I am writing this on my phone, for the living and the dead. – Jemima
A man who raped a prostitute…has been jailed for [forty] months. Daniel-Nicolae Ilie…paid £20 for sex…[but] when she refused his demands for further sexual acts, he attacked her…Judge Horton said…”A sex worker, like any other woman in this country, is entitled to her consent”…
As usual, there were a number of articles for the December 17th observance, but for me four really stood out. In the first, Siouxsie Q interviewed Dr. Annie Sprinkle, who first conceived of the idea; then UK politician James Shaddock published “As Liberals, We Must Stand Up for Sex Workers”; Jemima wrote a powerful poem called “For the Living and the Dead”; and the Global Network of Sex Work Projects released its new consensus statement, “On Sex Work, Human Rights and the Law”.
A [North Carolina] man blames the breakup of his marriage not only on the other guy, but also on the online infidelity service that he says made it happen…Robert Schindler…is suing her alleged partner…along with Ashley Madison…alienation of affection…laws have survived numerous efforts…to repeal them, and in recent years they have led to million-dollar judgments for wronged spouses…
Another person who profited from whore stereotypes without consulting us or giving us any support in return:
Patricia Adler…[announced] that she would be leaving her tenured position teaching sociology at the University of Colorado at Boulder…[after] officials told her that one of the highlights of [her] course…had to go. That is an annual lecture on prostitution…to illustrate that status stratification occurs in various groups considered deviant by society. She seeks volunteers from among…teaching assistants…to dress up as various kinds of prostitutes — she named as categories “slave whores, crack whores, bar whores, streetwalkers, brothel workers and escort services.” They work with Adler on scripts in which they describe their lives as these types of prostitutes…
The Leading Players in the Field, Not
When CNN wants a “human trafficking expert”, you can be sure they won’t call on anyone who’s actually studied migration or sex work or anything; no, it’s always a has-been actress trying to reinvent herself as a “human rights champion”, accompanied by (usually religious) rescue industry types. You may also be sure nobody’s going to even acknowledge the existence of any local activists, because otherwise we’d be cheated of a white savior’s journey into the Heart of Darkness, complete with serious-faced selfie.
A federal judge…in Utah ruled portions of the state’s anti-polygamy law unconstitutional…polygamists in Utah can’t apply for multiple marriage licenses, but neither can they be prohibited from living together as…husband and wives…The case was brought to court by Kody Brown…whose family is featured in TLC’s Sister Wives…
Setting Women’s Rights Back a Century
Cathy Young published an excellent article on “How the government encourages kangaroo courts for sex crimes on campus”; it covers not only material from the above-linked column, but also topics explored in “Lower Education”, “False Target” and several other essays. Definitely worth reading in its entirety.
The Canadian Supreme Court will announce its final decision in Bedford vs. Canada today; some have speculated that the timing may indicate that it will not be to the government’s liking. Here’s law professor Kyle Kirkup:
…In 1967, the Supreme Court upheld a decision placing a man in indefinite detention after he was convicted of sodomy and deemed to be an “incurable homosexual.” In 1969, largely in response to the decision, the federal government…decriminalized sodomy…Forty-six years after the decision, it is safe to say that the…Court…was on the wrong side of history. Last week, the Supreme Court of India was widely criticized for upholding a similar law criminalizing gay sex…history will not be kind to the decision…the Supreme Court of Canada…has the opportunity to focus its analysis on the harms caused by…criminalization…instead of sending messages about good sex and bad sex. What side of history will the Court be on?…
UPDATE: The court was on the right side of history. Unfortunately Parliament may not want to be this time…
A whole convention full of trafficking loonies in the formerly somewhat-sane Rhode Island gathered to swap disinformation, including ridiculous nonsense about pimped streetwalkers working out of strip clubs. The writer pretends to have done research by explaining that “the average age of a child forced into prostitution is 12, according to the U.S. Department of Justice…other studies place the age range at 12-15 years old.” Of course, no study says anything of the kind, and the official DoJ study on the subject put the average underage sex worker’s debut at roughly the same age found by every other study – about 16.
I’ve received a number of presents in the past two weeks. Sasha Castel sent me Strapless, a lovely scarf, some perfume and an Australian chocolate bar; Sailor Barsoom sent The Ladies of Trade Town; Eddie JC1 sent The Cartoon History of the Modern World, Part 1 and The Lurker in the Lobby, and Krulac sent Family Christmas. Thank you all so very much!
