The powerless worship Luck and Fate. – Mason Cooley
Back in August I wrote a column about Friday the Thirteenth in which I pointed out that since Friday is Venus’ day and 13 the number of the moon (and thus the traditional number of witches in a coven), we whores should consider it a day of good luck for us even if superstitious Christians think of it as bad luck for them. As I said in that column, I don’t really believe in luck; I think we largely make our own luck. However,
…considering that the reasons for fear of this day are so closely related to the reasons our profession is maligned and suppressed, perhaps whores and those who support our rights should make every Friday the Thirteenth a day to speak out in favor of full decriminalization and an end to the institutionalized persecution of prostitutes. I therefore ask my readers to start a new tradition today; speak out for us to at least one person who will listen, or if you’re not comfortable doing that openly at least make an anonymous post on some other website in defense of us, or containing a link to this column. Let’s start getting the word out that whores are no different from other women, and that “a woman’s right to choose what to do with her own body” is more than just a euphemism for abortion rights.
It’s been a tough nine months for hookers; though the intelligent, computer-literate segment of the population is clearly in favor of decriminalization by a comfortable margin and more public figures (including judges and police) are daring to question the status quo, we’ve also seen aggressive misinformation campaigns from the trafficking fanatics (aided and abetted by the mainstream media despite the inability of their claims to stand up to even the most cursory examination). Governments all over the Western world are beginning to recognize in the “Swedish Model” a way to infantilize and control women while convincing the fanatical neofeminists and their brainwashed disciples that they’re actually advancing the cause of women’s rights; in the United States, this is being combined with strategies to enrich police departments and governments by robbing men accused of hiring or assisting prostitutes. And though a number of intelligent people have come forward to support our right to control our own bodies, the public prefers to listen to empty-headed celebrities like Mira Sorvino, Demi Moore and Ashley Judd, who make a good living in the public branch of our shared profession but wish to suppress the freedom of (or at least destroy the income of) those of us who prefer the private branch.
A number of advocates are working to respond to the lies, propaganda and misinformation wherever we find them, but we can only do so much and we’re often outnumbered by the brainwashed zombie slaves of the “trafficking” witch-hunters. Also, we’re often accused of distorting facts to make ourselves look good, and no matter how assiduously we work to present a balanced view this is a natural and credible accusation against anyone who advocates for some issue which directly concerns her. That’s why allies are so important; it’s much harder for the prohibitionists to shout down people who don’t have a dog in the fight, but merely support prostitutes’ rights on moral grounds. Every Friday the Thirteenth I will ask my readers, especially those of you who aren’t yourselves sex workers, to speak up for us in some way; talk about the issue with someone who will listen, make a post on a discussion board, comment on a news story which spreads disinformation, or even just post a link to this column. If you aren’t confident in your ability to debate, even a simple phrase like “I think adult women should have the right to decide why and with whom they want to have sex” or “everyone has the right to equal protection under the law” might have a tiny but important impact on those who overhear. Because in the final analysis, they’re the ones we have to convince; rational people already support some type of prostitution-law reform and fanatics cannot be convinced by argument because their minds are already made up, but the silent majority – the fence-sitters and swing-voters, the ones who answer “unsure” or “no comment” on polls – are the ones who can and must be made to understand that we are not intrinsically different from other women and deserve the same freedoms and protections that non-harlots take for granted.
Friday the 13th is my lucky day, since I was born on it…
http://www.thinkatheist.com/profiles/blogs/bill-nye-bood-in-texas-for
And people ask me why I dont like religion.
Anyone else longing for the day when willful stupidity becomes a capital offence?
I’m not sure how much (straight) men can help… they’ll be accused of wanting to hire prostitutes.
Any ideas?
Use the law – in AZ money has to change hands for it to be considered prostitution, so give jewels and a certificate of value instead.
Or print out an image use contrant and on the off chance the cops bust you claim you are ‘producing’ amature porn
Unfortunately, none of that works; in Los Angeles (home of the porn business) a few years ago, two escorts were popped after pigs hired them to do a two-girl show. Even in jurisdictions where there are rules about this stuff, the cops simply lie. In prostitution, accusation=proof. 🙁
I didn’t mean how not to get caught seeing a prostitute… I meant how can men help support sex workers’ rights.
