27 replies to this topic

[Juggs69]

I am watching a fascinating documentary on prostitution and how it functions in various parts of the world.

10 clients = $20 in Bangladesh. Many of the women were sold into the profession as children.

The working conditions in Australian brothels put my office to shame. The prostitutes there can make $107,000 USD a year. The women in those brothels said they enjoy sex and it was a conscious decision to become a prostitute (however, when you work in a brothel, there is a much greater degree of control as opposed to working on the street).

According to statistics, in America, the mortality rate for a prostitute is 40 times higher than the national average and up to & 75% are victims of incest.

All that said, I'm interested to hear people's opinions on the subject. Is sex a right or a privilege?

For myself, it's one giant grey area and I see both sides of the coin.

[Rial]

Legalize it in sanctioned brothels. Its just like weed or what ever "bad" thing that is illegal. Yes there will be a black market for it, but in theory, would n't a government monitored, health checked, taxed and controlled brothel be more of an option than some sketchy street situation or some call girl. I mean if there were safe and friendlly places for this, why not? Safer all around for client and service giver. Plus tax it, another thing that can make the gov money. morally I have no problem, its the forced prostitution, drugs, abuse, control the bums me out about it.

[zyko]

prostitution is a symptom of the greater problem which is the commitment to making a profit. the first thing man discovered he could hustle to great success (after simply trading furs and wooden objects proved entirely too altruistic to make a "killin" off of) was sex. hustle the one thing which has no shortage of demand or supply. it is what it is. :/

Legalize it in sanctioned brothels. Its just like weed or what ever "bad" thing that is illegal. Yes there will be a black market for it, but in theory, would n't a government monitored, health checked, taxed and controlled brothel be more of an option than some sketchy street situation or some call girl. I mean if there were safe and friendlly places for this, why not? Safer all around for client and service giver. Plus tax it, another thing that can make the gov money. morally I have no problem, its the forced prostitution, drugs, abuse, control the bums me out about it.

yeah, well, government controlled anything is always a matter of eyebrow risen concern but it would certainly be safer and less scandalous/corrupt/destructive

[degrae]

Totally for it. Prostitution is a radical way to be intimate and no longer obligated to the outcome of intimacy. Freedom of action is even more freedom than freedom of speech. If you would like to announce to everyone you know that you are completely free, say at your next gathering, that you will do anyone in the room for $200 bucks, there will be someone there with $200 bucks, you can do them, it will not be the person you wished producing the $200 bucks, but you will be $200 bucks ahead of the game. People say whore like it's bad, but it's really an amazing service to provide. Where it gets dicey is like if you're a girl and the dude doesn't get enough of a boner to screw, is that really your fault? Because now, you've announced you're hookin' to your group of friends and there may or may not be an issue about whether or not you get paid? What about the social status of the lady? How do we wipe her slate clean if things go bad in the sack? I have always been disgusted with strippers, because 92% of them don't seem to be enjoying themselves at all, if I ever saw a glimmer of joy in the eyes of a stripper, I would get a second job to pay for my stripper habit. Beyond that, everyone I have ever discussed this with has said, "Naw, I never pay for sex, don't need to, they gotta pay me." Which clearly belies the ongoing prostitution industry, that carries on, despite the pride of my mates. So if you are being paid for sex, A: Enjoy it, or convincingly act, B: Remember that the boss does not need to be reminded about the muscle lurking outside, C: Make em fall in love at first and then crush their heart completely on the way out the door --when you have the money--, and most importantly D: Remember you could have opened your own restaraunt but chose this instead, for now. It is all your fault.

[Juggs69]

Legalize it in sanctioned brothels. Its just like weed or what ever "bad" thing that is illegal. Yes there will be a black market for it, but in theory, would n't a government monitored, health checked, taxed and controlled brothel be more of an option than some sketchy street situation or some call girl. I mean if there were safe and friendlly places for this, why not? Safer all around for client and service giver. Plus tax it, another thing that can make the gov money. morally I have no problem, its the forced prostitution, drugs, abuse, control the bums me out about it.

