blinko:

89% of sex buyers said they would be deterred from buying sex if their name were to be added to a sex offender registry.

90% of sex buyers said they would be deterred from buying sex if a $1,000-$2,000 penalty were imposed.

100% of sex buyers said they would be deterred from buying sex if a one month jail term were imposed.


“Comparing Sex Buyers with Men Who Don’t Buy Sex,”
http://iwantrest.com/2013/04/30/ten-things-you-might-not-know-about-men-who-buy-sex/

This study was put out by a group called Prostitution Research and Education: in their own words “PRE’s goal is to abolish the institution of prostitution.” This agenda is prone to create extreme political confirmation bias both in cherry picking survey respondents and manipulating the data to confirm the hypothesis. The survey was only of men in Boston. The questions were leading and involved misinformation about probabilities of sexual violence and false correlation between voluntary sex work and coerced sex work. And regardless of these mens’ perceptions, it is well known that prohibition does little to nothing to end demand.

thepeacockangel:

and I’m like “Radscum need to stop degrading women, it upholds men’s lack of respect for me or my work”

sexworkerproblems:

This Twitter is hilarious.  I am dying of laughter!  

Enjoy!  

-SW14

sigridhr:

There was a post going around the stripper tumblrsphere about what is probably one of the most common lap dance rejections of all time: “I would love to but I just don’t think I could control myself.”

It’s the perfect way for customers to say no; phrased as a compliment (of sorts), it expresses interest and desire, encouraging the dancer to continue her attempts to sell and thus give the customer more attention without him committing to anything. They usually deliver this excuse with a cute smile, like it’s a joke.

I recognize that they are trying to be charming—even trying to compliment me on my attractiveness!—but it’s so hard to bite my tongue and not ask, “In what world is having less self control than my chihuahua something you want to admit to?”

This is a really interesting, and really worthwhile post, written by a stripper about the nature of consent in strip clubs, and about how boundaries are set in a way that they don’t spoil the fantasy. 

Really, really worth the read. 

The myths of Mammy, Jezebel and Sapphire “have their roots in negative anti- woman mythology.” Moreover, at any time, each of these images is used to characterize African American women in a monolithic image. Consequently, many people find it difficult to appreciate the diversity of African American women and instead impose identities based on negative stereotypes.

While the Jezebel stereotype most clearly supports the sexual exploitation of African American women, the other two stereotypes also promote this subjugation. Mammy’s harassment claims would go unheard because no one would believe that a man would desire an asexual woman. Similarly, Sapphire’s claims of sexual abuse would be overshadowed by her “reputation for deception, lying and lack of loyalty.”

The characterizations of African American women as asexual Mammys, promiscuous Jezebels, and antagonistic Sapphires reaffirm society’s belief that African American women are less individualistic than white women. These stereotypes, which evolved during slavery, continued to exist after the end of slavery and still contribute to the unique harassment experiences of African American women today.

  Here’s some information about how we ran our campaign, hopefully you can learn from our mistakes. Some of these suggestions might work for your situation, some might not. A lot of this information won’t be of much immediate help to you if the club you work for classifies its dancers as “independent contractors,” and charges its workers “stage fees” or “booking fees” to come to work.

Read More

These women have lived at the intersection of multiple social, economic, and urban reforms since the new millennium–part of South Korea’s neoliberal development since the late 1990s. Most notably, they were targeted by the global anti-trafficking initiative, which was interpreted locally as an anti-prostitution drive. In the name of combatting trafficking and forced prostitution, the South Korean government passed two pieces of legislation in 2004 that expanded police power, in order to crackdown on and penalize prostitution while providing welfare support for authentic victims. Although the laws prompted mass protests and even a hunger strike from sex workers, both the government and women’s organizations hailed the laws as a success in protecting women’s human rights. The threat of new police surveillance was simultaneous with the rapid modernization and gentrification of the metropolitan city. In 2004, the same year that the anti-prostitution laws were passed, the Seoul Metropolitan government announced its blueprint for urban renewal. The plan denounced sex workers–along with working class residents, small business-owners, and street vendors–as irreconcilable with the city’s middle class ambience. Such denunciations paved the way for the idea that the progress of the city depended on purging the spaces in which these individuals lived and worked.

feminist—cupcakes:

Our society turns a blind eye to the murder of sex workers, deeming them less than human. Why is that?

A good look at many sides of the issues concerning sex work, government regulation, and stigma.

portlandvalentine:

Inspired by Emi, I dug out my old copies of Danzine. It was a sex worker zine that we had in Portland in the ’90s and early 2000s. I really wish I had all of the issues. I’m not sure how many there were total, but the latest one I have is #18 so at least that many.

sadielune:

A video of a 1 minute performance I did in 2008 at the SFMOMA taken by Carol Leigh/Scarlot Harlot, will be shown in the program

https://www.facebook.com/events/361709167265909/

mecherabbit:

"No sexual behavior is risk-free."

