Never mind that Cristina Fierro was 16 years old. Never mind that she had been beaten by her trafficker, with fresh marks on her face, and was in a state of panic. Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor paid $300 to have sex with the teen in 2010, then twirled the used condom over his head […]
Prostitution or Sex Work
Sex work or prostitution is the selling of sexual activity for payment, which can be dangerous if coercive or unregulated.
Women’s Rights Key To Effective Global AIDS Response
As the XIX International AIDS Conference proceeds in Washington, D.C., this week, its pertinent to note that a new report by the Global Commission on HIV and the Law, an independent body of former world leaders and top legal, human rights and HIV experts, has labeled the global response to the AIDS epidemic as “stifled” by various […]
Will NYC Cabbies Be Forced To Profile Sex Workers?
We’re told that being a prostitute will mark a woman for life. Yet after several millennia of practice, lawmakers and social reformers still struggle to identify what a sex worker looks like. “You know,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said (in a June 15 appearance on WOR’s perfectly named “The John Gambling Show”) when asked what might […]
Greek Sex Workers Face Forced HIV Tests; Malawi Workers Fight Back
Greece has been a mainstay in the international press as it endures harsh austerity measures in the face of the global economic crisis. But recent news reports have also focused on a second disturbing reality: At the end of April, Greek police began systematically arresting sex workers, forcing them to undergo HIV testing and posting the […]
Sexual Exploitation of Native Women: Challenging the Shame
Last week, Indian Country Today published a story by independent journalist and photographer Mary Annette Pember (Red Cliff Tribe of Wisconsin Ojibwe) about generations of American Indian women who have been sexually exploited—in Duluth, Minn., of all places. Pember begins her story with Mary G.: Mary G. was born from the boats. Her children were […]
Condoms As Evidence of Police Endangering Public Health
Currently in the state of New York, police and prosecutors use condoms as evidence of prostitution-related offenses, including the murky crime of “loitering for the purpose of engaging in a prostitution offense.” Even when they don’t use condoms as evidence to aid them in making arrests and convictions, in the process of doing their stop-and-frisks […]
Future of Feminism: Sex Workers Deserve Dignity and Care
There’s no doubt that sex work in its various manifestations, ranging from stripping to prostitution to pornography, remains a contentious issue. It’s one on which even feminists notoriously disagree–a “fracture in ideology,” according to Kate Holden–with discussions veering back and forth between victimization and empowerment. Of course there’s a substantial difference between becoming a sex […]
No Comment: “Escort Quality, Hooker Pricing”
A sheep. In a sombrero. Next to a vodka bottle. With the tagline, “Escort Quality, Hooker Pricing.” Where do I begin? Well, let’s start with the facts: The NYC billboard is part of a Wodka campaign marketing its vodka as high quality and low price. Other billboards in the campaign read, “Lobstah Quality. Chowdah Pricing,” […]
A New Mexico Escort Speaks Out About the Albuquerque Busts
Jennifer is an escort working in New Mexico. She graciously agreed to be interviewed about the recent prostitution bust in Albuquerque [Editors’ note: which Ms. Blogger Laura Paskus covered here]. The David Flory she refers to is the man accused of running the Southwest Companions (SWC) website and other charges. How did you find out […]
Of “Talent Scouts,” “Hunt Clubs” and Predatory Men
Since 2009, when the bodies of eleven women–many of whom worked as prostitutes–were found in a mass grave on the west side of Albuquerque, I’ve been researching and reporting on those still-unsolved murders. So as news of a prostitution ring here in New Mexico broke last week, I couldn’t stop reading about the investigation–and wondering […]