fun with language
From Laura Agustin’s Twitter: “You are living in the kind of world in which there are digital harems of prostitutes, available and pushed upon every single population”
It wouldn’t be much fun to push unavailable prostitutes on every single population, now would it? “Every single population” is not defined and I wish it were. There are so many populations that prostitutes aren’t interested in (children, prison inmates, the sick, the homeless, Congress).
Laura has a series of Tweets exploring the zealous anti-prostitution rhetoric and its very creative usage of language. I would have never come up “digital harems” no matter how long I write about sex work (yes, I’m jealous). Even better, the sermon she quotes was delivered by a preacher in Ft. Worth! Eros Dallas has a new slogan in the bag.
ban freebies
I missed this on Twitter but really enjoyed the recap. Sex workers discuss the concept of giving it away with the same arguments tossed at us because we charge for it. While people can always say “It’s smart to charge for it,” when have you ever heard someone say “It’s smart to give it away.” An entire self-help genre is built on the very idea of not giving it away! These books encourage women to hold out for something, whether it’s a wedding ring, gifts or whatever. But the end result is always offering sex in exchange for something the woman wants. Technically, that’s not giving it away! Which begs the question, is there anyone who really gives it away? Or are they just deluded? Is “giving it away” actually part of the old joke to which the punchline is “Now we’re just negotiating on price.”
rapey asian men
At first I was going to rant about Asian sexism but upon reflection, I realize these men are being very honest in their answers about rape. The same survey in the US would probably yield similar results if the men taking the survey were honest. Sexist cultures fail to recognize a woman’s body as her own.
swedish model debunked
The Swedish model and other sex work fallacies taken apart and examined by Jadehawk in a required-reading post. I wish I had written this. Regardless, I’m glad it was written.
I like the application of the Swedish model to every other aspect of life. It allows you to see how it does not benefit the worker. Jadehawk: “Should we have a “swedish model†for restaurants, in which the cooks, waitstaff, etc. are not penalized, but the customers are?”
follow the money
In case you were wondering (and I have), Furrygirl does a great job of breaking down the rewards reaped for being an anti-prostitution activist. The numbers are startling. Just how much rhetoric do they fake just so they can get paid more?
students studying sex work
Most sex workers are quite tired of the trend of students who “study” sex work. An excellent post by an actual student who did study sex work and then realized it was time to move on. Thank you, Sarah, for your good sense and humanity. Also thank you for reason #2.
fantasy come true
Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny do an AMA! (Ask Me Anything) Hours of reading fun, weeping with happiness.
brothels again
If you want more on brothels, this is a sex worker I know. Her perspective.
not the smart thing to do
France is trying to criminalize prostitution, I guess because it’s worked so well in the US and they want to be like the US. I’m also curious as to why it’s a problem that the majority of prostitutes are women. Isn’t that to be expected?
Even if France criminalises prostitution, I feel it is more likely to be short-lived there than the fight to have it decriminalised here. France has its Puritanical moments in time and they usually don’t last too long. Not even a generation long.
Aspasia — One hopes it’s short-lived. It’s only going to be a disaster if it happens.
Yes, all women charge for sex, even after services are no longer rendered, as most divorced men will attest. My ex-wife just cost me $500,000 this month, we’ve been divorced 1 year, and haven’t had sex in 10 years.
I’m currently “studying” the profesisonal callgirl business as an in-bedded journalist, with a girl who has become my friend in the “I Love You As A Friend” With Financial Benefits Zone. It’s fun, intriguing, disgusting, and horrifying all at the same time, often on the same day. This investigation hasn’t killed me yet…yet…but the ex-wife is tryign very hard.
Whores & Hookers — Ideally a relationship is an equal exchange based on what the two people involved feel for each other. Few people (including men) are into that.
As for the rest, wow, I see a train wreck in motion.
Yeah, I hope this criminalization of prostitution (more specifically the punters who pay for sex) will be short-lived. I mean, only the fact that the most avid prostesters against this bill are prostitutes themselves, means there’s something wrong, isn’t it?
Nothing about us without us? Unfortunately this saying is not applicable, as is usually the case with marginalized groups.
‘But we do really care about them.’ Yeah, right.
Aphrodite — I hope it’s short-lived too. It goes against what I know about French culture.
Unfortunately, as you may find out, sex workers who speak about sex worker rights and who fail to present themselves are repentant victims are often considered to be pimps and/or some kind of voice for the “pimp lobby.” (Nothing of the kind exists in any country.) People do not wish to believe others whose beliefs and experiences contradict the status quo.