Sex Workers: Craigslist Makes Us Safer
Posted By jss on May 14, 2009
When law enforcement says it is doing something to protect people, and those same people say that something is making life more dangerous, who do you believe?
In the case of law enforcement pressuring Craigslist to shut down its erotic services section, I’m inclined to believe sex workers, masseuses and escorts over, say, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal.
Blumenthal: “Craigslist is heeding our clear call for conscience and common sense, sending a strong signal that Internet sites must police themselves to protect others.” (CNN)
Sex Workers: “With Craigslist’s recent announcement that its Erotic Services category will be discontinued within the week, hundreds of thousands of erotic service providers will become more vulnerable to dangerous predators. Eliminating erotic listings as Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and others propose will only drive us further underground.” (News Release)
Who are sex workers?
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"Into Temptation" is a usually-but-not-always safe-for-work forum about evolving social-sexual networks and how they have changed and are changing lives. It will also loosely chronicle the research, writing and publication, I hope in 2010, of a book by the same name.
Thanks for linking to our press release! Some of the issues that some of us thought about but left out of the press release for sake of brevity are: far and away the most violence against sex workers (along with police harassment, and difficulties in using the justice system) happen OFF-Line, especially to those workers who do not customarilly have access to internet advertising. The media is focusing on a handful of violent acts tied to craigslist, while in the real world workers (not to mention non-workers who are sexually assaulted at alarming rates as well) experience their violence on the streets, and from intimate-partner violence. Until we change society to erase stigmas against sex, sex work, and queer//alternative sexualities, we will continue to be told that “we deserved it” when we are the victims of violence or rape. In the early 20th century laws held that spouses could not be raped. Let us hope the early 21st century is more progressive towards empowered, pleasure-positive, unstigmatized sexualities, be they commercial or not.
You’re welcome.
I think Craigslist is a scapegoat, m’self, and I obviously share your concerns.
Stop back any time, and feel free to update me.
CL doesn’t deserve my whore ass! I found a better alternative in my city.
Craigslist has gotten so weird! Their “Adult Services” section no longer allows nudity, and *everyone* now advertises either as a model or a masseur/masseuse. Meanwhile, on Craigslist’s causal encounters section — which is supposed to be noncommercial — there is lots of nudity and references to “Generou$$$ men” etc.
Arjuna: If there is *anything* we can be sure of, it is that people will use communications systems of any kind to do what THEY want to do, if it is remotely possible.
They aren’t interested in what other people tell them they should do, or are supposed to do. Barriers will be bypassed, worked around.