Abolitionism does not solve the problem of violence which…stems from the criminalization of sex workers and migrants, and the lack of rights that goes with it. – Sonja Dolinsek
…clients of sex workers are regarded in many quarters as the scum of the earth…[so] it is hardly surprising that clients are so reluctant to speak out. Yet talk to sex workers and they will tell you that their clients come in all shapes and sizes…not all clients are men…for my birthday we decided to…book…a girl from a local escort agency for some three in a bed fun…So I am a sex worker’s client…The girls we saw were bright and attractive and fully aware of what they were doing…
We paid them well and they provided us with what we wanted. It was…a business transaction of benefit to both parties. No coercion, no exploitation, no rape…
An Australian woman left her husband upon discovering his affair with a hooker, so she of course blamed our profession and published a stereotype-laden defamation of it. Here’s an eloquent rebuttal:
…In…Sad Reality Behind Pretty Woman Tale, Louise O’Neale…claims…sex workers are home wreckers, men’s “chattels”, that we’re… “commodified”, “dehumanised”…packages to be bought and sold…She also argues we are sexual deviants…who require professional help. I think O’Neale has watched too many Hollywood movies…feminists have spent decades…telling [us] how we should feel about our work, or [telling] others on our behalf how we feel about our work…They claim to be experts; they’ve got it dead wrong…
Prosecutors must have dropped the claim that the girl was “mentally deficient”:
[Edward Bagley] was sentenced to 20 years…for holding a young woman captive as a sex slave for six years…he…also agreed to pay about $123,000 toward future counseling and medical care…Bradley Cook…received a 20-year sentence and…$123,000 in restitution…[for] sex trafficking…[and Dennis] Henry…was sentenced to 10 years, $123,000 in restitution and lifetime supervision…Marilyn Bagley…is to receive probation and [Michael] Stokes and [James] Noel five years each…
Sweden’s Ultra-progressive Views on Women
A pub in…Sweden has been cleared of discrimination charges after bouncers denied entry to several women of Asian appearance in what owners claimed was an attempt to cut down on prostitution…the court ruled…[the] owners had a “legitimate reason”…
SWOP-NYC and SWANK…have significant questions about the “research” carried out by Sudhir Venkatesh…[and reported] in January 2011…in Wired Magazine…he made many outlandish, salacious, and false claims about…sex workers in NYC…he said he had “followed” 270 sex worker subjects…but none of our membership had ever been contacted by him nor knew of anyone who had been…Claims…regarding the dates, locations and numbers of people…were wildly inconsistent. His conclusions…were easily shown by other researchers and commentators to be incorrect. Other conclusions such as the fiction that “there’s usually a 25% surcharge” to have sex without a condom not only bore no relationship to reality but also endangered sex workers…We were so concerned by what we uncovered that in October 2011 we wrote a letter to the Columbia IRB…
Cops “fight” violence against sex workers by subjecting them to violence:
A [California] task force…arrested or cited 23 people…on charges of prostitution or soliciting a prostitute…police mounted the three-day sting operation [after]…investigation into the rape and robbery of two prostitutes…led police to…the realization that victims rarely report the crimes for fear of being prosecuted…[Sgt. Kurt] Hixenbaugh said he decided to organize the recent crackdown to suppress the illicit market…“If we can make business bad, then we can put a dent in the activity,” he explained…
Hixenbaugh’s moral retardation is exceeded only by his ignorance of economics.
