No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend’s or of thine own were; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. – John Donne, Meditation XVII
It’s Friday the 13th again, and since the last one was so recent and the next sex worker rights occasion (the Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers) is this coming Tuesday, I think it would be a bit much to subject y’all to another entire column on the subject; so, I’m going to do something a little different this time by letting our allies speak. Y’all may remember that back in September I wrote that “every single post y’all make today will be announced and linked in my next Friday the 13th column, only three months down the road on December 13th.” All in all, 23 people responded to my call: Amazing Susan, Aztec Lady, Eve’s Tempations, Rhonda and Sex Hysteria reblogged that column, and 17 others wrote the original posts listed below:
Sasha Castel, “Friday the Thirteenth”
Mark Draughn, “Boys and Harlots Beware”
Emily Dubberley, “Support Sex Workers on Friday 13th (and every day)”
Elf, “The Right To Say Yes”
Eve’s Temptations: “Friday the 13th”
Leonard Fahrni, “Triskaideka-whora-philia” and “A Nation of Malvolios”
Ally Fogg, “White Slave Traffic: A Friday 13th guest post by Emma Goldman”
Formerly Dave, “What’s Wrong With Sex Work?”
Chris Hall, “Stigma and Bad Laws Hurt Everyone”
Keen Observer, “Sex Workers’ Rights Day (Friday the 13th)”
Korhomme, “Challenge the Givens”
Ed Krayewski, “Don’t Blame Sex Workers for Your Failed Marriage”
Lily White LeFevre, “Courtesans in Romance”
Georgia Lewis, “Why Sex Workers’ Rights Matter”
Daniel McNally, “Why You Should be Against Sex Work Prohibition”
Not Just Bitchy, “Prostitution Should Be Decriminalized”
Skepticism First, “The Ethics of Sex Work”
Ken White, “For Their Own Good: Friday The Thirteenth Reflections On Society’s Treatment of Sex Workers”
Tim Worstall, “Hey, Preacher, Leave the Whores Alone”
Finally, Eric Barrier reblogged the Ed Krayewski article from Reason.
I’m letting class out early today because I want y’all to read as many of those as possible…then bookmark the rest and read them later. That’s because they’re all good and they’re all important. Some are short and some are long; some are intellectual and some passionate. Some are directly on-point, and others are tangential but still mention the cause. And some are even by people who personally disapprove of sex work, yet understand that governments have no right to restrict peaceful, consensual, private activities, or recognize that attempts to suppress such activities invariably harm those they suppress. I was very happy to see such a wide variety of responses, because that’s the very essence of this observance: good people from all walks of life working together to call attention to a wrong which, while it may not affect them directly, still offends their sense of how free human beings ought to be treated.
[…] the day on which we are asked to declare our support for sex workers as Maggie McNeill reminds us here. Events in the last couple of weeks have demonstrated yet again the importance. Labour MEP and […]
“Eve” has also posted a (rather circular) blog piece today:
http://evestemptations.wordpress.com/2013/12/13/friday-13th/
Why do you say it’s circular? It’s just a review of some recent media coverage of the issue with the comment that the more they lose the argument the more stubbornly the antis cling to their beliefs. It’s not a deep discussion but then it;s not meant to be.
It wasn’t meant as an insult; you both refer to one another. No more than that.
No offence taken 🙂 Let’s leave circularity to the Bindels of this world. They’re rather good at it 🙂
Thank you. I wrote something else on the topic yesterday afternoon.
Reblogged this on Mascara Streaks and commented:
Reposting this because I’ve been reading a lot about prostitutes recently and am quite disgusted at the hypocritical ways in which society seems to target & treat as less than human my fellow humans. The more I think about it, the more I think we should all stand in solidarity with those who are being blamed for societies’ ills – whether or not you agree with prostitution, there’s no need to stand by when they are being robbed of the rights we all get to enjoy as citizens. If we don’t, what hope is there any of us?
And of course we also have the option of expressing support for the cause over on Cato Unbound, where the discussion continues.
Merry Christmas, Maggie! Hope the following helps:
A Prayer To St. Mary Magdalene
I fail at Maggie Academy. 🙁
Thanks for the link!
I also commented on your essay at Cato Unbound but my comment was not approved?
I have no control over Cato’s moderation, but others have said it takes a while.
Very strange, considering that my comment critical of the feminazi on her essay was approved quickly!
I wouldn’t read anything into it; after all, I usually approve comments quickly here, yet some people were in moderation from Friday morning until Saturday night this week. When one person has to handle it, that person’s schedule can radically affect moderation time.
Thanks. I see now that my comment finally appeared.
Appreciation is key Courtesean. Giving credit where credit is due. I like that and I’ll definitely follow in your footsteps.
For all of us who support the rights of sex workers, everyday should be Friday the 13th. I wrote a piece for OpEdNews about Neofeminism, and its destructiveness in relation to women’s and sex worker’s rights, although I did not get as much into the later as i wanted. As Margo St. James pointed out so long ago, the war over sex workers’ rights and abortion IS a war over the same territory, and with jerks like Antonin Scalia in positions of power, women’s rights in every form is under attack.
We occasionally talk about radically increased longevity here. What do you think will happen when people living to be 150 or more is common? I mean when it comes to things like SCOTUS?
My prediction: there will be a term limit on Supreme Court Justices. Probably 50 years, though it may be 75. It will just be too obvious that having somebody on the Court for hundreds of years is not a good idea.
I would suggest imposition of a mandatory retirement age for all Judges of 70, and all Supreme Court Justices of 75. We would have only lost one irreplaceable Justice that way, Oliver Wendell Holmes.
I hadn’t thought of a mandatory retirement age, as opposed to a term limit. I could make a case for the idea, though. And a mandatory retirement age has a term limit built in.
[…] celebrate our victories and honor those who have gone before us in the struggle. On Friday the 13th (a celebration of my own devising) we ask allies to join with us in the fight. And on December […]
Thank you for the linkback Maggie. Always happy to spread the good word.
Although I’m behind, I did remember this Friday 13th (which also happens to be my mother’s birthday), and posted some links on my Facebook. Not a huge thing, not a landmark event in the struggle for basic rights which shouldn’t have to be struggled for, but a little something I could do. And I was glad to do it.