People who are against legalization say that this promotes the idea that sex is a right (specifically, a man's right) and not a privilege. A culture in which women can be bought for use is one in which rape flourishes.

Discuss!

[Rial]

we are all bought for use: our time at work, commercials on TV, favors to friends, relationships with loved ones...might as well get some action out of it.

It seems to me rape would flourish in a situation were no one was getting any, like prison, not in a world were safe, clean getin' some was a debit card swipe away. And rape is going to happen either way, it has alot more to do with control over sex. So maybe if some messed up dude was upset over the amount of control a legal prostitute had over the situation, shit might get hairy, but shit gets hairy every day every where.

People that are against legal prostitution because of a mans right to sex do not agree with me on anything, so eff them, they aren't ever going to understand anything other than Jesus wrote the constitution and gays are legion's of the devil to corrupt our youth to have sex with animals.

[jeremx]

A culture in which women can be bought for use is one in which rape flourishes.
Discuss!

i'd disagree due to the fact that the circumstances surrounding both are usually polar opposites. in a paid-for situation, the prostitute is in control, while the client pays. rape is almost always about control and not just the act of sex. i mean, even the fugliest dude can hang out in a bar long enough to wait out the drunkest, most desperate gal at the end of the night and get some. prostitution is not wanting to wait, and not wanting that gal that's likely less than desireable in so many ways. and just because women can be bought as a commodity, doesn't mean that men can't. where's that thread about that male prostitute in nevada? "prostidude." lol

[billy]

even the fugliest dude can hang out in a bar long enough to wait out the drunkest, most desperate gal at the end of the night and get some

i disagree.

circle takes the square.

[mancopter]

even the fugliest dude can hang out in a bar long enough to wait out the drunkest, most desperate gal at the end of the night and get some

i disagree.

circle takes the square.

Thank you. Good to know I'm not the only one who feels this, as a guy who's gone home alone after last call countless times.

Anyway, back on topic:
"I'm gonna pay you for sex." = illegal in america.

"I'm gonna pay you to bang that dude while I film it and distribute it to countless people, ensuring I fully profit off of your ladyparts." = legal, and somewhat en vogue in america.

[jeremx]

Thank you. Good to know I'm not the only one who feels this, as a guy who's gone home alone after last call countless times.

you're not hanging out in the right bars for the scenario i'm describing.

[Jacki O.]

i dont think rape is a result of prostitution. I think rape is a result of our rape culture and the dehumanization of women, and gender in general, not just prostitutes (who are extremely dehumanized in our society). Prostitutes bear the brunt of our rape culture because they are seen as expendable by almost every facet of society, including the law.

I agree with Rial on legalizing prostitution. Make it safer for all women and men to work in the sex industry. They can form unions, have health insurance, better working conditions, etc.

I'm not surprised that women/men working as prostitutes have a much higher death rate. They can be easy prey for rape and murder, some are too afraid to go to the police after an assault, those who do are often ridiculed or the crimes committed against them trivialized because of their profession.

We love to feel sorry for or snub our noses at the "fallen" women working in the sex industry but there are many that actively chose their profession, many who work very hard publishing magazines (Spread is a great sex worker magazine) and arranging conferences to shed light and engage the general public in discussions on the sex industry.

i often think that back in the day, female prostitutes were among the most free women (at least in Europe). They posed for paintings by some of Europe's most famous painters (Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh, Gentileschi, Renoir, Monet, Manet, Raphael, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Tintoretto, Titian, and on and on and on). They got to hang out with revolutionary writers, thinkers, and artists, because they were free from the rigid constraints that held back so many "proper" women of the time. Prostitutes and the uber rich seemed to be the only classes above the confines of patriarchy.

