Our team 

Soraya (they/she/he) is a self-defense trainer and co-founder of Cobra Lily. With a Master's degree in Human Resources and Gender Studies, their research focuses on sex work through an intersectional and situated lens.

Soraya was a member of the STRASS union, serving as the program coordinator for Putains de Rencontres from 2021 to 2022. At the same time, they worked as an anti-racism consultant for ESWA and contributed to the European survey on the relationship between law enforcement and sex workers in France (2022-2023).

Supported by Médecins du Monde, they were trained in 2021 by Pesha Shatte as a facilitator of self-defense workshops. Building on this SWAG experience, they now integrate their empirical and theoretical knowledge within the Cobra Lily collective, operating in various cities in France, Abidjan, and virtually. With the aim of offering work that is both community-oriented, supportive, and warm, they continue to learn and grow through the power of activist connections.

Kelsey (she/her) has been a self-defense instructor since 2021 and is the co-founder of Cobra Lily. Originally from the United States, she has been living in Paris for nearly a decade. A mother, researcher, and teacher, her research focuses on sexual labor from an anti-racist and anti-capitalist feminist perspective.

Kelsey was a member of the STRASS union and was trained in 2021 with the support of Médecins du Monde by Pesha Shatte in self-defense using the "SWAG" method (Sex Worker Autodéfensa Groupe). Since then, she has facilitated self-defense workshops in cities such as Paris, Bangkok, Rouen, Caen, and Montpellier, working with both sex worker and non-sex worker groups. Her approach to self-defense emphasizes its application not only in situations of physical or sexual violence but also in everyday interactions, whether on the subway or at family dinners.