$pread Magazine is an independent magazine by and for sex workers and those who support their rights. Articles are written by readers as well as by figures from academic, cultural, and literary backgrounds, most of whom are current or former sex workers. The magazine was launched on March 15, 2005 by Rachel Aimee, Rebecca Lynn, and Raven Strega.[1] By the end of its first year, the quarterly magazine had received the Utne Independent Press Award for "Best New Title".[2][3]
A co-editor has said, "We want the general public to become aware of issues such as the physical working conditions of sex workers and their health care and housing needs, and to start considering sex workers as real people rather than mythical beasts who only come to life when someone drops a quarter into a slot."[4]
$pread has a focus on personal experiences and political insights and contains practical information such as news, features, health columns, and resources related to the sex industry. $pread supports the sex work community by donating 15% of each print run to the workplaces of and the outreach organizations utilized by sex workers. The tax outreach program "helps sex workers who don't know they can and should file taxes," said Audacia Ray, an executive editor at Spread magazine.[5]
Because $pread is part of the sex workers rights movement, it has been criticized by feminists who believe that sex work is inherently degrading: "Among feminists, perceptions are no less polarized – sex workers are either fully empowered agents using their sexuality in unassailably positive ways, or victims of a job that degrades them by its very nature. Most feminist dialogues about sex work sound more like monologues; defensiveness, mischaracterizations, and willful ignorance abound, making casualties of complexity and nuance."[6]
$pread is based in New York City, and is sold throughout the United States and Canada at independent bookstores and via national distributors.
As of August 30, 2010, $pread has ceased printed publication due to both financial issues and not having enough people to keep the operation running, even if "there was $100k made available."[7]