fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
❤ all of this.
By: Marley K.
Tags: Sex Work

❤ all of this. All. Of. This. This is the reality for many families. Family dysfunction causes hopelessness which leads to desperation. Anything with life is going to do the best it can to survive until it’s taken out of here. People do the best they can to survive. Sex work is the oldest profession on earth.

If there wasn’t a demand, the sex workers wouldn’t exist. It’s not the best profession for all, but for many women and men, it’s an opportunity to make a lot of money for very little work, with no education requirements. You can be poor, have blemished credit, and even have a criminal record.

All those things that block many of sex workers from attaining “honorable” work/careers. Life isn’t black or white. All we can do is reflect, learn, break the cycle, and move on. I thank you for sharing your personal feelings and thoughts on sex work. Most people don’t have the emotional intelligence to separate the act and the person or to consider how people get where they are.

Nothing happens by accident. We all must share the blame when one person fails in our society.
The Legality of Sex Work — An Indian Story
Tags: Sex Work, Indian Society, Feminism, India

Lata is a 22 year old sex worker from Sonagachi, one of the largest red-light districts in Kolkata. At 15, when abject poverty and lack of job opportunities made her flee Bangladesh in the hopes of a better life, she never imagined herself being forced into the sex trade by the neighbour she was accompanying.

Couple of months in, her first attempt at escape ended in police brutality and assault when she realized that members of the organized sex trade (even if they occur in legally dubious areas like Sonagachi) can be prosecuted for working in a brothel and are thus afforded no protection against deplorable working conditions. She had no option but to return.

Over the years, the girls learned to look out for each other in the face of violent customers, unprotected sex, ills and diseases, and whatever else came their way. In the absence of government assistance, a few NGOs tried to offer help in the way of gatherings and events to raise awareness about diseases and sex workers’ rights but they were often forbidden by the “madam” to attend these.

When, at 20, Lata became a mom to a baby girl, her first thought was to quit the brothel and raise her child in more respectable surroundings (with more money), even if it meant losing the safety in numbers she found amongst the other girls. You see, sex work is not illegal per se. Only if two or more prostitutes do it at one establishment for their mutual gain is. But as she soon came to know, the roadblocks to exercising her right to work in this field were plenty.

For starters, she couldn’t work within a 200m radius of a public place. Nor could she solicit customers. (Customers availing of her services is completely legal though). Furthermore, if she decided to rent a place to work out of, her landlord would be at the risk of prosecution for supporting/living on the earnings of a prostitute, which is illegal. And if caught doing any of these things, violence and harassment at the hands of the police was almost a given.

Two years on, Lata is still at Sonagachi, amidst a country-wide lockdown that has ground the economy to a halt. Only the girls who were trafficked from Nepal and other countries remain. Money has dried up and govt aid for people not even recognized as informal workers is next to nil. When a loyal customer or two try to help out with some cash, they get beaten up by the police for flouting country-wide norms. There’s a provision for getting free cooked meals at a centre nearby but it comes at the risk of media scrutiny and dealing with the police. Lord only knows what will happen if one of them were to actually contract the deadly virus.
How To Make Money With Amateur Porn And Stay Anonymous
By: Dporn Site
Tags: Sex Work, Nude, Sex, Adult Industry, Pornography

Are you interested how to make money in adult industry? Then you came to the right place. In this story we will talk about this and give accurate recipes for making money in this area.

There are several ways to make money making porn, sexy photo e.t.c.

We will list some of them:

Selling your photos and videos on special sites

Live Sex (webcam sites)

Affiliate Programs of Famous Porn Sites

Earnings at DPorn

Let’s look at each of these ways.

Websites to sell nude photos and videos

There are many sites where you can do this. Without our help, you can easily find them on the Internet. These sites have their advantages and disadvantages. To start selling your sexual materials, you need to register. Some sites may ask you to send examples of your work.

The main disadvantage: almost all sites require not just verification, but documents. You will need to scan your passport or driver license in order to use the site.

Live Sex (webcam sites)

On such sites you can earn on online broadcasts. You don’t have to have sex and be naked. Some people earn decent rewards without undressing. They just look sexy and enjoy chatting with their fans.

Documents are also required on such sites. In addition, there is huge competition on such sites. If you want to start your career there, be prepared to invest in advertising.

Affiliate Programs of Famous Porn Sites

Some well-known sites offer affiliate programs. Like other sites, there is a need for document verification. There are a lot of high-quality content on such sites and in order to compete with this, you will have to invest some money in advertising. You must have promoted accounts on social networks in order to redirect traffic there.

Earnings at DPorn.co

At DPorn you can earn in many ways. You can upload your sexy photos, videos and even write erotic stories!

At Dporn, no one will ask you for a passport. We don’t care what is written in your documents. Are you 18 years old? It’s enough. For verification, check out a simple guide: https://www.dpornstudios.com/sign-up

We have a warm and enjoyable community. To get to the trending page you do not need to be an untwisted superstar. It’s enough to have interesting, sexy, original content and keep in touch with your fans.

