Cancel the Cosplay

Access Media (purchase recording)

 

Event Sponsor - ShoeFreaks

Since 2014, Canada’s pole community has trusted ShoeFreaks for heels that do more than add inches — they add attitude. Feel powerful, playful, and unstoppable in thousands of dancer-approved styles made for the club, training days, performances, and every moment in between.

Event Details

We’re excited to announce an addition to the Skripped Down weekend—an in-person panel discussion called "Cancel the Cosplay: A panel discussion on cultural appropriation and SWs’ rights".  Panelists were Onyx Sachi, Steph Sia, Robin Banks and Samantha Knoxx, with moderator Chantal Heide.  We also had guests speakers, Nicky Ninedoors and Doris Arnold.

Held at Kindred Spirits Pole 🗓️Date:  Nov 8th 🕗Time: 8:45 PM EST // 5:45 PM PST ⏱ Length: 90 minutes

This panel explored how non–sex workers “cosplaying” sex workers—for clout, aesthetics, or brand identity—impacts our rights, our safety, and the public’s understanding of what we do. We discussed:

  • How sex worker rights are being challenged in Canada
  • The real harms of “cosplaying” strippers and sex workers
  • What pole enthusiasts can do to help dismantle whorephobia
  • First-hand experiences from working strippers and sex workers

As performers and community members, your voice is important in these conversations. We’d love for you to purchase the stream, listen, and hopefully learn something new.

About the Event

Skripped Down is a pole dance event that attracts polers and skrippers.  It is the largest pole competition in Canada, and is founded and run by Onyx Sachi.  Onyx is a multi winning champion for the last 15 years including being a two time national champion for Miss Nude Canada. She is an International Exotic Feature Entertainer, Snoop Dogg Pole Dancer, and The Owner of Iconyx Elite Entertainment. With all her experience, she put her passion into Skripped Down and is expanding the event into more than just a competition. Skripped Down is a weekend long pole competition event with workshops and now, additionally this year, a panel discussion.

By producing the event itself, Onyx is bridging the gap between polers and skrippers. She is now bringing them together, not just to compete against each other, but to have discussions, so polers can learn more about SW's, their rights, or lack thereof, and what's happening currently with laws changing. These discussions are vital to the growth of a bond between polers and SW's, which ideally in turn could lead to more solidarity among civilians with SW's.  We see these conversations as a way to educate the general public and to bring forth positive changes to this marginalized community. We hope you can join us and that you also see the importance of conversations such as these.  We aim to entertain, to educate and to connect with our audience.

Robin Banks: Rack of all trades by day, stripper by night, Robin applies her 5 years of industry experience to advocate for swers, co-run Ontario’s most successful queer strip club event or tell the world what they need to hear with Stripper News!

Steph Sia: Steph Sia (she/her) an adult content creator, cam model and former stripper and the host and producer of the multi award-nominated show, Stripped by SIA, a sex worker podcast dedicated to destigmatizing the sex industry through stories, and education. Since 2019, she has brought on different guests from around the world to provide a transparent approach to the adult community and industry. Steph also sits on the board at SWAN Vancouver and Living in Community, two Vancouver-based organizations that help advocate for sex worker rights.

Samantha Knoxx: Outspoken, brash, blunt and brave advocate, survivor and trailblazer. Dancing diva and drama queen since they could walk - A multidisciplinary artist, artisan and acrobat, here with purpose and passion to protect through words rather than combat.

Onyx Sachi: Sachi “ONYX” Keller Is an International Exotic Feature Entertainer, Snoop Dogg Pole Dancer, and The Owner of Iconyx Elite Entertainment. She is the founder and executer of Skripped Down.

Nicky Ninedoors: Multi award winning showgirl, producer of Retro Strip Show, photographer behind Stripper With A Camera, plant mom.

Doris Arnold: Doris Arnold is a pole star, showgirl and internationally acclaimed instructor with a decade of experience working as a stripper in the nightlife industry, and has been pole dancing for 17 years. As one of the pioneers in the French pole dance scene, she has dedicated herself entirely to her passion and has travelled the world teaching and performing. She loves to mix eroticism, performance and entertainment with her signature smooth, sultry style.

Chantal Heide: Chantal Heide is an award winning Life Coach, specializing in dating and relationship building. She teaches people how to choose a partner that loves THEM more than disfunction, and helps them achieve a ZERO fight relationship. Women never have to sacrifice their peace again!

Impact

We sold 71 tickets to the event, not including sales that are still being made at YASStore.Shop.

We raised over $1000 USD for this event alone.

We were responsible for paying three speakers on the panel, effectively paying sex workers money for their expertise and time, which has been a prime goal of ours.

The Cancel the Cosplay panel recording, as mentioned, is in the store and is still being purchased by people wanting to learn more about how to support sex workers and honor the roots of pole dancing.  We will continue to share this panel to continue impacting into the future.