Dr. Schrödinger and His Amazing Pussycat
Weird science, truth vs. fact and all that kind of stuff:
Slixa has published a number of excellent articles lately, but last week its management let a real clunker through: a manipulative hobbyist giving advice on how to haggle. After an outcry the editors removed the article, apologized and printed this rebuttal from Tizzy Wall:
…Tommy…advocated using review writing and being an active member of the hobbyist community as a bargaining chip to see if prices are negotiable…[but his] tips are less effective (and ethical) than he would like to believe…There is an implicit threat that comes with, “I am a loud, influential voice in a community that can affect your livelihood”…it seems as though he gets a thrill out of violating boundaries and feeling as though he has somehow tricked a provider for his benefit…The underlying message…is that providers aren’t worth what they charge…
Against Their Will (August Updates)
People attempting to leave a country without government permission are now classed as “victims”:
Philippine authorities have intercepted 10…human trafficking victims…who were bound for Russia to illegally work there…The Philippines has been trying to impress the United States with its anti-human trafficking drive in order for Washington to lift the Tier 2 ranking it gave…in its 2013 Trafficking in Persons Report…officer-in-charge Siegfred Mison said the incident should again serve as a warning to…workers against attempting to leave without the required overseas employment permits…
A man…claimed he could use his penis to rid a woman of ghosts that had taken up residence in her vagina…Huang Jianjun was arrested…after he [charged] A Xin [$3000 for removing]…evil spirits…[via] sexual intercourse…Jianjun insists that he never had sex with…Xin and that he can’t get an erection due to diabetes…Meanwhile… “Godman” Asaram Bapu, 73, revered by millions across India for his sermons on “enlightenment”, has been charged with raping a 16-year-old schoolgirl…he…claimed he is physically incapable of rape but…medical tests show him to be in good shape…
Tyranny By Consensus (October Updates)
Here’s a concise explanation from Nina Hartley about why condoms in porn are an incredibly bad idea:
…It takes about two hours to shoot a good hardcore scene. Condoms were never intended for that kind of industrial use…[they] roll down, come off, dry out, split and otherwise fail on sets about 30% of the time…and…no matter how lubricated and how designed, [they] create more internal friction on a woman’s intimate anatomy than human skin, with which it’s evolved to tolerate contact. All-condom players…tend to turn up at clinics with raw internal tissues and multiple surface infections. This we call “condom rash” and it’s more than an annoyance…if your insides are compromised by friction burns and low-grade bugs…you’re that much more vulnerable to whatever might be turned loose should a condom fail…
I’ve received three gifts in the past two weeks: Chester Brown sent me his book Ed the Happy Clown, Korhomme sent The Encyclopedia of Prostitution and Sex Work and Aspasia sent Minneapolis Madams. Thank you all so much!
Rescue industry schemes aren’t usually this blatant:
If you are interested in creating positive brand awareness…advertising at the Global Online Counter Child Trafficking Conference is the ideal platform…We have various opportunities which will leave a strong impression of your brand in people’s minds and make your company stand out as a leader in supporting organizations…to prevent…child trafficking…Our…sponsorship packages…include a number of marketing opportunities…to…showcase your social responsibility…and…align yourself with the Global Online Counter Child Trafficking Conference brand…
“Human trafficking” is rapidly becoming a catchall excuse for tyranny, like drugs and “terrorism”:
…the Environmental Protection Agency…[conducted] an armed raid of gold mines near Chicken, Alaska…while investigating a supposed violation of…the Clean Water Act…The EPA said…it…sent in armed men because it had been given information by…State Troopers regarding “rampant drug and human trafficking…in the area.” That explanation was debunked by a spokeswoman for the state troopers, who said they did not advise the EPA to raid the mine and that there was no evidence of drug and human trafficking…
The same lies, repeated over and over and over…
MSPs fear that next year’s Commonwealth Games could lead to an influx of victims of human trafficking to Scotland…Myria Vassiliadou…has urged the Scottish Government to make people who procure sex and consumer goods from victims its top anti-trafficking priority. Studies have shown that authorities must be vigilant to human trafficking during large sporting events…
Studies have, of course, repeatedly shown exactly the opposite.
…Glenn Anderson…has introduced five bills…to more heavily punish…human trafficking…“The Polaris Project…was extremely helpful in shaping this legislation” [he said]…Anderson’s bills…Allow for assets…to be forfeited and dispersed to…law enforcement…criminalize the failure to report knowledge of…trafficking…[and] add convicted…traffickers to the Sex Offenders Registry…
A fresh effort is underway to bring criminal charges over a bare-breasted statue…The American Family Association…plans…petitions to empanel a grand jury to again investigate whether the sculpture at the Overland Park Arboretum violates state obscenity laws …Phillip Cosby…last year petitioned a grand jury…but failed to secure an indictment…
On the Simultaneous Having and Eating of Cake
…a federal judge ruled…that…strippers…deserve…at least the minimum wage…The ruling came in a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of current and former dancers at…Rick’s…[in Manhattan]…the…chain…argued that its dancers [are] independent contractors, more akin to stand-up comedians than fry cooks. But [the] judge…said the list of rules Rick’s laid down could be described as “micromanagement”…
“The German Prostitution Model: Reducing Violence Against Sex Workers” is a fairly self-explanatory title, but this short, yet thorough essay also sharply criticizes the Swedish model and those (like the European Women’s Lobby) who labor under the idiotic delusion that there could ever be a world “free from prostitution”, and are willing to subject real women to police violence in pursuit of that mad fantasy.
Australia, are you really sure you want to go down the “tyrannical laws named for dead children” path?