We are not campaigning. We are talking about visible advantages and disadvantages. The choice is always yours.

We are always ready to answer any questions here: https://discordapp.com/invite/yxT3uVE
Decriminalizing DC
By: Blurred Lines
Tags: Sex Work, Sex Work Legislation, Feminism, Politics, Washington DC

Last month on June 4, Councilman David Grosso introduced a bill that would decriminalize sex work in DC. The bill, the Community Safety and Health Amendment Act of 2019, eliminates prohibition and penalties for adult consensual sex work and establishes a task force to evaluate decriminalization’s impact recommend improvements. However, it maintains protections for minors and prohibitions against coercion, exploitation, and human trafficking.

Essentially, all this policy does is it allows sex workers to engage in their work without involvement or harassment from the police.

Why decriminalize sex work? To protect sex workers.

Studies show that 80% of street-based sex workers experience violence and that sex workers have a 45–75% chance of experiencing sexual violence at some point in their careers. Sex workers are unable to report this violence without the threat of criminalization, as sex workers may be arrested when they attempt to report such violence. Police also perpetrate violence against sex workers- 1 in 5 DC sex workers have been approached by the police for sex.

Mitigating this violence means mitigating the police’s ability to harass and criminalize sex workers.

This violence also disproportionately affects trans people and people of color; 1in 5 trans people have engaged in or currently engage in sex work and 85% of trans sex workers in DC are Black or Latinx. Additionally, trans sex workers are 12 times more likely to be HIV positive, and black trans sex workers are 25 times more likely.

HIV and sexually transmitted diseases increase with the criminalization of sex work, as police often use condoms as justification for arrest or harassment of individuals. Nearly half of trans people have reported that

Decriminalizing sex work will improve access to health services and other resources. It will also help decrease rates of sexually transmitted diseases and violence.

Also, it is simply the right thing to do. Sex work is work and sex workers deserve the right to bodily autonomy. Criminalizing sex work allows the state control over people’s bodies and sexuality, it allows the state to criminalize non-normative bodies and behaviors.

DC’s legislation has come about largely due to the tireless activism of sex workers and allies. The Sex Worker Advocates Coalition (SWAC) and the DECRIMNOW campaign have worked to provide resources and support to sex workers, as well as advocate for this legislation.

Sex work is work and sex workers deserve agency and freedom.

Learn more about the policy here: http://www.davidgrosso.org/grosso-analysis/2019/6/4/community-safety-and-health-amendment-act-of-2019

Learn more about DECRIMNOW: https://www.decrimnow.org/

Learn more about SWAC: http://www.hips.org/sex-worker-advocates-coalition-swac.html
Prostitution is illegal only because people find it morally objectionable.
By: Mysterious Witt
Tags: Prostitution, Law, Sex Work, Morality, Sexuality

Prostitution is illegal only because people find it morally objectionable. That means even when women choose to sell sexual services, they are committing a crime, and that’s ridiculous.

And just like *I* wouldn’t want to change the diapers of an elderly person for pay, I still don’t look down on people who do. I offer that type of employee the respect and dignity that I want to receive for doing my job.

I think that women (and men and trans people) who choose to sell sex should be able to do so safely. The term trafficking needs to be redefined. The owner of an agency who books a client for an employee, who happens to live out of state, should not be prosecuted for arranging to send that employee over state lines to accept money from that client for sex.

True traffickers, who coerce women into doing prostitution, should be prosecuted as well as anyone dealing with minors. Those are crimes.

But the sole act of sharing one’s body with different men for money is not a crime. It’s hurtful to consensual sex workers when it’s seen as such.

The only reason I bristle at “legalization” is because I look at what’s happened in Nevada, where sex workers are marginalized into certain remote parts of the state and must work in a licensed house. I have found more freedom working independently. That is why I’m a proponent of decriminalization.

However, if legalizing and therefore regulating prostitution along the lines of what’s happened with marijuana in California, then I’m definitely in favor of that. Marijuana has gone from being viewed as a “gateway drug” to a medicine that I can openly speak about smoking in front of my children.

If we could evolve to view sex work in those terms, then I think it would greatly help and protect the women who choose to do this line of work.
The Lingha Boys of Siem Reap: A Baseline Study of Sexually-Exploited Young Men in Siem Reap
By: Jarrett Davis
Tags: Sex Work, Male Massage, Sexual Violence, Cambodia, Boys

(Originally released in August 2012)

ABSTRACT: The sexual exploitation of women and girls in Southeast Asia continues to be the subject of much research and remains a central concern among NGO’s and Anti-trafficking organizations. As these concerns remain central, sexual violence against men and boys is often little understood or acknowledged. This study aims to provide a baseline of information of young men working in the male-to-male sex industry in Siem Reap, Cambodia. It serves to uncover some of the vulnerabilities of the young men working in this industry for NGOs and social service providers to better understand them. The research conducts structured interviews with 50 young men from numerous massage establishments within a 1km radius of the Siem Reap town center. The study assesses the vulnerabilities of these young men concerning several areas, including financial security, sexual history and health, violence, faith, and future plans. This information was collected to determine the needs these young men may have and provide initial data as a basis for understanding and future research.

