Comments on: What to do about sex work

By: hexy

hexy — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 12:26:24 +0000

Aww.

I wish I’d found this topic earlier. :(

By: compartments

compartments — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:29:23 +0000

I’m a “sex worker” and you can check out my blog if you’re interested to read about my experiences. Thank you :-)

By: Lara

Lara — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 07:13:40 +0000

Even, hypothetically, if women started using men as walking dildos and paying for them, it is still a patriarchally-based oppression system in which not only sex is commodified, but the bodies of women and men are commodified. And just for your own information Geoffrey, as you seem to be clueless about prostitution or sexual oppression, most male prostitutes are practically homeless and starving young men who are used and abused by MALE pimps and johns. It is all tied to patriarchy and sexual (and racial and class) oppression.
Stop trying to use your whiney “but what about teh mennnzzzz??!!” argument. We are talking about freaking thousands of years of rape, battery, and the systematic sexual oppression of women (and men of color, in some cases) and all you can wrap your mind around is men and their rights and privileges. I am so sick of it.

By: Sheelzebub

Sheelzebub — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 22:30:31 +0000

Really? Loads of male prostitutes? Where? Walking the same streets as women, selling their wares to women?

Heidi Fleiss wanted to start a brothel for women, and has met resistance from the Brothel Owner’s Association. A prostitute, under Nevada law, is referred to as “she” and has to have gynecological exams, etc. if I’m correct. It is simply beyond a lot of people’s comprehension that women may want to be the consumers of sexual services, or may actually be sexual people for their own pleasure. Not for money, not to please men, but for us. That’s pretty fucked up, right there.

By: Geoffrey

Geoffrey — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:11:25 +0000

if men didn’t think they should have universal access to women’s bodies through the use of money then we wouldn’t have prostitution now, would we?

- Lara

Yes. Cos there’s loads of male prostitutes too. Loads of women paying lots of money for sex. Loads of men paying for men. Loads of women paying for women. You know, even other species have prostitution.

By: Sam

Sam — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:31:12 +0000

“sex work is as diverse as any other type of labor”

Diverse how?

With this phrase you wash away the severe abuses that happen uniquely in prostitution.

The average age of entry into prostitution in the USA is 13-years-old and in New York City it’s 12-years-old. I can’t think of a single “type of labor” with disproportionately minority and poverty-stricken girl children filling the most lucrative entry-level positions.

By: Jenny's Pennies » Better later than never: International Sex Workers Rights Day

Jenny's Pennies » Better later than never: International Sex Workers Rights Day — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 14:04:04 +0000

[...] As Jill of Feministe said, sex work is one of those issues, much like bikini waxes and porn, where any discussion always seem to divert into ugly fighting. But: That’s not a great reason to avoid talking about it, but it probably is a good reason for me to defer to those who know more about the subject than I do. So I’ll just point out that sex work is as diverse as any other type of labor, and there is no singular sex worker narrative — not all sex workers are exploited girls from developing nations, any more than all sex workers are high-paid call-girls living fabulous and fun urban lives. [...]

By: Sojourner

Sojourner — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:57:50 +0000

“Yeah, but the first one is called slavery. I understand what you’re saying about the uniqueness of sex work, but there’s no need to describe forced labor under brutal circumstances for brutal people–especially in this context–as being cheated out of a paycheck.”

Um, When did I ever say, it was “being cheated out of a paycheck”? Yes, I agree it is slavery. Just that picking strawberries against your will is not the same thing as having sex againt your will.

“If we are talking about the U.S., that is simply false. The majority of trafficked people are trafficked into domestic service positions. A long list of sources and statistics on this point are available on the SitPS forum.”

Uh, no I am not talking about the US, I’d like to see the stats, because it doesn’t sound right, however, I am talking about the worldwide trade in women. Did you notice I mentioned Eastern Europe, Nepal, East Asia? A long list of reports and statistics on this point are available through Amnesty International (amnesty.org, and aiusa.org).

By: Amber

Amber — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:16:37 +0000

We are not trying to trivialize trafficking. Quite the opposite.

By: Catherine Martell

Catherine Martell — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 11:11:41 +0000

If we are talking about the U.S., that is simply false. The majority of trafficked people are trafficked into domestic service positions. A long list of sources and statistics on this point are available on the SitPS forum.

That really depends on how you define human trafficking. Personally, I would agree that the majority of trafficked people are intended for skilled or unskilled manual (not necessarily domestic) labour, not sex work. But that’s because I include indentured labour as part of trafficking. Most official statistics (eg those from the US Office of Justice) exclude indentured labour. In which case, Sojourner is correct. See here: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/ncvrw/2005/pg5l.html

Regardless of what statistics one uses on human trafficking, there are still large numbers of women and children who are trafficked for sex work. I’m offended by the language in the Bound and Gagged post that appears to be attempting to sideline or trivialise this situation. For instance:

Much of what we call trafficking begins as voluntary migration from one economically depressed area to a less depressed area.

So what if it begins as voluntary migration? It ends up as slavery. This comment attempts to make light of human trafficking. As does putting the term human trafficking in quote marks.