On Dec. 4 brothels, strip clubs and sex shops in Soho, London were raided by over 200 police officers. The officers arrived in riot vans and were reinforced by a police helicopter. Think about that for a second: 200 police officers were deployed. That’s a literal army. The English Collective of Prostitutes’ response to this event can be read here.
Botswana is ramping up its effort to target sex workers. Over 30 sex workers were arrested there over the weekend.
Police raided a brothel in the United Kingdom. The door was answered by someone who sort of looked like what a sex worker might look like when she’s working and then it becomes a headline because journalists are lazy.
The amazing members of the Association of Women Prostitutes of Argentina held a demonstration in front of the Congress building in Buenos Aires. The demonstrators “called for the government to recognize the violence sex workers suffer as a result of a non-existent legal structure for sex work.”
Actress Rashida Jones wrote an op-ed for Glamour about the “pornification” of culture. Highlights include “Men: WHERE ARE YOU??? Please talk to us about how all this makes you feel.” Yes, so true, where can we possibly hear a man’s opinion on women’s bodies and behavior?
The bill in France to punish those that purchase the services of sex workers is getting closer to approval. “We will have to hide, to work in apartments, where we will be alone and vulnerable,” said the spokeswoman of French union of sex workers the Syndicat du Travail Sexuel (STRASS). Some even (rightfully) say that the legislation is downright insulting. After all, penalizing clients implies that sex workers are incapable of consent.
Sex workers in New Delhi are becoming less reluctant to vote.
An exotic dancer in Toronto is considering filing a complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Commission, saying a strip club told her they weren’t hiring any more black dancers.
A settlement between the city of Houston and 16 strip clubs will halt enforcement of the three-foot and pasties laws in exchange for the clubs’ sizeable donation to a anti-trafficking task force. “Under the settlement, the businesses agreed to eliminate private rooms, train employees on human trafficking awareness and report all complaints of prostitution, indecent exposure and drug use to police,” writes the Houston Chronicle. Because strip clubs are so good at self-policing.
An Army sexual assault prevention officer at Fort Hood was accused of pimping enlisted women. He was demoted and “reprimanded.”
More on ill-informed German feminist Alice Schwarzer’s campaign to criminalize paying for sex in a country unique for its almost total legalization.
This BBC 4 television show offered a poignant comment on the way European politicians exploit trafficking hysteria.
A Lebanese newspaper takes a sympathetic look at a sex worker working in Beirut.
A man in Connecticut who impersonated a police officer for the purpose of robbing and raping a sex worker has plead guilty to federal fraud and tax evasion. He’s probably going to go to jail for a long time. Eventually he will get old and die. The he can go straight to hell.
A pimp‘s attorney tells the jury not to trust the sex workers he controlled because, well, you know, they’re sex workers and therefore not to be trusted.
A client gives his favorite escort a lot of money, then changes his mind and tries to get it back. The best judge ever sides with the escort. Allow us to quote Nelson from The Simpsons: “HA HA!”
An upscale retirement community had it’s own in-house escort service. The operation was busted after a client was allegedly “robbed.”
It’s really easy to find a sex worker in Sudbury, Ontario. Not really seeing the problem here.
Seriously, why do we write songs for strippers? Because feminism. Or something. You figure it out.
if I filed a lawsuit every time an adult business said that they weren’t hiring black women,i’d be a millionaire by now
It totally sucks, but I have to say that I have noticed this phenomenon. Every dungeon I have worked at turns away black mistresses if there are already 2 on staff, but they will hire bald toothless white girls. It’s not fair. I’m sorry.
The sex industry is the only industry I can think of where blatant, explicit racism is still considered acceptable. That goes for management and clients alike. Clients see sex workers, and their good manners and social “filter” go right out the window. On multiple occassions I have been shocked, truly shocked, at the racist things I have heard clients say to sex worker W o C. “I have yellow fever,” shit like that–SO GROSS!
Porn is the worst offender, though, I think. I know sex and fantasies are not PC (oh, believe me, do I know! sick fantasies are my stock in trade), but I still don’t think it’s okay. I hate the way people of color are fetishized in mainstream porn. I certainly don’t wanna be all “What about teh menz?” but I even feel badly for the black dudes in porn, as they are portrayed as stupid animalistic rapists. It’s wrong. I hate it.
Sorry for rambling comment. I just wanted to express my support.
P.S. That police raid in SoHo really chapped my ass. If authorities were really concerned about exploitation and trafficked women, they could have sent (ideally female) social workers & translators door-to-door to do a census and check out working conditions and offer to sign eligible women up for public assistance and benefits, if said women so desired. It would have cost the taxpayer a lot less than that police raid.
But why demonstrate help and mercy when you can have a bunch of dickhead police break out their Spaceballs kevlar paramilitary uniform riot gear and go terrorize a bunch of cowering, humiliated women in bathrobes and flip-flops, amirite?
Now I have had my afternoon rage-stroke.