DOWNLOAD FULL REPORT HERE
Stripping, escorting, camming, dominatrix, sugar baby
By: Mama Sing
Tags: Sex Work, Sex, Sex Worker Rights, Sex Work Is Real Work, Sexuality

Stripping, escorting, camming, dominatrix, sugar baby

I’ve done it all

I’ve been paid to make fun of men’s penis

I’ve been paid to treat u like shit

I’ve been paid to cater to every single one of your fantasies

It’s been almost 10 years

The anxiety, depression, ptsd, thinking I was going crazy, suicidal, afraid, night terrors, abuse, divorce

I’ve been traumatized

Raped

Scared

Hurt

Threatened

Locked in places

Thought I’d die

Knew I’d die if I tried to leave

I’ve had to outsmart people to survive

But u want to know what I’ve learned from being a sex worker?

What has almost 10 years of s£x work taught me?

✨you can find something beautiful in every single person

✨personality over looks. being attractive on the outside will only get u so far. It’s what’s on the inside that will take u further

✨there’s no perfect look. Men love everything.the things I thought were unlovable in a body I would see men drooling over

✨there’s always a reason for everything.

✨men feel really guilty about their sexuality

✨sex can heal men and woman on the deepest level

✨every “asshole” just wants to be loved and feel wanted

✨women belong together. The power of sisterhood

✨the balance between the masculine and feminine

✨the masculine needs the feminine in his life to have purpose

✨ how incredible beautiful and powerful every single woman’s body is

✨ every body is so beyond perfect

✨ you can break hate and toughness with being silly

✨ women need someone who admires them and men need someone to admire

✨ every single person is a sex freak and if they say they aren’t they’re lying to u or themselves

✨ sex heals beyond what anything in this world

✨ people only hurt people because they’re afraid of being hurt

✨ you can be friends with everyone

✨ the biggest ceos and celebrities and most powerful people in the world just want someone to take them off the pedestal and make them feel human and tell them no

✨ every human only want these things. To love, to be loved, to be needed, to be wanted, and to feel like they belong

✨you find the most beautiful people in the most unusual places

✨the people who usually get judged are always the most awesome people with the kindest hearts

✨greedy people are rich. Generous people are the wealthiest

✨everyone is interested in sex work

✨money is energy and will treat you how you treat it

✨only the brave have a fun life. So do all the things you’re too afraid to do and go embarrass yourself

✨sex is the most sacred thing on this earth. It’s a dance with the divine

✨the most incredible most mind blowing orgasmic sex you can have has nothing to do with the actual sex
Episode 22 — Sex Work. In this episode of Uncomfortable, we…
By: Debbie Roche
Tags: Sex Workers, Sex Work, Sex, Feminism, Podcast

In this episode of Uncomfortable, we chat to Heidi who has been a sex worker for 10 years. Heidi shares details of her life as a sex worker and sugar baby and explains how she has found empowerment, boundary setting and financial independence through the many lessons sex working has provided.

About Heidi:

Heidi is a 30 year old queer woman and has been a sex worker on/off for the last 10 years. Originally she was drawn to the double life that sex work provided, and found it a useful tool to quit the 9–5 work she had a hard time committing to. Now she uses it as a way to support herself while she grows her photography business. Heidi is lucky to have found empowerment, boundary setting and financial independence through the many lessons sex working has provided. She is currently writing a chapbook of her experiences.

This episode is fun and educational but it does contain adult language, so when listening, it’s best to pop your headphones on!

You can listen to our episode via RadioPublic (player below) or you can head over to Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify(as well as most of the other podcast players) and subscribe!

If you enjoyed our intimate conversation then feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this page or rate us highly over on iTunes!

Check out our website at www.uncomfortable.blog and don’t forget to connect with us over on social media. We are on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook.
How the Justice System Impacts Poor People
By: Sam Oser
Tags: Human Trafficking, Bail, Sex Work, Bail Bonds, Bail Reform

On Saturday, February 15, 2020, I interviewed Te’iva Johnson Bell running for judge in 339th Criminal District Court & Christian D. Menefee running for Harris County Attorney.

You can watch the video on my Facebook page. Below are the timestamps of the video with everything we talked about. While you’re watching the interview, feel free to fast-forward to the topic you’d like to learn more about.

2:00–7:00 (5 mins) — What is the Bail System?

7:04–13:00 (6 mins) — What is the Process of the Bail System? How Does It Impact the Poor?