…The Alameda County [California] Juvenile Hall is…creating a girl’s camp for victims of sexual exploitation…Esa Ehmen-Krause, the deputy chief probation officer…says the plan is to convert some vacant detention units into a safe harbor…[by retrofitting] the space to make it feel comfortable…But [advocate Venus] Rodriguez…[asks] if the goal is to teach girls about healthy relationships and how to live independently…“How does that work in a lock up facility?”…
More on Ireland’s inbred prohibitionist cabal:
The Turn Off The Red Light (TORL) political campaign…is led by the Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI), who are funded by Atlantic Philanthropies. ICI have received $5,903,868…so far. 13 other TORL organisations have…received a whopping $40,710,493…in total…the Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC) which have provided TORL with extensive pro bono legal advice…have had $10,419,298…Ireland’s human rights organisations have fallen silent on the issue of further criminalisation of sex work…It turns out they are all funded by Atlantic Philanthropies also…a total of $17,762,683 between them…
The long-awaited call for decriminalization by Human Rights Watch has arrived, in a report on rampant human rights abuses committed by Louisiana “authorities”:
Louisiana state laws and practices that prohibit access to sterile syringes and criminalize sex work contribute to an uncontrolled HIV epidemic and an extremely high AIDS death rate, Human Rights Watch said…New Orleans police regularly interfere with sex workers who carry condoms, putting them and their clients at risk of HIV…“In Harm’s Way: State Response to Sex Workers, Drug Users, and HIV in New Orleans” documents government…abuses of at-risk populations in New Orleans. It calls for changes in state and local laws and policies that stigmatize, discriminate against, and facilitate police abuse of sex workers and drug users, and interfere with health services…
California officials voted…to overturn a discriminatory rule that prevented sex workers who are physically or sexually assaulted from receiving money from a special victim compensation fund intended to help the victims of violent crimes…sex workers will now be eligible for state assistance to pay for medical and related expenses they incur as a result of the assault. Members of the Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board said they were compelled to change the “repugnant” rule after hearing the testimony of sex workers who have been assaulted and left without recourse or support following the crime…
It isn’t only children who are harmed by sex rays; infantilized women are too!
Lap dancing club plans for Doncaster…have been rejected following serious concerns about the possible effect on the sensitive work carried out at a neighbouring women’s centre…[“authorities”] said the venue would…alter the perception of vulnerable women, significantly harming the service the centre provides…
Here’s a previously unknown property of sex rays; they “alter perception”, presumably like LSD.
The Course of a Disease (TW3 #349)
Melissa Gira Grant on a pro-Swedish model New York Times editorial:
…The alternative the Times offers? Sex workers should instead be treated as “victims,” which the editorial claims can be accomplished by increasing criminal penalties against their customers. But there’s no evidence, in the editorial or elsewhere, to support that assertion …[and] leading global health and human rights organizations have …condemned that approach, as have sex workers themselves. Passing stronger laws against buying sex and treating sex workers as victims does nothing to actually protect [their] health, safety, or rights…and only perpetuates a system in which sex workers are endangered by the police. The proposed French law introduces new penalties for activities related to buying and selling sex, only one of which is the highly publicized “fines for johns.” The law is quite broad, and targets many more people who are involved in the sex trade than customers…
Dr. Melinda Chateauvert also comments on both the New York Times article and the French law in this interview introducing her new book, Sex Workers Unite. Meanwhile, the pending law has emboldened anti-whore fanatics: “Forty people rallied…on the road between Beziers and [Nissan-lez-Ensérune]…to drive prostitutes out of their sight…they chased prostitutes until dusk…[in order to] prevent them from working…”
A company set up to run brothels in Utrecht has applied…to set up a pension fund…The company, named Freya, says footballers and prostitutes both do heavy work and so should be treated equally in terms of pensions. Footballers can save up to €5,000 tax free a month to put into a pension fund for when they are no longer physically able to play. Prostitutes should be given the same rights to do this, [said] board member and lawyer Wil Post…
All you need to know about this Australian example of yellow journalism is its overlong title: “Girls kidnapped by drug gangs and sold as sex slaves to cash in on the 2014 FIFA World Cup”. Here’s the truth, courtesy of Dr. Thaddeus Blanchette’s commentary on a nearly-identical Time article:
…Fortaleza, one of the host cities of the World Cup, currently has open twenty cases of underaged prostitution (six of which involve foreigners) and TWO THOUSAND cases of sexual exploitation of children that have nothing to do with prostitution or tourism…in ten years of work researching Rio de Janeiro’s brothels…I have not encountered a single child prostitute. Frequent police raids on these establishments also generally come up a cropper. There are a few cases, of course, but I can count them on the fingers of one hand, from over a ten year period. Where, then, are these legions of child prostitutes? If the police and I and my co-researcher, Dra. Ana Paula da Silva, can’t find more than a handful in all the hundreds of commercial sex venues in Rio de Janeiro…where are these kids?…apocalyptic claims that the invasion of legions of sports fans would lead to an increase in prostitution…have NEVER been substantiated: in fact, they’ve been consistently debunked…
Whatever They Need To Say (TW3 #350)
Sex workers in London’s Soho had their doors kicked in by riot police…[who] brought along journalists to photograph cowering women who were desperately trying to cover their faces…Working flats have been closed, throwing women out on to the street…migrant workers…were taken away…for compulsory “counselling”…and…removal from the UK, despite protesting that they were not trafficked victims…Kay Thi Win, a sex worker in Burma, has said: “We live in daily fear of being ‘rescued’…[by] police, who break into our workplaces and beat us, rape us and kidnap our children in order to save us”…
Tim Worstall replies to European politician Mary Honeyball’s claims of “growing disillusionment in places where [prostitution] has been legalized”: “No, there is not growing support for such a framework. You’re lying…[prohibitionists] are…wildly lying…There simply isn’t any evidence that ‘sex slavery’ is anything other than an appalling and vile and very rare indeed crime…”
It would be much better if Dr. Adler gave sex workers a real voice in her lectures (having them come to class to talk would be great even though it would stir up an immense fecal storm), using scripts that were in authentic voices might be better, but taking the conversation, even in an artificial, academic setting, off the table doesn’t seem like an improvement. Her choice of descriptors is offensive, but now there will be one less place on the campus where the topic of prostitution is brought up. In 20 years of teaching, there were certainly students who were also sex workers. I wonder what they thought of the class. That there were no student complaints doesn’t mean they unanimously endorsed her views. Especially if you disagree with the rest of the content of her presentation (we know the list of category names is a big red flag) wouldn’t you still want the conversation to go on? For me, this is repression of ideas by the University which is carefully dancing around a subject they think might offend some of their innocent students (and affluent alumni). Tenure is supposed to give you some perks, but her voice is being silenced.
The Lurker In The Lobby is from me, Maggie…
Thank you! It came separately from the other, with no packing slip. 🙂
Mary Honeyball seems to be the current anti-sex work media darling in the UK. The BBC, Guardian, and other left-leaning sources certainly seem to be accepting the claim that Britain is “out of step with the rest of Europe” by not adopting the Swedish model:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnzcrPVP91M
The statistic Honeyball’s pushing at the moment is that as many as 90% of Britain’s sex workers are trafficked sex slaves. Of course she doesn’t provide any evidence of this, but so far she seems to be getting away with it without interviewers challenging her claims. It’s very frustrating how credulous people can be.
The Guardian may well have an agenda here, but what struck me was that the comments section of the article attracted 1835 replies, and that, except the odd patriarchy-blaming Melissa-Farley-quoting few, most of them were either in support of decriminalization or legalization (with registration, STI checks, etc – not ideal I know but with all my goodwill I used to feel the same before reading on that blog about the pitfalls of that thinking 🙂 ).
It seems that the left-leaning audiences won’t be fooled that easily and that’s good news! Even in France, the most vocal opposition to the criminalization law came not from the actual opposition but from the Greens (who are very much on the left of the political spectrum, and currently in coalition with the socialists!)
So, Bedford huh? I was pleasantly surprised.
Who knew there were nine people that wise all in one place. The Canadian Supreme Court has just punched the so-called Nordic model in the face. We’ll have to wait for action from the parliament, but it’s a potential turning point
The Supreme Court of Canada has struck down all the anti-sex worker laws (working indoors, avails, soliciting), although they will continue in force for one year.
I was surprised to read Chief Justice McLachlin’s words. She almost sounded sane, because it seems she gets it, that it’s the criminalisation that makes it more dangerous, not that the trade itself is the problem. I’m also surprised that it was a 9-0 decision. That almost never happens.
