A lack of transparency, exploitative pay practices, and endless recruitment despite the concerns of current professionals on the platform. Please read the incredibly articulate analysis of my colleagues to learn more.
Something is Rotten in the State of O.school by Bianca Palmisano
Why I'm Breaking Up with O.school by Sarah Brynn Holliday
Why I No Longer Work as a Pleasure Professional @ O.school by Andre Shakti
I left O.school in December for many of the same reasons cited in these recent blogposts of my brilliant, committed colleagues, but was too ill at the time to make any noise about it. Speaking to Bianca on Tuesday night about my experiences and why I left, she concluded, "Sounds like a lot of us feel the same way, we just weren't ready to let go." It seems that this week, some of my colleagues were "let go" whether they wanted to be or not, and others decided they'd had enough. To add my voice to this long overdue critique, here is the text I added to the comments section of Sarah's article:
"I left O.school in December, having been a part of it from the very beginning days, because of many of the issues you write about. To clarify and add to the discussion, it was never my understanding or experience that PPs were paid a $25 "thank you" per stream beginning in October 2017. I received one such vague bonus--a payment that did not articulate what I was being paid for or which streams were tipped what amounts, but I received no compensation for a number of my streams. Frankly, I assumed as a new platform, perhaps there was low viewing and no tipping.
This assumption, of course, doesn't address the fact that a tipping model was never economic justice in the first place (it's also just bullshit) or the fact that I should never have had to assume how many people were watching or not watching my stream and tipping or not tipping. As a professional being asked to invest in the business of O.school, I should have been provided that information promptly the day after each stream, as it is vital information for me to build my business: what streams are succeeding, both in viewership and financially. I felt that this "oversight," and the refusal to address it the multiple times it was brought up in Slack (responses consistently were limited to "email (the CEO) directly if you want your stats", a "policy" which makes zero sense), suggested that while O.school wanted me to invest in it, they were in no way committed to investing in me. This felt in my body like a complete lack of respect, and is the sensation that lingers when I think about O.school.
I will say the best thing about my involvement with O.school was connecting with a number of incredible sex educators from everywhere. We're a badass bunch. We'll just have to find another platform from which to change the world."