13:15–18:40 (5 mins) — Tax-payer Money Used to Defend Unjust Practices During Lawsuit Fighting for Due Process

18:41–23:30 (5 mins) — 72–77% of People Incarcerated for Nonviolent Felonies & Can’t Bail Out

23:30–30:00 (7 mins) — The Importance of Conditions Over Money in Bail Reform

30:23–36:28 (6 mins) — Public Nuisance, Lawsuits & How it Relates to Gang Injunction

36:30–48:30 (12 mins) — Victims of Human Trafficking Are Victims of Tax-Payer Lawsuits

54:00–59:00 (5 mins) — Running a Campaign as a Working Class Person

1:00:00 — the end — Where to find Te’iva Bell and Christian Menefee online
Onlyfans Is Getting Rid Of Porn for $1 Billion. Where Do We Go Now?
Tags: Social Media, Sex Work, Camming, Onlyfans, Marketing

Onlyfans Is Getting Rid Of Porn for $1 Billion. Where Do We Go Now? Enby Jul 21·2 min read

(This article contains referral links. By signing up with my link, you are supporting me at no cost to you!)

Onlyfans has officially announced that they’re looking to get rid of NSFW content on the platform. Even my small circle in the industry saw it coming.

Not unlike Patreon – and many before them – Onlyfans built their business off the backs of sex workers and are now kicking us to the curb in an effort to find vanilla investors.

I know a lot of creators are panicking right now, as you should be. I’m a bit stressed about losing my leftover balance once I close my account, but I’m not devastated right now because I have already set my backup plan into motion. Many backup plans, actually.

I’m here to recommend to you all the sex work-friendly platforms I’ve been using instead of Onlyfans.

If you’ve been unhappy with Onlyfans as of late, keep reading!

As a marginalized creator, I am doing better on ALL of these platforms than I EVER did on Onlyfans! Is that a reflection of my work ethic? Not likely.

WHERE TO MOVE BEFORE ONLYFANS SHUTS YOU DOWN:

I use all of these platforms extensively and have successfully received payouts from all of them!

AVNStars, my favourite mobile video uploader (the fastest imo)

LoyalFans, my favourite place to livestream when I only have a Smartphone with me

BentBox, my favourite way to advertise

ManyVids, my favourite way to SAFELY create a public wishlist

Frisk.Chat, my favourite platform for organic growth and engagement

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

I have not used these platforms to the fullest (yet), but have seen other creators/models recommend them!

justfor.fans

Admire.Me

PocketStars

It’s not news that Onlyfans is changing, but by how much? It’s hard to say whether Onlyfans will be around much longer after getting rid of their NSFW content. Will blow up like Patreon, or fizzle out like Pornhub?
Very comprehensive Ms.
By: Norm Gilbert
Tags: Sex Work, Relationships, Sex, Men, Sexuality

Very comprehensive Ms. Witt, but I cannot believe with your experience you did not mention the joys of jerking off with lube.

After edging, eventually I am so turned on that I want to cum. I lay on my back and cup my balls with my right hand. I use my thumb and forefinger to pull the skin of my cock down tight. I’m cut, but normally jerking off, the skin would roll up and down over the head.

Then lots of lube on my pleasure pole, so I won’t rub myself raw.

The orgasms are so intense and there is nothing to impede my cum, as it shoots much further using this method, often onto my face and sometime over my head onto the headboard or wall. I will sometimes use my fingers to push up under my balls towards my head to intensify the ejaculation.

With the lube I can keep stroking after my orgasm and it feels like I could cum again and I guess I have a few tiny little mini orgasms with no ejaculate.

This might go on for as long as a minute while I’m still high from the climax and is very pleasurable. But finally I come down from my peak and back to my senses and know I will not cum again that night.
There is Nothing Empowering About Sex Work
By: Emma Nwosisi
Tags: Sex Work, Feminism, Women Empowerment, Sex Work Is Real Work

Sex work is work; people don’t work to feel empowered; they work so they can pay bills. Being a sex worker is about as empowering as being CEO of a Fortune500, i.e., not empowering at all.

The history of women’s nudity being empowering goes a long way back. Feminists have tried to reclaim our nudity, to remove the shame, to say, “it is my body, it is not for the male gaze, it is not vulgar, it does not need to be covered up.” Like many other things, women’s bodies are a political statement and will remain so for the foreseeable future. And while I have more than a few harsh words to say to that, that’s not the purpose of this rant.

The story that sex work is empowering stems from our politics, and we have let it run for too long. Counting sex work as empowering started with a movement to get people to treat sex workers as they would treat people of any other profession. But here’s the thing, I don’t have to tell you how law empowers me for you to respect my wig and gown, so why should sex work have to be empowering for you to respect sex workers?

Sometimes I ask myself why this is even a conversation, then I remember, majority of the world’s sex workers are women. Women ordinarily are seen as lesser humans. Women’s nudity is shameful — refer to the second paragraph — and should not be seen unless a man wants it. So it only makes sense that when a woman turns around and decides to monetize that very nudity she has been taught to be ashamed of, that she’d be met with vitriol. It is the MO of the Patriarchy, and we must work to break it down and grind it to dust.