It’s hard being a conservative-libertarian in Canada, because predictably, my nominal allies are already coming out with the usual anti-whore bullshit. It’s amazing how otherwise-sensible people go off the rails when it comes to sex work.
Great news out of Canada, thanks for the timely update Mags. It was a 9 to zip decision too.
This on top of the repressive cohab laws being struck down in Utah, that were only selectively used against Fundy Mormons. I wonder what “Daffy” Bramham at the Vancouver sun is going to say. Terri Bedford needs to take her whip to that religious and antisex bigot.
About the French approach to sex work, the “Canard Enchaîn锑s latest edition includes an article about the “rescue” of “victims of traffic” in Paris. The French’s favourite duck doesn’t publish its articles on-line (its website basically says “buy the paper version!”), but here is a rough translation to give you an idea:
***
“That’s what we call protection!”
Najat Vallaud-Belkacem says “Protect the victims and make responsible people face their responsibilities”. The cops who raided Paris’ Chinese prostitutes don’t understand it that way.
An amazing “protection” operation towards Chinese prostitutes who are “victims of trafficking” took place on the 10th of December in Paris, in the 13rd Arrondissement. That’s probably in order to alleviate their plight that the police rushed at 6AM into the 10 or so flats, each which 6 or 7 of them are sharing.
And that’s probably to help them to escape from the throes of a “seriously wide network”, as titled by “Le Parisien”, that they handcuffed them, took them away and arrested them, after having taken all their money “for the sake of the investigation” and sent their passports back to the Chinese embassy.
In order to teach them how to keep a place tidy, beds, wardrobes and cupboards got thrown around, leaving clothes, utensils and food lying on the floor. And it is undoubtedly for their own good and for their “protection” that eight of them are now held in a retention center, ready to be sent back to China.
Five days after this act of goodness worth of St Vincent de Paul, “Le Canard” has met ten of those who got released. Sadly, their stories don’t really match the sweet compassionate talk heard from Najat Vallaud-Belkacem during the debate about penalizing the customer in the lower chamber. Here, it is the prostitutes that are penalized: “I was sleeping, and got woken up by a loud noise. I thought we were being robbed! Some people kicked the door open, I was terrified, I thought that there were burglars, they were threatening, they didn’t explain anything, just told me not to move. Then they handcuffed us and took us away. We Chinese people have a lot of respect for the police, but they treated us in such a bad way…” This is their story, translated by Tim, who is in charge of the “Lotus Bus” from “Médecins du Monde” which is looking after them.
Whilst they were under arrest, one of them had to watch the policemen wolfing down a pizza. “I hadn’t eaten since the previous day. They didn’t offer us anything. It was very humiliating…”
All of them are coming from Jiangxi, one of the poorest Chinese provinces. Aged between 25 and 50, they are single mothers, without husband, having been “dishonoured” to the eyes of their communities. They all have a “migration project” in mind. France, “country of laws, freedom and romanticism”, where they earn enough to provide for their children, buy a house, then come back to their country, once their trip and visas have been reimbursed to their smugglers, who are charging between 13000 and 20000 Euros. Exactly the same as other Chinese women who become nanny, maid, waitress or seamstress. “But there’s less and less work, we don’t have documents, we don’t speak French… Of course, if there was a better job which paid more, we’d do it!”
Their life is streetwalking, the customers bringing them to the basements, of which they kindly gave them the keys so that they have somewhere to work. “We never work in the flats!” Now they have to sleep in the basements. “We don’t have housing anymore, the landlords kicked us out, saying that they’d never ever rent to Jiangxi women again!”
No more bunked beds, for 120 Euros / months given to those amongst them who have documents, and whom, for the police, are “pimps”. They were the only ones able to rent, and they’re now prosecuted for “assisting illegal immigrants” and “procurement”. “We don’t give them anything but the rent, not to them and not to any “pimp”!”, say the women, supported by Médecins du Monde which follows them since 10 years and confirms. As for those who are accused of “procurement”, in order to stay free they have to pay a caution of 1500 Euros, payable in 3 installments. Which they’ll earn by prostituting themselves. Yes, but for the common good, under the justice’s orders and with the earnings ending in its purse.
