Debate over sex work still dominates some liberal quarters
Is it more humane to have laws forbidding it or to remove them altogether?
(Decriminalize Sex Work is one organization that have worked to remove criminal penalties for prostitution. Other organizations have lobbied against their efforts)
Within alternative media, there have been articles that have called for the decriminalization of sex work. Other feminist news sources called for a complete ban on sex work because they argue it dehumanizes women. This is a controversial debate within liberalism that has taken place since the 1970s.
This newsletter isn’t designed to reintroduce my readers with a longer tenure in feminism into the debate. Nor is it an endorsement of one view over the other. But it will provide some of the points argued by both sides that may be used to inform any discussion about this issue that appears on social media for younger women who haven’t read as much on it.
Historically, feminists have argued against the decriminalization of sex work. Susan Brownmiller did in Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape. Linda Gordon gave some historical context on illegal sex work in her book, Women’s Body, Women’s Right. Gordon pointed out that in the Victorian era, those men created the greatest prostitution industry in history. They sought sex from brothels rather than the women they were married to.
Other contemporary feminists have called for an end to human trafficking. They point out the abduction of many women and the forced sex work that some of them are put through as one of the most important causes for which to advocate.
The Coalition Against Trafficking of Women recently released a report describing how prostitution works in the modern era. The analysis indicated that 99 percent of sex buyers, or “johns” as they’ve historically been known, are men. They come from all socioeconomic backgrounds, but most frequent buyers are wealthy.
More of the report details how the sex trade works in New York. Here is the document for your consideration:
Other organizations have raised the possibility that removing criminal penalties pertaining to sex work may decrease the amount of violence toward women, particularly those of color. One of those organizations is Decriminalize Sex Work, which is a national organization that is working to end the prohibition on prostitution in the United States.
I spoke with Ariela Moscowitz, the spokeswoman for their organization. She said that people misconceive sex work because they think it’s always involuntary. She said that most second-wave feminists favor a regulatory approach that makes buying sex illegal, but has no penalties for those who sell it.
“All the laws around prostitution in this country are rooted in misogyny, xenophobia, and racism, but this model that is criminalization in some cases and is being pushed by feminists and by second-wave feminists is inherently misogynistic in a way, that argument that we need to save women from themselves.
“Because there's no way they could have chosen to engage in sex work. And yet at the same time, we're blaming women who engage in sex work for somehow impacting or affecting other women's lives just for existing.”
If the goal is decreasing sex work, Moscowitz said feminists should instead look at the economic conditions many of the poorer women live in. If the structural changes get made, then there would be less likely that they would become sex workers.
Still, Moscowitz pointed out that some sex workers enjoy that work and do it consensually. And she didn’t think they should be stigmatized for doing so.
The laws disproportionately affect poor women of color. When they get busted for sex work, it goes on their criminal record. That can make it harder to get a job outside of that profession once they choose to do sex work at one point in their life. That’s true of all lines of sex work, from escorting to pornography.
Moscowitz said that the concept of women doing what they want with their bodies–an argument used for abortion access-should also extend to sex work
“If you truly believe in bodily autonomy, it should extend to folks being able to engage in consensual adult sex work,” she said.