While looking on feministing.com, the first post that caught my eye was a male describing his encounter with a female sex worker in Atlantic City. This article reminded me of a presentation I did for a Public Health class while I was studying abroad in Australia. I did a presentation about whether or not prostitution should be legal. I became very interested in this topic and in my research, I learned a lot of new things about the industry and I even had a few email conversations with sex worker advocates. Though prostitution is legal in most states in Australia, it is still a big topic of controversy, just like in the United States. In Australia where it is legal, these women are protected by the government. This is much different from other areas where people are running illegal brothels. The women in these places are abused in every way possible, and they have no protection. People may say that it is their fault for joining the industry in the first place, however, many of these women were trafficked from other countries and others have no other choice but to do this type of work for money. Though I did not morally support prostitution, it is in the best interest of the female sex workers that it is made a legal profession with appropriate government regulations. I think that this is one instance in which the feminist movement is necessary because it is important to protect the physical and mental health of these women.
I also found this interesting comment on the Feminist Collective blog: "Sex work often puts feminists in difficult positions. On the one hand, many feminists consider that ‘selling one’s body’ cannot be understood outside of patriarchal mechanisms that keep women, and gender non-conform persons, oppressed. That it amounts to violence against women. On the other hand, many feminists know that self-organizing and claiming one’s rights is the way to transform the world. And that this by no means differs for sex workers."
Here are also some links to sex worker blogs that may be interesting to others:
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It's interesting to consider that the best way to protect women would be through legalizing prostitution. In general when considering what would be the best way to protect women most would be in favor of outlawing the practice completely, but since the argument remains that the practice would endure in illegal ways, the idea that the best way to combat the situation would be to be able to regulate it is something I had never really considered before.
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