Sex work is work, and like all other jobs, people go to it to earn, not to feel empowered. Empowerment is not a legal tender, and it sure as hell isn’t why people choose to become sex workers. Sex workers deserve your respect, just as your physician, your lawyer, the Starbucks barista, and the people of all other professions deserve your respect.

Sex workers don’t have to tell tales of empowerment; we don’t need think-pieces about how having an Onlyfans or leaving a high-end job to become a stripper is a boss move; we just need to respect sex workers.
Thoughts from a Jewish Escort in the New Year
By: Adina Rose
Tags: Escorts, Sex Work, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Jewish

The Jewish New Year starts this week, followed by the Day of Atonement next week. Normally, I’m thinking of going into this time of year with a sense of feeling like a good person. Now, as a sex worker, I’m thinking differently. I’m thinking what’s the point of atonement if I’m just going to turn around and sin like it’s my job (it literally is my job). Our culture would tell us that what I’m doing – that is, taking money in exchange for companionship – is immoral and relegates me to the lowest of the low in society. I have no intention of choosing alternate employment because I seriously love what I do, so what really is the point?

However, my feelings change when I shift my mindset. Pleasure and intimacy aren’t sins at all; literally nowhere in the Ten Commandments does it say, “Thou shalt not be a horny motherf*cker and enjoy everything thine body has to offer.” It does say you shouldn’t commit adultery but I’m not the one breaking that rule, nor will I judge anyone who does. It’s part of an entirely separate conversation on why I think monogamy is a crock of sh*t and we really shouldn’t aspire to what society deems to be the standard for relationships. I digress. If pleasure and intimacy aren’t sins, then I don’t need to atone for my work at all. What I do need to do is seek forgiveness for the things I’ve done unintentionally; I’ve hurt friends’ and family members’ feelings by mistake, I’ve accidentally revealed secrets, I’ve spoken ill of other people without knowing the entire picture.

This year, I’m not going into Yom Kippur with the mindset of absolution, but as a chance to work on being a truly good person. Work on being a person who is kind, who is patient, who is loving, who is satisfied financially, emotionally, mentally, and sexually. Work on being a person who doesn’t judge others for their choices (unless they’re a child molester; we can judge that). Work on earning forgiveness, not just asking G-d to resolve it for me. Above all else, use my work to be the person my clients need me to be to help them reach those same satisfactions.

Thanks for reading my random musings. Shana tovah umetukah and g’mar hatima tovah. Have a sweet and happy new year, and may you also be sealed in the Book of Life for another year.

XOXO, Adina
The Biggest Brothel in Asia My Indian Life aired January 10, 2020- Sex Workers question BBC
By: National Network Of Sex Workers India
Tags: Sex Work, Bbc World News, India, BBC

Dear BBC World Service

We from http://nnswindia.org/were aghast to listen to the podcast aired on 10 January 2020 titled “The biggest brothel in Asia’ as part of My Indian Life hosted by Kalki Koechlin and produced by Ishleen Kaur.

An unaware listener could be forgiven for not realizing that Sonagachi, described breathlessly as a “weird”, “scary”, “dangerous” place in Kolkata”, is a vibrant community of children, women, men and trans persons who live and work amidst thriving businesses and innovative experiments in livelihoods, banking and public health, among many others.

For a podcast aired on the reputed platform of the BBC to be uninformed of a larger reality and rely on a single source of an anti-trafficking campaigner attached to an organisation that is “trying to change the lives” of the women is unethical and unexpected. We do not get to hear if the women targeted wish to have their lives changed. In fact, we do not hear from them at all. Therein lies the main problem of this shoddy piece of journalism: the complete absence of voices of adult sex workers. While a one-sided story might further the sensational victim narrative and amplify horror stories, there is no attempt to portray the significant efforts of sex workers’ organisations in mobilizing for rights and also carry out self-regulation to help victims of trafficking and prevent minors from entering sex work. Instead, the podcast paints an incomplete and inaccurate picture of negligent mothers and uncared for children with no fact-checking. For example, did BBC make any attempt to verify school-enrolment rate in Sonagachi and compare it with school-enrolment rate elsewhere?

If proper research had undergirded this topic, you would have doubtless come across some of these articles and we wish to bring them to your notice. Essential reading is Pat Joseph’s classic, “‘Victims Can Lie as Much as Other People’: What the Somaly Mam Scandal Says About the Media’s Treatment of Humanitarian Heroes,” The Atlantic, June 5, 2014 and the more recent “A report on the operations of Apne Aap, an anti-trafficking NGO, in Forbesganj and Kolkata” The Caravan, May 31, 2020. This might have prompted you to reach out to the sex workers, the main “subjects” of your podcast, easily accessible @https://durbar.org/. Because, one-sided biased reportage is not journalism at all, merely propaganda. The narrative in India is becoming increasingly one sided on all issues, actively encouraged by the state. You have just helped to push one more such.