This article is so good, so well-informed. Should be read widely by people in and out of sex work industries.

emigrl:

Reblogging is okay but only to solicit feedback. This document is still in the draft stage, so do not distribute too much. The final version will be posted here later.

*** DRAFT *** DO NOT DISTRIBUTE *** DRAFT *** DO NOT DISTRIBUTE *** DRAFT ***

Rescue is for Kittens: Ten Things Everyone Should Know About “Rescues” of Youth in the Sex Trade

1. Most “rescued” youth are 16-17 year old. While media and politicians often sensationalize very young victims who are 13 year old or younger, they are outliers. The misperception of unrealistically low average age is harmful because it misdirects necessary policy responses.

2. “Rescue” actually means arrest and involuntary detainment of “victims” by the police in many cases. Some jurisdictions have passed “safe harbor” laws that abolished prostitution charges against minors, but young people are still being arrested under some other criminal charge, and are then sent to detention, child welfare system, or back to home.

3. Many “rescued” youth have experienced child welfare system before starting to trade sex. Many have ran away from foster family or group home, and do not feel that going back to the system that have failed them already is a solution to problems in their lives. When they are forcibly returned to these institutions, many run away again as soon as they can.

4. There are “push” and “pull” factors that contribute to the presence of youth sex trade. “Push” factors are things that make young people vulnerable, such as poverty, racism, sexism, homophobia/transphobia, family violence, failure of child welfare system, and the breakdown of families due to incarceration and deportation; “pull” factors are things that lure youth into the sex trade, such as the existence of the commercial sex market itself and its facilitators (buyers, online classified sites, etc.). Anti-trafficking policies such as “rescues” place exclusive focus on the “pull” side of the equation, neglecting to address the vulnerabilities created by the “push” side.

5. Without policies that truly address the “push” factors, any reduction in the “pull” side, such as lower demand for commercial sex due to more policing, or closure of online classified sites, only functions to impoverish youth further, making them more vulnerable overall rather than less. Street youth still need to survive, and thus still have to find different ways to do so, most likely doing things that are also criminalized.

6. Street youth are routinely harassed and mistreated by the law enforcement, and do not view the police as their protector. Social service agencies that work closely with the law enforcement’s campaign to “rescue” youth lose the trust of the people who need to access the services. Any public response to youth sex trade must start from the acknowledgment that the law enforcement is one of the primary sources of violence in the lives of street youth, and cannot be intrinsically relied upon to provide the solution.

7. Youth in the sex trade eventually become adults. Because the society focuses on “rescues” instead of providing resources and opportunities that would improve their long-term well-being, many youth are left unable to pursue economic opportunities outside of the underground economy, and will be treated simply as criminals once they are 18.

8. “Rescue” operations result in the mass arrest and criminalization of adult women in the sex trade, many of whom would have been identified as underage “victims” several years earlier but are now treated as criminals. Many adult women (as well as teen girls) arrested during “rescue” operations are mothers, and their children may be taken away and placed in the child welfare system as a consequence of their arrest.

9. Individuals arrested as “pimps” during “rescue” operations are not necessarily abusers, traffickers, or exploiters; in fact, many are friends, family members, partners, etc. who happen to provide room, transportation, mentoring, security, and other assistance to people in the sex trade, or are financially supported by them, even though they are not abusing, coercing, exploiting, or otherwise hurting that person. Sometimes, women are arrested as “pimps” for working in pairs to increase their safety. Indiscriminate arrests of friends and others as “pimps” when they are not abusers, traffickers, or exploiters lead to further isolation of people who trade sex, putting them at greater risks.

10. Street youth need housing, jobs, education, healthcare, and other resources and opportunities. Being thrown in jail or detention does not provide them, nor does being sent back to families or institutions that they had run away from in the first place. Youth in the sex trade deserve our support, and must be given a voice in determining how the society can best support them!

*** DRAFT *** DO NOT DISTRIBUTE *** DRAFT *** DO NOT DISTRIBUTE *** DRAFT ***

Feedback appreciated at emi AT eminism DOT org

"Rescue is for kittens" is a phrase coined by Claudine O’Leary, who founded Young Women’s Empowerment Project in Chicago. YWEP closed its doors earlier this year, but I want to keep the phrase alive!

Amazing list Emi, I would just cut out the “intrinsically” in 6. “intrinsically relied on.” I’m not sure it quite fits and I think the sentence sounds a little more powerful when it is simply “cannot be relied upon to provide the solution.”

Any of our followers have suggestions for Emi?

-Emma C.

