Madness Radio: Sex Work w/ Caty Simon and Maryse
First Aired 12-6-2006
Sex workers Caty Simon and Maryse discuss social standards of normal and acceptable sexuality and how it affects mental wellbeing, from the point of view of sex workers rights.
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Will--when was the last time you believe something on tv, "reality" or otherwise? I find your comment about seeing the egalitarian transactions among women and purchasers in the legal brothels on TV to be really egregious. Surely you know that everything on tv is selected, with bits and pieces chopped here and there.
Even if the transactions at this particular place are more equal than most, you're looking at a more privileged sector, not the majority of women (and men and all people) in the industry.
As for decriminalization, it is true that more abuse may be reported under a decrim/legalized model. But I don't believe any group of women should be set aside for the purposes of sexual (ab)use, so that other women can be raped less. Indeed, many of the buyers say if they did not visit a sex worker, they would rape a woman. And in the case of Sweden, where they actually have lowered rates of trafficking and prostitution, more women are being raped in the general population. But, as I said, no women should have to take the burden of enduring all of men's sexual proclivities just because they throw money at you.
I would encourage folks to check out YouTube videos here for more critiques of the industry: http://www.youtube.com/user/starvingflam...
Also, Rebecca Mott talks about surviving the sex trade at: rmott52.blogspot.com
These are good points and I think the show lacks presenting the point of view of women who are abused by the sex industry. Decriminalization is not a simple solution but criminalization makes it very hard to protect rights as women have no recourse to calling the police when they face violence, and an industry that is underground is hard to keep underage women out, etc. I've talked to Caty about the legal brothels, which she does not support because the owners, not the workers, have control and benefit mostly financially. My understanding of Sweden is that they decriminalized being a prostitute but criminalized hiring prostitutes, which sounds like a much better direction than prosecuting the women.
I've had several friends who were in the sex industry, either in porn, dancing, or being escorts. All of them had middle or upper class backgrounds, and it is a mixed bag, with some of them ok with their experience and others feeling it was a mistake, part of that coming from the stigma around it.
Thanks for the dialog ~~
I should also say I am absolutely for every single person in the sex trade to be decriminalized and not be punished in any way. The buyers, whether men or women should face consequences.
I think its important to listen to the views of sex workers, but feel that its a shame it is only the well paid sex workers who have 'chosen' this work. There are many women who are vulnerable, homeless, paying for a drug addiction etc and by I dont think its uncool to acknowledge the existence of abuse within the industry.
Equally it would have been nice to have a discussion of structural factors that lead women to sex work such as gender inequality which cause greater female poverty and unemployment etc.
these are really good insights. i think the sex work issue gets too split between the idea that people do it as a choice and the idea that people do it driven by poverty and gender inequality. sex work for many people is utterly abusive and a reflection of powerlessness, sexism, and poverty. sometimes it's a mix. one important consideration is that decriminalization could help promote the rights of sex workers, who don't have rights when it is illegal (an illegal sex worker can't turn to the police in cases of assault for example). caty and maryse are more along the lines of the pro-sex work feminist perspective, and are also economically privileged -- a different perspective would have enriched the program. they do both also have class awareness of what you are raising, and awareness of the abusive side, though, and don't just view things from a civil libertarian perspective.