Journalism about marginalized communities will remain incomplete and unethical without taking on board the politics of representation: “Nothing about us without us” is no longer a mere slogan, but must act as a moral guide to journalism. A more rounded approach, carried out with an open mind, would be more in keeping with the tenets of professional journalism, for which BBC is held in high esteem.

National Network of Sex Workers
No means no, but not for her. She has to do it!
Tags: Prostitution, Sex Work, Sex, Legal, India

Hey everyone, my name is Iara, and I am an MBA student where I have learnt the basic concepts of trade and commerce, market & consumers. One needs to provide products/services to get a piece of paper on which Gandhi is imprinted. Look where Mukesh Ambani has reached just by understanding this simple concept.

I wonder if he would have been there and received the same benefits & luxury if he was a sex worker.

In the 16th century, Tawaif, an Urdu word stands for a prostitute, was hired to entertain the Mughal emperors by singing & dancing( mujra) in front of the courtesan. Later on, this word was replaced by the modern dictionary as a gigolo/escort/sex worker & red light area came into the picture.

Is prostitution legal in India?

Yes, it is, but India doesn’t take a very clear stand with respect to the legality of this profession. According to the Immoral Traffic (Suppression) Act- SITA, the services can be offered in private only; related activities are illegal like managing a brothel, pimping, soliciting, child trafficking, etc.

Immoral Traffic Prevention Act- ITPA; an amendment to SITA(no escort is treated like Sita though, so this name is irony in itself) passed in 1986 states that engaging in sexual activity with a minor will put you behind bars for seven years. If you own a brothel, you will be gone for seven years. One needs to be 200 yards away from a public place to give her services.

Time for a reality check-

· The sex work industry is not regulated at all. Sex workers are devoid of protection & the rights that fall under the umbrella of labour laws.

· India doesn’t even consider male prostitution, and you will only hear about women in this industry.

· There is no defined process to check whether the person has agreed or has been forced into this profession.

· Denying the fact that sex workers can also be raped. Filing an FIR is a problematic thing because even the police don’t believe them.

· They are hesitated to enter into a hospital and check whether they are infected with AIDS or any other Sexually Transmitted Disease.

· Calling vulgar names like ‘‘Randi’’ shows the mental status of people and the treatment they get in society( not at all SITA right!).

· There are very few who get into this profession with consent; poverty, addiction to sex, human trafficking are some of the reasons why anyone would end there in the first place. What if they want to leave in the future? Everybody knows the way to get into it, but nobody knows the way to get out of it.

· Last but not least, devoid of true love. Everybody needs a soul to get attached to, but how can someone see their heart when all they see is a body.

Would you marry a prostitute? Will you be okay if your child wants to become one in the future?

You know the answer, it’s just that the scenery which is depicted in front of you by the society is the perception of their mindset as the landscape you see is on the canvas which they own.
Sex Trafficking VS Sex Workers: How To Spot The Difference?
By: Aalijah Plazola
Tags: Prostitution, Sex Trafficking, Sex Work

Sex Trafficking- The multi-billion dollar business that is corrupting the United States at the expense of young girls and women.

Photo by Pepi Stojanovski on Unsplash

Sex trafficking is defined as “the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, patronizing, or soliciting of a person for the purposes of a commercial sex act, in which the commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age” by the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

Source: VALERY HACHE / AFP-Getty Images

Whereas sex work is defined as “ the provision of sexual services for money or goods. Sex workers are women, men and transgendered people who receive money or goods in exchange for sexual services, and who consciously define those activities as income generating even if they do not consider sex work as their occupation” by the World Health Organization

But how can you spot the difference between someone who is being forced into performing sexual acts and someone who is doing it willingly?

Is the person being closely guarded?

2. Are there signs of physical abuse, like cigarette burns, bruises, or cuts.

3. Tattoos- which are often used as a way to indicate ownership (i.e., a name, symbol, barcode)

4. Presence of an older boyfriend/ new friends with a different lifestyle

5. Substance abuse

Photo by Jonathan Gonzalez on Unsplash

6. Displaying expensive clothes, accessories, or shoes/ bragging about having a lot money

7. Not attending school/unexplained absences from school/ missing a lot of school

8. Talks about attending wild parties

9. Homelessness

Victims of sex trafficking are often young girls and women who are coerced into prostitution with the promise of food, shelter, money, love, and many other things. Traffickers look for those who are most vulnerable to manipulate both emotionally and psychologically. These are just a few things to look out for when identifying someone who is being coerced into sex or doing it at their own free will.

If you, or someone you know is suspected of being a victim of sex trafficking please call, 1 (888) 373–7888 or visit https://humantraffickinghotline.org/
Response to Janix Cox
By: Cassie Brighter
Tags: Sex Workers, Diversity, Sex Work, Sex Worker Rights, Feminism

Response to Janix Cox

Hi Janis, first of all I loved your article. And I love the acronym.

I wanted to mention an important aspect of this topic of sexual trafficking that I believe should not be overlooked.

In the U.S.A, over the past couple of years, conservative forces have somewhat hijacked the sexual trafficking narrative, to attack and restrict intentional sex work.