…”Zoe’s law”…which could classify a foetus as a person in New South Wales…would allow grievous bodily harm charges to be brought against those who hurt a foetus of more than 20 weeks’ gestation…Melanie Fernandez…of the Women’s Electoral Lobby Australia (WELA)…said…”This…kind of precedent has been used as a…starting point to roll back abortion right in other places, such as states in America”…
“[When] prosecution for thoughtcrime has become a grim reality, it might be wise to restrict…discussions [of cannibalism fantasies] to fully-anonymized online accounts...” And, I might add, to avoid actually obtaining the equipment one would need:
Geoffrey Portway’s attorney says the man’s “fantasy world” posed no actual threat of harm to a child. But the…[Massachusetts] man pleaded guilty…to child pornography charges along with solicitation to commit a crime of violence…and the locked, soundproof basement with a metal cage…bondage equipment and a child-sized coffin serve as evidence…Two other men — one a puppeteer at a Florida church — have also been convicted as a result of the online chat sessions…[about] plans to rape, kill and eat children…
Scott Long on the way politicians like David Vitter and Eliot Spitzer suffer far less than the whores whose names get dragged through the mud along with theirs:
…Spitzer…[made] life miserable for both sex workers and clients. As…Attorney General, he let…Equality Now goad him into a years-long campaign of harassment against a travel company that marketed sex tours…as Governor, he signed an…“anti-trafficking” law…that massively increased penalties for [buyers]…while maintaining penalties for sex workers…But what folks hate Spitzer for is having bought sex, not the repressive policies he promoted. Paying women is offensive; persecuting them, fine. Called out for “immorality”…he actually had the nerve to cite his crackdown on consensual activities in his own defense…In 2008, a jury convicted…Deborah Jeane Palfrey not of prostitution, but of money laundering…and “racketeering”…Palfrey killed herself before sentencing…And [her client David] Vitter stays in the Senate…
Whatever They Need To Say (TW3 #337)
…in connection with the attack on Madaripur brothel on August 28…Borun Begum, a sex worker…filed a case…against 35 identified and 1965 unidentified people…[including] general secretary Milon Bhuyan…women affairs officer Mahmuda Akter and Islahe Qawmi Parishad leader Raju Hujur…She…sought compensation for…valuables worth [$385,000] and…properties worth [$64,000]…Parimal Sarkar…filed a case…against 37 identified and 300 unidentified people…seeking compensation of [$77,000]…for [vandalism of] 30 houses…
I don’t understand “haggling”. I would never haggle with a girl. I not only pay her full rate – I always tip. I don’t take “specials” even if she advertises one.
The only exception to that was the girl I ended up dating and living with. I couldn’t afford more than an hour with her back then – and she offered another 30 minutes each week for 1.5 hours with her at the hourly rate. I was in love with her – I took it. But we were in love with each other – we just hadn’t said it yet.
If I were a provider – I’d slam the phone down on any guy who even brought the subject up … BOOM! Not the kind of client I would want – seeya in another life, pal.
I always approach it like this … if this is a girl I’m interested in – her time is REALLY worth more than I can afford to pay. Lucky for me her rates are normally set around $300 per hour – I can easily afford that! Why haggle? I’m already getting a deal.
My ATF (I’ll call her “April”) – she’s GOLD to me. Yesterday I was supposed to see a new girl – and walking out the door I got a call from that new girl who told me she had to reschedule because her dog was injured and needed stitches. DAMN!!! Okay … no problem – the dog’s health is more important here and I understand that.
So I call up April, my ATF … “April, What are you doing?” and she says … “Vacuuming, why?”. So ask if she has any “work” today and she says “Nope – nothing – you have something in mind?” I’m like … “Well I know this big ugly fat guy with long hair that has some time on his hands and would like to spend it with you!” So she’s like … “That guy’s HOT – he’s not fat, send him the fuck over, I know what he needs!”
So I haul ass to her place … and spend two terrific hours with her – really heaven actually – before she has to go pick up her kids from school.
Why the fuck would I “haggle” with a girl like this? If I ever become a rock star – I’m giving her pension because she’s worth far more than I pay her and I paid her full rate yesterday plus a $200 tip.
Haggling? That just kills the mood. I’m paying for the girls time – not her vagina – and “haggling” just tells me the guy is trying to negotiate pussy at the lowest possible rate – which is tacky really. How can a girl get excited about that?
Because – if you want A TOP SHELF EXPERIENCE instead of just a “hole” … you’re going to have to motivate the girl. Money does that. April bends over backwards for me (and frontwards too 😉 ) because I pay the shit out of her. She always gives me a PERFECT EXPERIENCE too – and I’ve been around the block a few times with some awesome women – I KNOW what’s good and what’s GREAT!!
By the way … hookers and dogs … what gives?