Government leaders and police often fail to acknowledge their own complicity in further stigmatizing girls engaged in survival sex. The FBI’s multi-city raid involved officers enforcing standard laws related to prostitution or solicitation, meaning that many of these so-called “rescues” involved little more than “rounding up the usual suspects.”

Periodic law enforcement raids change none of these realities. Nor do they change the fact that crucial local, state, and federal dollars that used to fund services for girls on the run from abusive families have been devastated by draconian budget cuts. Federal sequestration alone is predicted to bring a 56 percent cumulative reduction in juvenile justice funds that once provided states with vital, community-based services for troubled families and alternative care.

“They (girls) usually get into this because they are running away from something else,” Oakland, California, police Lt. Kevin Wiley declared. “It goes way beyond law enforcement to solve this epidemic.”

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 and its re-authorizations define commercially-sold girls as victims, but most state laws allow for girls under 18 to be charged as prostitutes. Advocacy groups have tried to pass Safe Harbor laws, which mandate that any girl under 18 who has been sexually exploited be treated as a victim, not a criminal and placed in safe treatment facilities that provide medical and mental health services. Only 25% of states have passed such legislation. Even then, “victims” in these states often find their “rescue” home is a shelter or detention facility.

With no system for helping teens put their lives on track, putting handcuffed girls in patrol cars is far from a rescue. It’s more like a roundtrip ticket to a visit with a broken detention system, followed by a return to the street.

clarawebbwillcutoffyourhead:

Sort of annoying bc it’s mostly shock abt her age & explanation of what an older woman might be doing in the industry (surprise!  she needed money! colour me shocked) but anyway:

A Toronto man has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of a 72-year-old sex worker.

Blake Anthony Wilson, 26, briefly appeared at a Finch Avenue courtroom on Wednesday morning before being taken back into custody.

Firefighters first responded to a call at 5754 Yonge St., near Finch, around 1 p.m. on July 13. Once the fire was put out, Janina Wrigglesworth was found dead inside her apartment. A post-mortem revealed signs of trauma to Ms. Wrigglesworth’s body.

…

“One of the reasons they kind of do well is because there are not a lot of them,” said Ms. Grant. “They do kind of corner the market a bit on that older demographic. If you’re a guy who’s in his 70s, you may not be even comfortable seeing people in their 50s because that’s the age of your own kids.”

Another reason some sex workers continue well into retirement age is because they can hang on to a trusted client base built over many years, she said. The clientele would be “aging with you” and could be seeking a sex worker with whom, based on age, they have more in common.

But when sex workers of any age run their business independently and give out their phone numbers or addresses, as Ms. Wrigglesworth did, without the “safety net” of agencies, the risk factor rises, Ms. Grant said.

Det. Sgt. Browne said police believe Ms. Wrigglesworth, who was charged with sex trade-related offences in 1997 and 2000, “lived by very limited means” because she sent most of the money she made through her sex work and community tax work to family members in Poland.

While #Radical#Feminists accuse #SexWorker activists of being “cold” and “uncaring” towards the poor victims of human trafficking and some abusive sex trade practices - while they claim to speak for the silenced who can not speak for themselves - when actually confronted by an immigrant woman of color who has previous experience with poverty and living on the street, their reaction to such a voice attempting to speak for herself is to harass, demean, condescend, and silence that voice.

While they dismiss all #SexWorker activist voices as being privileged and non-representative, they do not subject themselves to the same critique.

What I can reasonably gather from my interaction with such “radical feminists” is that they are largely composed of unreasonable, abusive, and hypocritical Global North woman with a bad case of the White Savior Complex: perpetuators of violence against true grassroots organizers, women of color, people from the Global South, and marginalized peoples from various communities (including drug-users, people with mental illness, disabled, migrant workers, trans women, and the working poor) who try to speak for ourselves.

The fetishization of the chaste victim is a form of sexual sensationalism that dwells on and exploits the narratives of suffering, to soothe the condescending imaginations of the First World feminist mind.

In Canada, 20% of sex workers are streetworkers, and 80% are NOT. Streetworkers are a minority of sex workers. The working conditions of the 20% of streetworkers are indeed complicated by drug use and other dependencies. When street workers speak for themselves about their experiences with drug use and mental illness, their voices are dismissed when it does not come out of a repenting narrative of victimisation. Meanwhile, sex worker activist organisations that conduct much needed peer outreach, such as PEERS in Vancouver and YWEP in Chicago, are denied funding and subsequently closed down. Our work is discounted in favor of condescending social work professionals who better incorporate the poor into mainstream institutions of rehabilitation, repentance, and re-appropriation of narrative.

This is unacceptable. This is against the core principles of Feminism. This is a problem that the all free-thinking members of society who believe in human rights and human dignity, need to pay attention to. Its a problem that direly needs to be addressed.