Consensual Sex Work, Right to Express Reproductive Health

[TSMissJasmine]

While all you closeted butt-nuts are sitting around jerking off to porn while judging sex workers and porn performers, heres something for you to get edumicated about...

Not all prostitutes want to be rescued. Consensual and successful sex workers do exist.

It is always tricky when entering into debates about human trafficking, especially with rescue organizations and conservative women movements that are for the most part anti-prostitution. When the Washington Post article, “Human Trafficking Evokes Outrage, Little Evidence” http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...092201401.html

Washington Post Article was published September of ‘07, the women’s movements with radical ideas even outside of feminism were up in arms, and without data to back up their claims.

When looking at the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA or HR 3887), one must investigate its success, its hidden agendas as well as the driving force of the movement. If you look at Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) decision to outsource Ketchum as a coalition effort to find trafficked victims, the coalition included former heads of the Funds for a Conversative Majority and the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank. TVPRA is driven by The Concerned Women for America, a conservative think tank group which is commonly known for their anti-prostitution agenda. View Concerned Women for America Page

The right-wing-backed human trafficking movement, part of the “anti-prostitution industrial complex,” deliberately blurs the line between sex work and sex slavery to further its moralistic agenda and line its pockets. On their own website, CWA’s mission statement claims; “to protect and promote Biblical values among all citizens - first through prayer, then education, and finally by influencing our society - thereby reversing the decline in moral values in our nation.” This organization is Pro-Live, Anti-Homosexual Marriage, Anti Migration (Keep the borders secure!) and basically a famous fundamentalist feminist organization thats lines its own pockets with manipulating the (Bush) administration.

While the government has spent over 500 million dollars in searching for Trafficking victims since 2000, they have brought a total of 148 federal cases nationwide. A far cry from the overestimated 50,000 alleged victims. Last year alone, HHS paid $3.4 million dollars in new street outreach awards to 22 groups nationwide.

The problem is trafficking has received far more attention than crimes such as domestic violence of which there are hundreds of thousands of documented victims every year. These conservative organizations aren’t rescuing domestically abused women at all. Money given to rescue groups for them find trafficking victims, which they cannot. Or for groups like Kechum to train people to train people to train people to counsel potential victims. If you want trafficking victims to come forward, the only way is to give Amnesty for all trafficked victims. The far more common trafficking situation is women trafficked into household, farm and sweatshop work which, not sexual trafficking. Trafficking laws are being manipulated within our very own legal system to arrest sex workers and build convictions. They do not seem to be helping women who are victimized in any capacity. Unionization and/or decriminalization seem to be the answer…

[Silcc69]

Money wasted by the government, what else is new?

[scroller]

While all you closeted butt-nuts are sitting around jerking off to porn while judging sex workers and porn performers, heres something for you to get edumicated about... Unionization and/or decriminalization seem to be the answer…

Agreed. On that note, I'm helping with a Sex Workers Awareness benefit in NYC, Dec-12 at Don Pedro's in Brooklyn. Punk rock all night, not for most folks on the HA forum, but figured I'd mention it.

http://www.sexworkawareness.org/

[tsmandy]

While all you closeted butt-nuts are sitting around jerking off to porn while judging sex workers and porn performers, heres something for you to get edumicated about... Unionization and/or decriminalization seem to be the answer…

Agreed. On that note, I'm helping with a Sex Workers Awareness benefit in NYC, Dec-12 at Don Pedro's in Brooklyn. Punk rock all night, not for most folks on the HA forum, but figured I'd mention it.

http://www.sexworkawareness.org/

That's awesome.

p.s. did anybody else see that Allanah is in this months issue of $pread magazine covering alt performers in the industry? I thought that was pretty cool. I'm friends with many of the people who run the magazine and I've been trying to convince them to cover TS issues more seriously for some time, glad to see it happening.

Mandy loves hookers, including herself.

[TSMissJasmine]

p.s. did anybody else see that Allanah is in this months issue of $pread magazine covering alt performers in the industry? I thought that was pretty cool. I'm friends with many of the people who run the magazine and I've been trying to convince them to cover TS issues more seriously for some time, glad to see it happening.

Mandy loves hookers, including herself.

There's an organization called Sex Workers Outreach Project based in San Francisco www.swop-usa.org . The founder of SWOP is greatly responsible for the city's tolerance to consensual sex workers and such. I know there's an LA chapter that's in need of Transsexual representation. I'm not sure if their website is up yet but if you google swop LA you'll probably find their myspace.

[tsmandy]

p.s. did anybody else see that Allanah is in this months issue of $pread magazine covering alt performers in the industry? I thought that was pretty cool. I'm friends with many of the people who run the magazine and I've been trying to convince them to cover TS issues more seriously for some time, glad to see it happening.

Mandy loves hookers, including herself.

There's an organization called Sex Workers Outreach Project based in San Francisco www.swop-usa.org . The founder of SWOP is greatly responsible for the city's tolerance to consensual sex workers and such. I know there's an LA chapter that's in need of Transsexual representation. I'm not sure if their website is up yet but if you google swop LA you'll probably find their myspace.

I love SWOP! One of the few links on my blog. I was bummed that I missed the Desiree alliance conference these last couple years. Jas, next time you come through SF lets please get together.

[TSMissJasmine]

For sure, I was the only Tranny doing presentations at desiree alliance last couple years so it would be awesome if you got involved next year. Definitely look you up next month when im in SF!!

xoxox -Jas

[kensterling]

I have been a sex worker for the past fifteen years. I also know several other sex workers that are successful and content. This can be a choice. It's a business and like any other business, you enjoy some days more than others. But I will say, if done properly, it can be parlyed into other businesses (as I have done) investments, etc.
Obviously, it is illegal, so that is something we either have to work to change or continue to work as discreetly as possible.
I will check out that organization, sounds interesting.

[Richctdude]

once again a waste of our tax dollars