I like dogs too … but I can’t tell you the number of escorts I know that are into dogs. I had to get a reference on this new girl I want to see – so I emailed an established provider that she claimed she knew to make sure she was legit. The established provider says … “Oh yeah – she’s not LE – I’m her mentor and our dogs always do playtime together!”
My ATF is all about dogs too. Actually – I can’t think of a single escort I know that isn’t a dog lover.
It’s cool – I like dogs too – not nearly as much as these girls though!
Would you rather they be hamster lovers? 😀
To me, it’s just another reason to increase their tip.
” Criminalize the failure to report knowledge of human trafficking activities.”
See now, if I thought they were really arresting people for enslaving other people, that wouldn’t worry me, but…
“‘Trafficking’ now includes consenting adult sexwork even if legal in the rest of the world except the U.S (private consenting adults)” — http://www.sexwork.com/legal/TraffickingLaw.html
and of course, once you add in the collection of loot in the form of asset seizure, the cops are encouraged to put as broad a spin on trafficking as possible.
You betcha. In other words, when they bust an escort that law will allow them to cage, rob and register literally everyone who knows her…boyfriends, roommates, landlords, neighbors, and anyone else they feel like. And even if some of the accused have the balls to fight it in court, they don’t ever get back whatever the cops steal; “sex trafficking” has the potential to be a far bigger gold mine than the “drug war” ever was, long after the hysteria is dead.
In some states they have an innocent owner clause in asset forfeiture that’s a one time thing, It was made clear to me that I only got to be an innocent owner that one time.
I figure they put that in to protect the law, not the people though.
And of course, asset forfeiture means that the cops will lend their support to “law and order” candidates who push through ever more lucrative asset forfeiture, turning cops into privateers. It’s one of the more insane things we allowed to become law in this country.
http://www.wbur.org/2013/01/24/tewksbury-motel-foreclosure
It annoys me that strip clubs keep insisting that strippers are independent contractors. They’re not. They’re customers of the club, at least in clubs where the gentlemen customers pay the dancers directly. It’s the same model as a flea market or a craft fair, where visitors pay a fee to shop, and vendors pay a fee for the right to sell goods and services on the premises. I assume the law doesn’t allow such claims or something, but that’s what’s really happening if you follow the money.
I am a tax professional, and that’s not how it works. The vendors at that flea market or craft fair probably are independent contractors.
IRS and the courts have a well-established set of guidelines that determine whether a worker is an employee or independent. The most important point in the list is how much control the boss has over the worker. I can easily believe that strippers in a club that doesn’t micromanage them are independent contractors, but the ones at Rick’s were definitely employees.
If you’re a professional, then I’m sure you’re right about the tax rules. I know from my own contracting days that you have to be careful not to act like an employee. However, the rules are still silly, and are likely there to force more people into employee relationships to improve income reporting for the benefit of the government.
It seems pretty clear from following the money that the dancers and the gentleman patrons are both customers of the club. Flea markets, craft fairs, trade shows, and shopping malls all work on the same principle of vendors paying fees for the right to sell goods and services. And all of those venues imposed detailed rules on their vendors.
Oddly enough, around here the most common case where a worker’s status is contested is when somebody’s maid or gardener, who as worked under the table for years and years, applies for Social Security and is told s/he hasn’t worked enough to be eligible. Then they rat on the boss, and it’s considered fraud so they can reach clear back to day 1.
I would not advise anyone to file an SS-8 while still working at the job in question, because it will get you fired.
Sweden’s Ultra-progressive Views on Women
When you insist that people act on knowledge they can not have, you get crap like this. Look at anti-rave laws in America for another shining example. Nothing a bit progressive about it.
Dr. Schrödinger and His Amazing Pussycat
Six minutes and forty-seven seconds saying nothing, but most of the nothing was about Nikola Tesla, or sort of was. The two minutes plus which followed had some interesting crumbs, if you read the little comments.
Against Their Will (August Updates)
Why is it the United States handing out these rankings anyway? Isn’t it usually the UN which does that sort of thing?
Tyranny By Consensus (October Updates)
Just like those wanting to make law around prostitution should talk to prostitutes first, people wanting to make law around porn should talk to the directors, performers, and writers (and hell, even the fans) first.
But this isn’t about making porn safer, it’s about making it less appealing.
Hollow Claims
Germany seems to have it all over Sweden. Come on, Sweden; the nation which gave the world Pippi Långstrump, Ace of Base, ABBA, and the Wild Strawberrys can do better than this.
[…] been subjected to shocking human rights abuses using similar logic; and politicians in New South Wales and Queensland have demanded similar control over pregnant women’s lives. Nor does the […]