Rather than backing down in the face of Ashton Kutcher’s attack on its advertisers, The Village Voice is amping up its articles on trafficking hysteria at large. They’ve created a dramatic infographic about actual trafficking arrests, and here’s their publication Seattle Weekly taking a closer look at Kutcher’s “philanthropy consultant.” You can also read their recent condemnation of how journalists crucified Craigslist. (VV’s self-aggrandizement is getting old quick, though. Here’s hoping they can stick to the solid facts and lay off the braggadocio, because it’s just as gross when they make the debate all about them as it is when Kutcher makes it all about himself.)
More on Ashton Kutcher and The Village Voice: Laura Augstin, SWOP-NYC, Belle de Jour, Megan Morgenson.
More on the appeals court ruling on the anti-prostitution pledge.
DSK’s rape accuser is suing The New York Post for calling her a prostitute.
The Irish Examiner, apparently not motivated by Ashton Kutcher being an ass, published its own critique of sex trafficking hysteria. And Argentina’s President, apparently acting without the urging of Ashton Kutcher, has flat-out banned all ads for prostitution.
Annie Sprinkle talks to The New York Times about her career in sex work.
The 25-year-old, unbelievably gruesome murders of two Philadelphia trans women working as prostitutes may finally be solved.
Did you know the world’s first bikini was worn by a professional nude dancer?
Dayton police and citizens are starting to realize that arresting prostitutes without offering any social services has little chance of deterring sex work for those women in the future.
A Miami madam had to disavow her past, but it paid off: she was sentenced to only one day in jail. Others involved in the case have received similarly light sentences except for the co-owner and madam’s ex-husband, who was sent to prison for 14 months.
A Michigan inmate, awaiting sentencing for a bank robbery case, has filed a federal lawsuit claiming that authorities have violated his civil rights by denying him access to porn while he’s behind bars. Inmate Kyle Richards claims the porn ban amounts to “cruel and unusual punishment,” which subjects him to “a poor standard of living” and “both sexual and sensory deprivation.” We’re not sure how successful Richards’ case will be, but it’s nice to know we’re so appreciated.
A New Zealand prostitute collective is taking issue with a recent US report that accuses the country of having an underage trafficking problem.
An Australian study on sex worker job satisfaction was recently released.
This is great round up–thank you! I am wondering if you could change the headline about the two sex workers murdered in philly to clarify that the two were *women*, as well as trans people. The article itself is intensely trans-misogynist (describing them as “men who posed as women”) so it seems especially important to recognize and respect their actual genders: women. I think it behooves us to be respectful even if the mainstream media do not and to acknowledge that these murders are violence against women.
Absolutely right that—it was an oversight that has since been fixed.