If your view is a world without prostitution, you can only hear “ex-prostitutes” and exclude ‘prostituted women/men” from the discussion. By definition, you don’t actually care what heppens to them, since you think they shouldn’t exist. But they do. They are exactly who needs to be listened to. Your dream of a world without “sexual exploitation’ (as defined by you) is a utopian fantasy. Like most utopian fantasies, it works by locking people up. Gee, thanks.

I object to your characterization of this post and site as pro-feminist. In truth, it is only pro-prohibition, pro-criminalization and views the women involved in prostitution as irrevalent to the discourse. You lack the integrity to admit a feminist can (and many do) disagree with prostitution criminalization. So your moderation is nothing less than pure censorship of anyone who disagrees with you.

There is, dare I say, a paternalistic element in upper class ideologues telling poor women/men prostitutes what their lives are. Here’s an idea. Give a prostitute a job she can earn a living with. I have.

Criminalization of prostitutes and their customers (exploiters in your censored world view) has the same wonderful results as criminalization of drugs and alcohol.

We know how wonderful that worked out.

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Then please read the footer again where the restrictions are laid out.

Since this post is for those who are feminists and those who are feminist-friendly, it doesn’t sound like you qualify to comment here.

http://streetwomen.org/Cathys%20page.htm

These are the true costs of prohibition.

I note also the same crowd banning condoms, exacting “anti-prostitution” pledges (more accurately anti-prostitute), denying reproductive choice and promoting abstinence only for HIV prevention–is the same bunch reunning around the world claiming to rescue brothel slaves. Watch the company you keep.

You are quick to label my observation of reality as a “position” rather than respond to the simple statement that we would do well to listen to women/men in prostitution themselves. Now there’s a radical idea for you. Interested?

It is not enough to paint “pimps and johns” as the villians, if we do nothing to protect the legal status and economic conditions of women involved in prostitution.

There is nothing “leftist” in continuing the prohibition of sex trading, along with the radical right and their crazy christian allies. The English Prostitutes Collective and others have carefully documented the harm brought to actual prostitutes by the focus on prosecuting johns (it increases danger to streetwalkers, who must make hasty decisions about customers in fear of the police). Brothel “rescues” have a similarly bad result, where women flee from the self-appointed rescuers who have thrust them into worse conditions than they found them, imprisonment and deportation typical.

We would do well to pay attention to the experience and ideas of working prostitutes, instead of imposing ideology upon them.