBea depending on where you look. I’m originally from Lancashire but now live and mostly work in London. I began working in the sex industry as a retail worker for Ann Summers, then began modelling and have since done cam work, worked for websites such as MyFansPage and SuicideGirls and now also work a lot as a photographer/videographer for other sex workers.

I began to get involved in Sex Work activism after the FOSTA/SESTA bills went through in America. Seeing the ignorance (wilful or otherwise) surrounding the subject of sex workers and sw safety made me want to DO something. I uploaded few (admittedly shoddy) videos to youtube hoping to educate, I began openly and regularly using my social platforms (@itsBeaDux) to speak on the issues and decided to create some form of clothing that people could wear to show their support to sex work and the workers within the industry.

Originally TheSafewordProject was an idea I had a few years ago. It was going to be a website filled with information, recourses and contacts to help sex workers, I got a quote from a few web developers and started saving up. Not long afterwards, I found you guys! Pineapple Support was doing pretty much everything I wanted to do, from providing mental health support as well as tons of other recourses for workers. I figured, rather than having several separate sites, we stand a better chance of helping as many people as possible if we all work together. It made far much more sense to send you all the support I possibly could.

So, the store ’TheSafewordProject.com’ is currently owned and run by myself, and the packaging and posting is currently done by me and my lovely mum (I travel a lot with work and she offered to be a stable base for all of the stock. Bless her). ALL money made from the store is put right back into it, as well as having stickers printed (that you can usually spot around London/Birmingham/Manchester) and business cards with the message ‘Someone you know is a sex worker’ on them, left at a ton of small shops, bars and cafes etc. Together, me and my mum have managed to send out LOADS of orders and it’s been wonderful!

Recently, a protest organised by my dear friend Rebecca Crow happened outside instagram offices in London (which went brilliantly!) and it seemed wanted to wear their own Safeword merch! Because of that boost in sales, a lot of money has gone right back into making more clothing and stocking up on original designs; so if anyone fancies treating themselves, and supporting Pineapple Support in the process, get yourself something from the store!

The money Safeword has accumulated is slowly ticking over and I thought I’d send over a donation to Pineapple now as I couldn’t wait anymore! Hopefully there will be a lot more to come in the future.

Thank you for all the work you do. Proud to support.

Bea Dux
@itsBeaDux

Pineapple Support to Host Therapy Sessions at XBIZ Berlin

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Pineapple Support will offer walk-in and by-appointment therapy sessions throughout XBIZ Berlin 2019, besides hosting a roundtable workshop on Wednesday, September 11.

Pineapple Support therapist, Michele Karban, and other members of the Pineapple Support team will be on hand during the day to discuss tools and practices with which performers can protect themselves, and how to get free mental health support.

“I’m thrilled to be attending XBIZ Berlin as part of the Pineapple Support team,” shared Karban. “Having been involved with Pineapple Support from the very beginning, I’m now looking forward to offering a drop-in therapy space at [the conference]. My hope is any performer who is needing a confidential area to talk will access this space or see it as a first step for anyone who is considering therapy for the first time for themselves, and would like to find out more.”

The roundtable workshop, “Putting Performers First,” will be held at the Konferenz I space in the XBIZ Conference Center at 11 a.m. local time, and will address mental health stigma within the adult industry and how performers and producers alike can help combat it.

“The performer community has always faced societal pressures, but today’s performers are more vulnerable because of rampant cyberbullying,” said Pineapple Support founder Leya Tanit.  “As an industry, we need to understand the specific struggles that performers face both on and offline, and learn how to best support them.”

Since its launch in 2018, Pineapple Support has connected over three hundred adult performers to mental health services, including free and low-cost therapy, counseling and emotional support. The organization is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit in the United States and a registered charity in the U.K.

While walk-in appointments may be available, those who wish to book an appointment with therapist Michele Karban should do so by contacting Karban directly via WhatsApp at +44 7814 942528.