I’m a sexuality educator. In my circles of acquaintances, I have sex workers, webcam girls, sex surrogates, sexuality educators, therapists. I belong to a number of sexpositive communities. Each of these have suffered restrictions, challenges and gagging/erasure as a result of the passing of SESTA/FOSTA.

This law wrecked Craigslist Personals and Backpage — both essential tools of self-promotion and VETTING for sex workers. It shut down Tumblr, which was a very healthy conduit for free, homemade porn (which is immensely much more constructive than paid, manufactured porn)

This law has made life immensely harder and more dangerous for sex workers.

It’s prevented sexuality educators from sharing links to their work on Facebook. It’s stifled sex education initiatives. It’s creating a 1950’s era environment of “don’t talk about sex.”

I fully support efforts to save victims of human trafficking. And I endorse efforts to prevent such things, and efforts to curb and eliminate human trafficking.

I want to emphasize the distinction between such efforts and efforts to shame human sexuality and intentional sex workers.

Thank you for listening.

xoxo

Cassie

Supporting links:
Perils of dismissing the problems faced by sex workers
Tags: Sex Work, Sexuality, Politics

Perils of dismissing the problems faced by sex workers

Modelling studies indicate that decriminalising sex work could lead to a 46% reduction in new HIV infections in sex workers over 10 years. Sex work is just as much of a profession as any other. It should be decriminalized and sex workers should be given the same respect as everybody else.

The most important part of any occupation is that it should be taken by an individual voluntarily. An adult should have the right to consent to whatever they want to partake in, be it of sexual nature or otherwise. It is of nobody’s business if someone decides to have sexual relations with as long as they’re a consenting adult. The nature of the sexual relationship, even if it is transactional, should be respected and legal.

Furthermore, the criminalisation of prostitution exposes sex workers to abuse and serious exploitation by Law Enforcement and Police Officers. Since they don’t have legal protection and rights, they can’t protect themselves and that gives a chance to law enforcement to misuse their power which results in trafficking and sexual violence towards the sex workers. “South African sex workers report that police confiscate condoms to use as evidence of prostitution; demand sexual favours in exchange for release from jail or to avoid arrest; physically assault and rape sex workers; actively encourage or passively condone inmate sexual abuse of transgender female sex workers assigned to male prison cells; use municipal laws to harass and arrest sex workers even when they’re engaged in activities unrelated to prostitution(Chi Mgbako)”. It is very essential that they have legal protection

Police arrested Leela, a trans woman in 2013. They arrested her for cross-dressing because it is illegal in Malaysia and they also arrested her because she was in an area that was a hub of sex work. This is a common problem that occurs because since sex work is illegal, people are forced to work in unsafe locations that make them vulnerable to a lot of crimes. Legalising sex work will provide them with the rights to practise sex work in safe areas.

Finally, Sex workers are at a higher risk of acquiring sexually transmitted diseases. They don’t have any access to proper healthcare and asking for help usually puts them in harm and places them in the vicious cycle of exploitation. According to Statistics, sex workers are 13 times more likely to become infected with HIV than adults in the general population and globally sex workers make up 9% of the total number of new HIV infections. It is very important that sex workers have proper healthcare and are educated about STD’S so they can take care of themselves and that is only possible if sex work is decriminalised.

In conclusion, the criminalization of sex work leads to the violation of consent of sex workers, sexual violence, exploitation at the hands of the police, and a higher risk of HIV. Legalising sex work can provide sex workers with legal rights, proper healthcare, and protection from exploitation and sexual crimes.
6 things learned about life as a 23-year-old retired sex worker.
By: Hollie Ah
Tags: Sex Work, Life Lessons, Sex

Everyone has a story.

Over the course of my career I was intimate with over four hundred men. Sometimes, 8 men in one night, sometimes just one man a week depending on the time of year and how willing of a mood I was in.

I’ve been with all times of men: young, old, black, white, short, tall, rich, poor. And between all of their stark differences, there is one common factor among them all.

They all had a story.

Yes, they all had a unique story of why they wanted to get a $60 handjob from a stranger, but I quickly realized that their story extended so far beyond just that. Each one of them had a completely different journey to lead them to that moment.

Curiosity, desperation, lust, longing, passion, confusion, heartbreak, thrill, intimacy.

I saw every possible emotion through their experiences and it filled my soul to the brim with empathy.

To the John who was in love with his wife, but two kids and a new dog distanced their intimacy; I saw a longing and confusion from a man who just didn’t know what to do, not a distanced husband who commits adultery.

To the John who was fresh out of university looking to explore the world: I saw lust and curiosity from a young man who wasn’t given the opportunity to explore himself yet, not a horny teenager who can’t keep it in his pants.

