Comments on: The Week In Links—February 27

By: Nebethetepet

Nebethetepet — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 08:36:26 +0000

Ahem, excuse me… Vancouver, Canada is not an American city in CA/California… We are a real country.

Thanks <3

Hugs from the syrupy 51st State…

By: RJHJR

RJHJR — Sun, 01 Mar 2015 01:59:37 +0000

In reply to LoriAdorable. Am I missing something, or is this just as crazy? "Roe-Sepowitz said these indicators included posting a phone number with an area code that's not hidden (signaling vulnerability)"

By: RJHJR

RJHJR — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 16:04:18 +0000

In regard to the Forbes article on why there’s no Uber for prostitution, the article is actually about a technological and legal framework for prostitution described by Scott Peppet in an article in a legal journal. It turns out that the legal part involves criminalizing street-based prostitution while allowing prostitutes who have the knowledge and money to access web services to work legally. According to Angus McIntyre’s article on London in the Encyclopedia of Prostitution and Sex Work, this legal approach of criminalizing low income prostitution while leaving higher income prostitution undisturbed goes back to Edward I in 1285, and has been in effect more or less continuously since. I’m not a historian, but I suspect earlier examples can be found in various countries. At any rate, low income people of color are the most likely to be arrested for prostitution here in the U.S., so while Peppet’s proposal may change the details, it doesn’t change the overall legal regime.

What Peppet’s legal article shows, entirely unintentionally, is that internet technology has made prostitution safer by overcoming the restrictions created by enforcement of prostitution laws. For example, when police enforce laws against street prostitution, they make it harder for street prostitutes to gather and exchange information and gives them less time to assess clients. Web forums make it possible for sex workers to exchange safety information, and internet booking gives prostitutes time to assess clients. To date, one of the few prostitution related sites closed by authorities has been myRedBook.com, which allowed lower income prostitutes to exchange information and assess clients without pressure from police.

By: LoriAdorable

LoriAdorable — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 03:07:53 +0000

That ASU study (link 5) is LAUGHABLE, and no surprise, because it’s run by Roe-Sepowitz at the McCain Institute. Their conclusion that the sex industry as a whole is growing because posts on some websites increased is an absurd jump in logic, but these are the same people using ‘provider seems racist’ as a measure of likelihood that she is controlled by a pimp and therefore trafficked. I just…. I don’t…. ugh.