Sleazy people will of course make any accusation necessary to shut down an effective argument; if a man defending prostitutes’ rights is attacked by such means, he needs to remain calm and say something like “I’m never going to have an abortion, but I support your right to choose to have one if you need to.” Getting upset will cause bystanders to wonder what you’re hiding, but turning it around on them puts the ball back in their court.
That having been said, the possibility of such accusations is why it’s especially important that our amateur sisters support our right to make our own choices; women are far less likely to be accused in that way than are men.
Saw this on NPR: ‘Paying For It’ Without Regret: An Intriguing Graphic Memoir Of Prostitution, from a john’s point of view.
Will do!! You know I support you and all the other women in this cause. 🙂
Thank you, sweetie! 🙂
🙂
“We are not intrinsically different from other women and deserve the same freedoms and protections that non-harlots take for granted.”
I LOVE this! I am a non-harlot, and I fully agree that EVERYONE deserves the same freedoms and protections. I am a very open-minded person about many things, my own sexuality included. Sex workers, who make the choice to enter into it(just so it’s clear I am NOT speaking of underage girls forced into it and what not) are adults. If I have the freedom to choose who, when, where, how, and why I have sex, they should all have that same freedom as well.
“We are not intrinsically different from other women and deserve the same freedoms and protections that non-harlots take for granted.”
Absolutely! You all should make this these wise words your mantra.
Most women at some time make stupid or dangerous choices when it comes to sex but nobody has (yet) tried to legislate to stop us doing so.
“We are not intrinsically different from other women and deserve the same freedoms and protections that non-harlots take for granted.”
No shit! The difference between most women and harlots is the number of clients. I personally have one. He still pays all my bills, and I have to do the fucking laundry, too!
Casey, Imnoangel and Andrea: Thank you all so much for your support! As I said above, the support of non-harlot women is indispensable in the fight for our rights. 🙂
http://digitallife.today.com/_news/2011/05/13/6638274-apple-approves-prostitution-friendly-app
Rosa Golijan may be the most bluenosed nerd I’ve ever read an article by. 🙁
Interesting blog.
Had this conversation going on in my head earlier today:
Me: I’m a volunteer prostitute.
Other person (OP): Your not a prostitute if you don’t get paid. There is no such thing.
Me: Why? I’m doing the same thing mentally and physically.
OP: But prostitutes get paid to have sex.
Me: Doctors get paid to diagnose and heal. (Or insert any other occupation you wish here) Are you telling me if a doctor doesn’t get paid then he is no longer a doctor?
OP: No a doctor is a doctor whether he volunteers his skills or charges you for them.
Me: So why isn’t a prostitute a prostitute whether she gets paid or not?
Ah those silly conversations…
I’m going to have to use that sometime…. LOL!
That reminds me of .something I said the other day
Fortunately most of my friends and acquaintances agree with all of us here on this issue, Maggie. I recently accepted an offer of employment from a woman who strongly agrees with all of us on this and is looking to break into an industry I once did consulting for. (This is separate from my escort service obviously though the other industry is only nominally more better than but realistically much more sordid than running an escort service.) Despite solid beliefs and agreement on this issue, she and I both must keep our mouths shut about it because our financial backers and volunteers take the exact opposite virw of our reasonable wish for limited government in this area. It grates on both of us, but sadly in that other business, quite often men and women have to kowtow to the benighted, even if only by unwilling silence, to achieve a worthwhile end for all their hard work and efforts.
I think using Friday the 13th as a day to create awareness for our rights and combat misinformation and fear is fucking genius. I can think of an organization I bet would be willing to push that concept too! 😉
I can’t imagine who you might mean. 😉
Maggie, if you are in Louisiana, then you are in quite possibly the most repressive regime in all the western world. I’ve read recently that whores can get thrown in the slammer for years for plying their trade. It was something like blow jobs are considered the same as pedophilia, and are therefore punishable with life sentences, or some such nonsense. I don’t recall where I read (heard) that, but I do remember it was in New Orleans. When I hear these things…I begin to think there really is a patriarchy, esp in america. I’m sorry I can’t provide a link, but maybe you’ve heard of what I’m talking about. Is it because Louisiana is your home that you stay there? Or are all the states lousy places for whores? It’s no good in Canada either, but it’s probably a little less draconian.
