Sex As Work? The Fascinating Story of How Sex Workers Changed Our Cities
The work of sex work is never done, but its history keeps getting rewritten. In recent years, trading sex for profit has gained more acceptance, and along with that has come more work chronicling the rise of a sex worker…
"With every night that goes by you begin to feel less and less like a human being
With every night that goes by you begin to feel less and less like a human being. I truly believe that the reason men pay for lap dances is not because they are titillated visually by the sight of a…
"Prostitution harms women": RadFem UK and the Nordic Model
Prostitution harms women, and the majority of women who are prostituted have already been harmed through poverty, homelessness, the care system and sexual abuse. Once in prostitution women face violence, emotional and psychological harm, causing them to use drugs and…
More penalties for prostitution won’t help victims of human trafficking
On theguardian: […] In most states, there are already laws against prostitution. To shoehorn trafficking into this framework ignores the crucial elements of force, fraud and coercion. For example, a person whose car is used for prostitution is not a…
Sunday feminist roundup (29th December 2013)
So, I took the week off, from everything really. The whole world could have ended and I might not have noticed. It was good to switch off and I know I’m lucky to be able to do so. Here’s a…
Sunday feminist roundup (22nd December 2013)
I’m looking forward to a long break over the festive. Hope you are too. x – The London clinic fighting back against female genital mutilation (newstatesman) – A year after the Delhi gang-rape, more must be done to stop abuse…
Who Doesn’t Like To Watch Half-Naked Girls Dancing? [video]
These Guys, After They See Why It’s Happening. Powerful reactions. On upworthy.
"Men who buy sex often think that women in prostitution have no right to…
Men who buy sex often think that women in prostitution have no right to make emotional demands on them. This attitude may free the men from the expectation that they acknowledge or respect the personhood of the woman they buy….
Arguing Against the Industry of Prostitution – Beyond the Abolitionist Versus Sex-Worker Binary
Some good points here. Submission by Finn McKay on feministcurrent: Introduction Prostitution has long been a contentious issue in the Women’s Liberation Movement, splitting feminist individuals and groups. This is largely because the debate is often reduced to an either/or…
Sex workers need better protection against violent clients
On commentisfree: With chilling clarity, Jill Meagher’s husband has answered the question that has surely hammered him since Adrian Bayley raped and murdered his wife – how could this have happened? “I’m aware his previous victims in previous cases before…
Facebook Says That Page Trafficking Women Doesn’t Violate TOS (NSFW/ TW)
On the powderroom: Just this week, there’s been a lot of press surrounding Facebook’s crackdown on hate speech after companies threatened to pull their advertising dollars from the site. Facebook admitted it hasn’t been adequately policing reports of hate speech,…
Men Who Buy Sex: Who They Buy And What They Know
This is a research study of 103 men who describe their use of trafficked and non-trafficked women in prostitution, and their awareness of coercion and violence. Authors: Melissa Farley, Julie Bindel and Jacqueline M. Golding, December 2009, Eaves, London, Prostitution…
“What do you think about his choice?”: uncovering the men who visit prostitutes
This link (the Invisible Men Project) makes for some really upsetting reading. The Newstateman’s piece (also linked) mentions that research on, and discussion of, sex work has often been criticised for omitting the voices of the workers themselves. The Invisible…
Sex work as any other job
I wouldn’t do your filing for free either” – sex work as any other job. On the: The FWSA Blog: It is difficult to add anything new to the debate surrounding the ethical & legal status of sex work or…
But are things what they seem? (BBC reporting.)
I’ve been annoyed by this “cartoon” in the BBC magazine all morning. This is a new way of reporting the news on the BBC it seems (or at least new to me) and while I don’t have an issue with…
Sex worker calls out Kate Nash; gets condescending reply
As something of a challenge to what I’ve just posted about calling out, privilege etc., I see a post (below) where a sex worker writes a letter to Kate Nash to question her about her song “I’m A Feminist, and…
The brothel worker: "I regret not working in the sex trade as soon as I got here…
Sex work had transformed Ah Ling’s life. She had paid off all her debts within a year and was earning £600 a week. Her current aim was to pay for a new house back home for her family, and return after two…
Saturated market ‘putting prostitutes at risk’ [TW]
A report says that sex workers in Westminster are at greater risk of violence because of a fall in demand and an increase in those selling sex. The study by Westminster Council shows the recession has led sex workers to…
An Open Letter to the ‘Good’ Punter
If you like sex, this is not a letter to you. If you like women, this is not a letter to you. If you’ve somehow put these things together and decided they give you the right to buy what you…
We need to face up to hatred of prostitutes – among feminists, too
Sunday was International Sex Worker Rights Day. This year it provided an occasion for sex workers and erstwhile colleagues including Brooke Magnanti (Belle de Jour) to highlight the vicious abuse they have received under the Twitter hashtag #whenantisattack. Writer and…