Prostitution has been a way for women to control sex and their autonomy in societies where the idea of "gender equality" did not exist.

But the notion of a woman in control of her sexuality and independent of the "shame" we associate with sex work is a scary notion for many, so some people work very hard to keep prostitution illegal in America.

and obviously most of the statements i just made are referring to women, whereas men are also very active in the sex industry. But of course, women sex workers are more discussed (and derided) when it comes to discussions on prostitution and sex work.

It's the same thing with human trafficking. Is sex trafficking happening around the world? Of course. But the majority of human trafficking is in manual labor, people trafficked over to work as maids, nannies, etc. Where does the majority of anti-trafficking money go to? What cases get the most media attention?

[billy]

for my money, almost 100% of the time:

prohibition < legalization/de-criminalization

[Big Jilm]

Legalize it in sanctioned brothels. Its just like weed or what ever "bad" thing that is illegal. Yes there will be a black market for it, but in theory, would n't a government monitored, health checked, taxed and controlled brothel be more of an option than some sketchy street situation or some call girl. I mean if there were safe and friendlly places for this, why not? Safer all around for client and service giver. Plus tax it, another thing that can make the gov money. morally I have no problem, its the forced prostitution, drugs, abuse, control the bums me out about it.

People who are against legalization say that this promotes the idea that sex is a right (specifically, a man's right) and not a privilege. A culture in which women can be bought for use is one in which rape flourishes.

Discuss!

In our culture ANYONE can be bought for use in a variety of ways and for many different purposes. Some people sell themselves willingly, some not. Some get a good price, some don't. Remember, rape is not about sex. Anyone can be raped, and sexual intercourse is not a requirement.
We live in a country where prostitution is largely illegal. What did we learn about alcohol trade during prohibition? Did making booze illegal stop drinking and eliminate alcoholism, or did it merely allow criminals to monopolize the manufacture and distribution of a product that society seemed to want.

[allisonorphan]

in this last semester of my art therapy program, i took a sex therapy class. technically, even though art therapy is my focus, i will be a marriage and family therapist....hence the crash course in sex therapy.
anyway, as an outside assignment, i did some reading on sexual activity and individuals with disabilities and the term "sexual surrogate" came up. i did some further reading and watched the film, "Private Practices", an 80's documentary about the profession. when talking about it with an individual not in the program, they said, "so, basically the surrogate is a prostitute with a PhD?"

i laughed, but really had to think about it. the surrogate, in conjunction with an individuals primary therapist, work with the identified patient in a physical manner to help them with what ever psychological issues they may have regarding sexual activity.

in the documentary, there was a really awkward exchange between surrogate and client in which the client questions what happens if surrogate and client fall in love. he wonders why they could never have a relationship in the future. hard to watch. while i get the foundation for the practice, its execution seems to ride a fine ethical line and also raises questions about how sex for money exchanges are defined.

[weener]

in this last semester of my art therapy program, i took a sex therapy class. technically, even though art therapy is my focus, i will be a marriage and family therapist....hence the crash course in sex therapy.
anyway, as an outside assignment, i did some reading on sexual activity and individuals with disabilities and the term "sexual surrogate" came up. i did some further reading and watched the film, "Private Practices", an 80's documentary about the profession. when talking about it with an individual not in the program, they said, "so, basically the surrogate is a prostitute with a PhD?"

i laughed, but really had to think about it. the surrogate, in conjunction with an individuals primary therapist, work with the identified patient in a physical manner to help them with what ever psychological issues they may have regarding sexual activity.

in the documentary, there was a really awkward exchange between surrogate and client in which the client questions what happens if surrogate and client fall in love. he wonders why they could never have a relationship in the future. hard to watch. while i get the foundation for the practice, its execution seems to ride a fine ethical line and also raises questions about how sex for money exchanges are defined.

I read a really interesting article by a disabled man who was seeing a sex surrogate...found it! Sounds like an odd profession for sure.