I’m from Louisiana, but I moved away in 2006 when I retired to live in a place with more space, fewer people and a lower cost of living. The issue you’re talking about is Louisiana’s “Crime Against Nature” law, which is now under challenge (again) in federal court. However, Louisiana doesn’t actually allow the longest sentences for misdemeanor prostitution; that dubious distinction goes to its neighbor, Texas.
That having been said,all of the states (yes, including Nevada) are lousy places for whores; see my recent articles on the shenanigans pulled by cops in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Colorado.
One tactic I find useful when someone is opposed to choice over prostitution is to put them in the hot seat and ask why it’s okay for alcohol and cigarettes to be legal but prostitution (or other drugs) isn’t.
This is because most of the people in western countries opposed to the liberty of prostitution also, hypocritically, like to spout about protecting people’s freedom, and are usually very vocal when governments try to limit the freedom of things they approve of, but turn into authoritarians for things they don’t.
This argument doesn’t actually work on the die hard anti-prostitution crowd (who are immune to logic) but it does show them up for the hypocrites that they are to the fence sitters who value liberty. This is why I no longer debate the die-hard prostitution prohibitionists unless there is an audience – waste of my time.
When presented with this argument they will try and turn the discussion away from this point in all the ways that have already been mentioned in this column and comments.
Don’t allow yourself to be drawn away from the liberty argument or you will end up in the quagmire of trading facts and statistics. Provide references to data to counter their misinformation if needs be (for the benefit of the fence sitters) but pin them down on the liberty argument of freely consenting individuals.
They can’t win it and will make their position look increasingly ridiculous trying.
You need a radio show.
Well, I’ve done an internet radio show, and I’m sure I’ll be doing some other interviews in the future; I’m not sure I’d want to be tied to a regular show, though, unless they were offering an awful lot of money. 😉
You know, SWWB used to have it’s own internet show on blog talk radio. We did like 100 shows. Just got to be too much to keep up with.
Are those the ones that appear on the site as “SWOP East radio interviews”? If so I’ll have to work out a way to draw more attention to them. 🙂
[…] I understand that many of you, especially the men, are not in a position of being able to speak out publicly without suffering some sort of censure or risking the hostility of wives, girlfriends and female co-workers. But fortunately, we live in an age where it’s easy to speak anonymously: […]
A friend once said that all he had to do to get a catholic girl in bed was to pretend to be the devil. As a woman who was raised catholic, I have had hours of laughter thinking about that. Somehow, when something is not allowed, it becomes a really powerful and scary force, and then when it is allowed, it becomes less of a big holy deal.
For years I struggled with monogamy without realising it. My template was having one partner and so I stuck to that without thinking too much about it, except for the fact that I always ended up leaving. And always leaving for someone else.
That created pain and in defence I would always seek to explain away my actions – there was always something not right with the one I had left. I got away with this easily of course when I was younger, but it didn’t go away as I expected it would. And so I began to see myself as failing as a person in some way.
But then I met someone who was willing to explore greater freedom within the relationship, and to my surprise, I found that even just the willingness to consider a different way of doing things brought us closer.
I understand this way of living may not be for everyone, but my own feeling is that it is fairly natural, and that it may not be the big bad wolf that I was brought up to believe.
There is a lot of debate in the media and amongst policy makers at the moment about sex. And the question comes to me again and again, why be so scared if it? And why assume that one gender will always be the abuser and the other vulnerable, yet dangerous by just having an attractive body? Why is there a feeling that we need to control Eros so much?
I don’t work in the sex industry in any shape or form, but I believe that the people who do provide a valid service and that most of them are there because they have chosen to be. Yes of course some of their customers will have bad attitudes, but does that make what they do fundamentally wrong? No, in what other instance would one take such a view?And what about all the perfectly lovely customers who have come for all sorts of reasons?
At any rate, whoever thinks they can stamp it out is missing the lessons of much of human history.