I love it when people turn sex into a morality issue. It's also really funny when people make all kinds of unfounded presumptions about prostitutes and their experiences, with out ever actually having talked to one single prostitute. Is there exploitation in the sex industry? Absolutely. Is that a serious fucking problem? Yes. However, arresting the women who are being exploited is a crime in itself. Putting someone in jail does not rehabilitate them, it does not empower them or distance them from their pimps- just like putting people in jail for drugs does not "cure" them- in fact, it does the exact opposite.
A group, called Citizens Against Trafficking (CAT), are seeking to make in-door prostitution in Rhode Island illegal. There is, in fact, a bill before the Rhode Island legislature which they are preparing to vote on. CAT is the creation of two so-called feminists- one of whom lives in Massachusetts, and the other who is a professor of Women's Studies. They claim to be experts on the issue of sex work, but have never heard (until recently) of any of the organizations which actually research sex workers and their experiences. These groups are, in no particular order of importance: SWOP (Sex Worker Outreach Project), SWP (Sex Worker Project of the Urban Justice Center, who have actually published two studies on sex workers and their demographics), and $pread Magazine (an all sex worker run and written publication). In fact, in a statement made by one of the ladies, she claims that an editor of $pread is a professor at a local university (Wha? No one on the staff seemed to know what she was talking about).
These "feminists" think (just like the Prohibitionists) that by making something illegal, you will eradicate it. Of course, it is really a transparent attempt to impose their own sense of morality on the rest of the population- as most of these "feminists" also see sex work as detrimental to women, and a blight on society as a whole. This is not true, and based on their own second-wave feminist bullshit ethics that have been thrown away by most people in the field of women's studies. But, by using scare tactics, and appealing to soccer moms who think there's going to be a brothel in every schoolyard, these bitches might actually get their way!
You know what's morally and ethically unjust? Using a marginalized population as a platform for your own fucked up, misinformed crusade. It pisses me off when people who are the loudest get their way in the face of reason and compassion.
Make it so that doesn't happen, by adding your support here:
Sex In The Public Square
Also, see what actual research reveals about sex work and trafficking here:
Sex Worker Project of The Urban Justice Center
Subcribe, or make a donation to $pread Magazine. They need it, trust me.
See what some ignorant bitch has to say about an industry she knows nothing about here:
Open Letter To Sex Radicals
BTW- What the hell is a "sex radical", and where do I sign up?
xoxo.
5 comments:
I'm not going to go into a big, long-winded thing here. Basically, I just want to say that just because a women has a penis in her at any given moment doesn't mean she is getting raped and just because she my do it in exchange for money doesn't mean she is getting exploited.
Yes there is exploitation in certain areas of sex work. However I would argue that it's generally not any more than many other kinds of accepted business.
I don't like these people that get up in the morning, put on their bargain tee-shirt that was made by some poor Asian woman (who only has one arm cause she lost one arm in the machine) that works 16 hour shifts and is made to sleep in a dank room on a busted cot just to keep her $3 a day job. Then pour their coffee that was picked by a teenage peasant under the 100 degree heat and heavy whip of the bossman just so maybe he can eat that day. Then pick up a paper and tisk tisk at some story of a brothel being busted.
I love sex workers. They truly do good work. I thank them for making the world more tolerable. I put them up there with nurses and fireman.
Hey, you don't need to sign up. You are a card carrying, flag waiving, at-the-ramparts committed sex radical! You don't need no stinkin' membership card.
I was impressed when I looked at the links you provided that the good, progressive organizations you cite are actively and visibly opposed to human trafficking.
CAT seems to manipulatively and corruptly blur the line between human trafficking and consentual sex work. Nobody wants human trafficking. But I like to believe there is change in the air and there may be at least some more open thoughts about separating the need for law enforcement from the necessity for de-criminalization.
I should probably ask you privately but if you were me and you were thinking of volunteering my specific professional talent on a pro bono basis, what organization would you contact?
You inspire me you sex radical you.
I'm serious.
But I am flirting with you too.
Just in case you missed it.
Advo,
You are such the fresh air of optimism.
xoxo.
Hermit,
I always love your comments. I completely agree. I will, however, say that the overwhelming majority of street-based sex workers are being exploited or psychologically manipulated in some way. There should be programs specifically for these people, to help them get out (if they want), create a skill-set, housing, etc. But there's not. They just get arrested, and that's it. There IS a program like this for young girls called GEMS, which does a tremendous job of using a harm-reduction model of rehabilitaion (I hate that word, but can't think of another right now). The average age of the girls is 13(!) and many of them have been in "the game" for years.
I consider myself a sex worker activist, although that is also sort of a cringe-inducing term. Much of the focus in this movement is on challenging stigmas, and not really on forming an alliance with people who do it out of desperation. It's a failure of the movement, but who's pimp is going to encourage empowerment in his girls? There are a lot of difficulties, but I digress...
The fact that these bitch-faced overly-educated cunts want to punish an already marginalized and misunderstood population is beyond me. And it will not eradicate the "problem", but simply exacerbate it. The idea is so unethical, I can't even believe it's up for debate.
" I will, however, say that the overwhelming majority of street-based sex workers are being exploited or psychologically manipulated in some way. There should be programs specifically for these people, to help them get out"
----I agree
It just seems to me these people who think all "sex work" is so evil, really don't care much about exploitation as long as there is nothing sexual.....anywhere.
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