Every time you meet someone new, I’ll invite you to remover this: everyone has a story, and no matter what you think the story is, let them share it on their own terms.
Rights, Not Rescue! Socialist Solidarity with Sex Workers
By: Portland Dsa
Tags: Dsa, Sex Work, Sesta, Feminism, Fosta

Photo by Erik McGregor (Pacific Press, LightRocket, Getty Images)

Today, April 11, is the one-year anniversary of Donald Trump signing into law two bills that further marginalized and endangered the lives of sex workers. The “Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act” (SESTA) and the “Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act” (FOSTA) enjoyed wide bipartisan support and have for the past year harmed some of the most vulnerable workers under capitalism by depriving them of ways to vet clients, work from saf(er) locations, and thereby avoid exposure to violence. And of course, as with all carceral interventions, those at the lowest rungs of the class system bear the brunt of this injury.

These bills were largely applauded by the political establishment — including Bernie Sanders, who has still not changed his position — because of the widespread conflation of all sex work with trafficking. Sex work (where consenting adults trade sex for money) and trafficking (the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labor) get confused by claims such as “sex work would not exist without economic coercion,” making it by definition “forced labor.” Of course the same could be said about all wage labor.

The sex trades span the full spectrum of legality, evolving notions of morality, and interpretations of individual agency. Debates have raged for a long time but have largely ignored the voices of sex workers themselves. Socialists should fight for these workers’ right to self-determination as we do for all workers, and what sex workers demand is for their work be decriminalized. They demand rights, not rescue.

And the tide is turning.

Amnesty International came out in favor of sex work decriminalization as opposed to the Nordic “end demand” model. Julia Salazar, the Queens DSA member elected to the NY State Senate, ran on a platform of universal rent control, Medicare for All, the abolition of ICE, guaranteed access to abortion services and decriminalization of sex work last year.

Shamefully, it took several months after the passage of SESTA/FOSTA for DSA as an organization to speak up in solidarity, and to this day, DSA has not taken a public position on the issue of sex work. This is something the Feminist Caucus of the Portland chapter, together with many other locals, is working to change. We hope you join us at this month’s general meeting on April 14th to learn more about the effects of keeping sex workers criminalized.

This statement was prepared by the Portland DSA Feminist Caucus and endorsed by the Portland chapter of DSA.
INSPIRING STORY OF A MAN
By: Gp P
Tags: Helping Others, Inspiration, Life Lessons, Kindness

Human love should be the biggest religion, and service attitude should be the greatest duty of human beings, no matter how big an epidemic like Corona comes. But we often put human love and service attitude to the side of our selfishness. Is this not a mockery of the rites taught by our ancestors? I understood all these things from one incident of life.It is about the time when the second wave of corona was at its peak. Due to corona, my distant uncle’s son died and there was no elder in his house to take care of his family, because uncle had died 4 years back. At the time of this accident, his entire family was corona infected. When my father came to know about all these things, he decided that he would definitely go to take care of his family. When my father said this, we got very nervous and all of us got worried, because no one was ignorant of the outbreak of Corona at that time. We forbade him to go and when our relatives came to know about this decision, everyone told my father that he should not go there in this corona time because if he gets corona infected there, then our whole family was at risk of being infected. Well, it was not wrong to say our relatives, but father did not listen to anyone and he stood firm on his decision. He told us that if we do not support him in this hour of sorrow, then where has our humanity gone? What happened to the knowledge that we read in the books: Always support each other in adversity. Thus, father sticking to his decision, would go to his house in the morning to take care of them all and return in the evening as his house was only a few kilometers away from our house. This process continued for 12 days, in the meantime all those who were our relatives got angry with my father and started telling us that your father neither cares about you nor himself. Hearing all this, these days of pain have also passed and father also expressed his happiness by following his duty firmly and told us that when we put our lives in danger to help others, God himself protects us. . Father further said that the proof of this is that today we are all healthy and safe in our house. This decision of father taught such an important lesson of life that human love should be the biggest religion of man, no matter how big an epidemic like corona may come. Someone has rightly said that, “along with bookish knowledge one should have practical knowledge as well.” I can hardly thank him as much as I can for such a great life lesson given by my father.
I think this is a wonderfully objective self observation and a tribute to open-mindedness and…
By: Sherman Moore
Tags: Kindness, Helping Others, Support, Pastor, Burnout

I think this is a wonderfully objective self observation and a tribute to open-mindedness and growth. Set aside the job of pastor, I hope I am always cringing at actions, words, views, filters, attitudes I have had 1, 5, 10 and 20 years ago. If that isn’t true for anyone either 1) we know it all and our God like in omniscience, or, 2) we are human beings in a state of growth and open-minded learning and hearing.

I attend a traditional Protestant denomination, the 1st Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and watch, listen and keep my mouth shut and think about the pastor “man, I would hate to have that job”. We all lose when we make it difficult for a man and women such as yourself who have a heart to help people and we abuse, criticize, exploit and discourage them. Can’t we just be nice, respectful and supportive of one another — wasn’t that listed as second place in the summation of the two greatest commandments? I think you are still a pastor — it seemed to me there were lots of good teachings in this article. Don’t quit and keep encouraging people such as yourself, we need y’all.