Recommended Reading #4: Eye on the Law
“John Stagliano is Free on Obscenity Rap!” on reason.tv (Sexual Culture, Free Speech) 7/16/10
This is a “recommended watch” rather than read (I forgot to mention that I reserve the right to take such liberties ;)). Charges against John Stagliano were dismissed last week; this is a short video interview with him thereafter. I have some catch-up reading to do on the charges/trial itself and may blog more about it later. Regardless, I feel relieved that the case has been dismissed.
“Hooking Without Crooking” by Juliet November (Sex Work, Sex Worker Rights) 5/09
This is a short article by a working whore discussing work environment and decriminalization.
“Legalization vs. Decriminalization” (Sex Work)
This page provides a delineation of the difference between “legalization” and “decriminalization” in regard to sex work. (The organization is based in Montreal, so specific legal references relate accordingly). Given the seemingly common unawareness or misunderstanding of this distinction, this page seems to me a helpful reference.
5 Responses “Recommended Reading #4: Eye on the Law”
I thought it was good that the Stagliano case was thrown out too… though bit of a shame that it only happened on a technicality.
Interesting articles too. It’s a complex subject, and I don’t really understand it all enough to make much of an informed comment – I don’t even know exactly what the laws are concerning sex work in my country – but it’s interesting to read.
(also, I was happy to see a link to a Stacey May Fowles article on the side of ‘Hooking Without Crooking’ – will have to read that later).
Hi ste! Yes, I hear you about the Stagliano case. I felt the same way—relieved, but sorry that it seemed simply procedural….
And I surely understand about not knowing the array of laws around prostitution. Each country and sometimes smaller form of governing body has different laws about it, and it seems to vary considerably.
One of the reasons I like to recommend articles like these is indeed to bring light to the subject, so I appreciate your note about its complexity. It has seemed to me that sometimes the general perception around sex work and particularly prostitution is such that seemingly ingrained assumptions and prejudices are rarely questioned. I would like to see the subject approached openly, because many of those unquestioned perspectives seem to me not of service to sex workers themselves or humanity as a whole.
Thank you for stopping by and for reading! I very much appreciate it. Xoxox
Hi Emerald
It is good to read points of view such as the one expressed in ‘Hooking Without Crooking’, and I appreciate you highlighting them… but part of the difficulty I have in thinking about the subject is weighing that point of view up against one such as can be found here.
I am aware that things like trafficking, coercion and violence against sex workers take place and need to be dealt with, but does that negate the existence and validity of Juliet November’s experiences? I must admit I feel a bit like even asking that makes me part of the problem. (I feel I should add that I say this as someone who has never sought the services of a prostitute, and has no plans to).
I think that’s as coherent as I can be at the moment, so I’ll stop there for now. But I look forward to reading any posts and links you put up on your site in the future.
Hi ste,
The response I just wrote to your comment and the page to which you linked was so long I thought about turning it into another post, lol. :) Before I even wrote it, though, I was going to say that there are two posts I’m preparing to post sometime (I’ve been wanting to for a couple weeks but obviously have not done so yet!) on this very subject. I was traveling over the weekend, at a retreat last weekend, and was experiencing illness the week before that, so I have not gotten as much done here as I’d like to have. :)
Anyway, thank you so much for sharing your perspective (and for reading). I don’t see what you said as “part of the problem” at all, in large part because you are examining the subject consciously. I remember again when I was speaking with a former co-worker about my supporting decriminalization of prostitution, and he said that “no one wants to do that job,” and when I asked him how he knew that, he said it was just “obvious.” I asked him how many people he had known who had worked as whores, and his answer was none. Which leads (led) me to wonder how he knew the things he had just proposed? So to me simple questioning around the subject, as you seem to be demonstrating, seems not to be underestimated.
I read the page to which you linked, and there are things I would respond to on it—I’ll mention a few of them here but just want you to know they’re not directed at you, per se, as though I’m assuming you feel that way, but rather at what is said on the page. :)
I noticed there are a lot of statistics there. To me statistics in general seem something to view as not ironclad, and especially related to the sex industry (and many social contexts), they may be derived from studies not inclusive of representative samples of working whores. Even the way questions are asked may influence answers and thus resulting statistics, so they do seem to me something on which not to depend too heavily in general.
The page mentions the “violence, poverty and marginalization” around sex work, and I would offer that violence and marginalization are due in very large part to the fact that the profession is criminalized. As far as poverty, the idea that sex work is somehow responsible for it or that “eradicating” sex work would somehow eliminate poverty seems to me to disregard numerous other factors and even systems related to the existence of poverty.
The page seems to use the word “vulnerable” a lot. Why is it that (seemingly according to that perspective) anyone working in sex work is “vulnerable”? It has occurred to me that there seems to be a culturally pervasive perspective that associates women with “victim” status when it comes to sex—as though sex is a realm of men, and whenever women enter the picture they are inherently somehow the disadvantaged or defensive party in the dynamic. In this way the degradation and attempted elimination of sex work (in all fields including things like stripping, etc.) seems condescending to me—as though women need to be “protected” and that any time they engage in sexual acts, it is somehow degrading to them because the realm of sex is for men. I find this one of the most viscerally disturbing and offensive aspects around the subject of sex work and sexuality.
There were other things to which I responded on the page in question, but I will stop there for now, ha. :) Thank you again so much for commenting here, and for visiting and reading. I do expect to post more on the subject soon!
Xoxo,
Em
Hi Emerald
Thanks for such a detailed response.
I have a few issues with that site too, not least liberal use of generalisations, and opinions presented as cold hard fact. I suppose frequent use of the word “vunerable” that you highlight helps reinforce the idea that all sex workers are automatically subject to abuse and violence, and that none of them are capable of freely choosing to do such work. Deviating from that line of reasoning would undermine the general argument somewhat. It’s striking how little room there is for nuance in this perspective. Aside from the dismissal of those who choose to do sex work, I wonder how, for example, professional dominas would fit into that worldview.
My ‘part of the problem’ comment could perhaps have been expressed slightly better – I meant that by questioning the “all sex work is abuse/exploitation” position – especially as a man – I might be seen as part of the problem by those who take that position. I think you probably got my point, I just thought I’d clarify.
What you said about a perspective that associates women with both ‘victim’ status in relation to sex, and needing to be ‘protected’ – I see your point. I suppose it does give the impression that any and all women who say they freely choose to do this work must be kidding themselves and need to be helped. It’s veering off topic more than a little, but this reminded me a little of something Kristina Lloyd says in her essay Erotic Degradation (the latter half of the paragraph that begins with “An editor once reminded me…”).
Anyway, thank you for engaging with me at such length on this, Emerald.