The women involved in the Prostitute Strike in Lyon, France, 1975

Prostitute Strike in Lyon, France (1975)
Photo credit: Alain Norgues/Sygma via Getty Images

In a historic move, full service workers in Lyon, France, occupied five Catholic churches for eight days and garnered international support and recognition. They were protesting laws that criminalized their clients, police fines, and destruction and gentrification of the red light districts in France.