Dominique Simonnot – Le Canard Enchaîné
(I am no professional translator, so apologies if something’s not 100% accurate!)
” I thought we were being robbed!”
As it turned out, she was right.
I would love to read something even half that sarcastic in an American newspaper!
Damn – Mira Sorvino used to be hot!
Sic transit gloria mundi. However, I must point out that most Hollywood actresses are only “hot” in Hollywood makeup with the right camera angles; in “selfies”, she probably looked very much like she does now back then.
Maggie, I happen to be from Slidell, and have enjoyed reading this site for the most part. Honestly, you make more sense than either Andrew Breitbart’s supporters or Daily Show fanboys. (Poster children for cognitive dissonance) I was wondering if you are interested in “Hollywood Cartoons: Animation in its Golden Age” by Michael Barrier? Oh, and I’d think you’d be a better mayor of New Orleans than Mitch Landrieu or his current rivals.
On the Daniel-Nicolae Ilie case, he will be automatically released on license after serving 50% of his 40 month sentence. And Judge Mark Horton didn’t make a recommendation for deportation, which means either the prosecutor forgot to ask or the police failed to serve him with the form IM3 seven days before sentence. So he will serves all of 20 months and not even be deported.
Cambodia again? Godblessitall, Maggie. They are still suffering the effects of the Khmer Rouge, were anyone with a smidgen of education was exterminated. How about paying young girls (and boys) to go to school, as well as tuition? They’re so poor, a few million ought to cover that expense.
And as for those yahoos in the comments section who scream they’d NEVER SELL MY DAUGHTER!!!!!, they’d probably do it in a heartbeat if they were in the same situation as those poor Cambodians.
I’m taking on this TW3 out of order, for reasons which should be obvious, or soon will be.
The Red Umbrella
“As Liberals, We Must Stand Up for Sex Workers”
This was excellent, and even Jeremy had to admit that some of his statistics were bogus.
“For the Living and the Dead”
Those phones are amazing. Technological progress is the greatest force for freedom the world has ever seen, and while oppressors can use it too, when everybody has the same weapon it’s more equalizing than not.
“On Sex Work, Human Rights and the Law”
The rights being demanded here are not extraordinary rights, unusual rights, rights above and beyond what other workers have. They are the basic rights most people take for granted. It’s pretty powerful to see people who are having to fight for the rights the rest of us just have.
Peeping Toms
Various conservatives who proclaim that gay marriage will bring about the Polyamorous Apocalypse have never been able to tell me (or, apparently, anybody else) why that would be a bad thing.
The Crumbling Dam
Crack by crack, drip by drip… and sometimes a spurt like this. I hope to see more crumbling in the coming year.
Presents, Presents, Presents!
You’re welcome, Maggie. 🙂 I bought The Ladies of Trade Town at A-KON which as some of you know I attend every year. Because it was at a con, I was able to meet Lee Martindale, the editor, and ask her to sign it, which she did. I can recommend the collection with a clear conscience. Yeah, we have werewolves and pimps and a touch of trafficking in some of the stories, but even when the mythology creeps in, prostitutes are more than wicked criminals or helpless victims. It’s a good anthology.
Gingerbread House
Yeah, how does that work?
OK, I’ll try to finish up before tomorrow, because I’ll be gone over the holiday.
Long Spoon
That dam shows little in the way of crumbling, but this could be the beginning of a tiny little crack… which is where it starts.
Rough Trade (TW3 #337)
I did sign an online petition about this, and encouraged others to do so. I don’t know how much difference the petition made, but if it made any at all, then I’m glad I signed it.
Sex Rays
Wow. Even Orange Sunshine couldn’t alter perceptions at a distance of fifty metres or more.
Dutch Threat (TW3 #349)
That’s interesting. Other comparisons which might be useful are acrobats and stunt doubles.
Hard Numbers (TW3 #349)
You know, I haven’t heard much about the Nomadic Tribe of Sport-Fan Whores rushing to Sochi. I guess between Snowden and anti-gay laws, the media forgot about them.
A merry solstice-related holiday to all!
Dear Sailor Barsoom, re: “Rough Trade”. The petition WORKED! http://news.ca.msn.com/top-stories/california-prostitutes-win-right-to-victim-compensation -here’s an article about it.
🙂
“We Must Stand Up for Sex Workers”
Heh. Heh heh heh.
I wonder if this was deliberate?