Prostitution (Part 2)

Chapter from “Culture Is Not Your Friend: Sex, Death, Drugs & Madness”.

Should Sex Work Be Legal?

Is sex legal? 
Yes, if you have reached the age of consent.

Is running a business legal? 
Yes, the buying and selling of goods and services is legal. 

Is employment and self employment legal? 
​Yes.

Then, what is the problem?

“But what if they force unemployed people to work as prostitutes? You know, you can’t turn down a job if you’re on benefits, and if sex-work is legal, then we might have to work as prostitutes.”

This is not something you will ever have to worry about. Remember this?

“Prostitution has the same relationship to trafficking as sex has to rape. One is voluntary, the other is not.”

The Government can not force you to become a prostitute because human trafficking is illegal. That is what trafficking is, forcing someone into sex work. And if you are not willing to have sex, then it is rape, which is also illegal. Any time you do not consent to sex, if you are being threatened or coerced into it, as you would be if they threaten to remove your only source of income, then it is rape.

So you see, the Government can not force you into sex work. If you are not willing to sell sex, they would be making themselves guilty of rape and human trafficking, both of which they have made illegal and sworn to protect you from.

Sex Workers’ Rights

“Only rights can stop the wrongs.” – International Union of Sex Workers (IUSW)

Sex workers’ rights are workers’ rights. 

​If the job you are doing is illegal, you do not have any rights, and the consequences of not allowing prostitutes the same legal protection as other workers can be devastating. Share on X It puts them at a higher risk of violence, exploitation and discrimination.

They may be denied access to housing (remember Operation Homeless?), banking and other services that the rest of us take for granted. It robs them of the safety net that other workers enjoy, such as unemployment benefits should they wish to leave the profession or be forced to due to injury, disease or disability. And if they get threatened and abused at work, they are unable to get help from the police without risking fines or being put in jail.

And yet knowing this, some still oppose legalising prostitution. But why? 
What is it that makes people think they have a say in what adults do with their own bodies? That makes them think they have the right to control how they have sex?

What is it that usually restricts a persons’ sex life, in particular the sex life of women?
Religion.

Holy Fuck!

Did you know that in Biblical times, men and women were working as prostitutes in houses of worship? And have you seen all the wonderfully detailed depictions of sex acts on the walls of Indian temples? Holy fuck! But that is not a good Christian’s cup of tea, is it?

“No Israelite man or woman is to become a shrine prostitute. You must not bring the earnings of a female prostitute or of a male prostitute into the house of the Lord your God to pay any vow, because the Lord your God detests them both.” – Deuteronomy 23:17-18 

So there it is, in the Bible: God does not like prostitutes. Which is odd, as having sex releases a chemical in the body called Oxytocin, which actually makes men more likely to believe in Him. 

“For a long time the chemical has been known to promote social bonding, trust, and even altruism. Now, scientists at the North Carolina university in America say it could also incite spirituality in men too.” – Mirror, “Having sex makes men more likely to believe in God, new research says”

Are you sure you good Christians have not missed the boat on this one?

Why Are Some People Against Prostitution?

“It exploits women.”

That is the line that pops up most often. Strangely enough, the men and transgendered who work as prostitutes do not seem to be on the anti-prostitution crowd’s radar. It is always about the women. The fallen women who must be rescued. If they do not want to be rescued, they are lost souls who do not know any better and need to be saved from themselves. Why does this sound suspiciously like the missionaries preaching to the heathens and savages?

“It is undignified.”

Well, so is cleaning toilets. Or picking up trash and being treated like trash because of it. Working in the sewers does not exactly make you popular either, or make you come out smelling like roses. Talk about dirty work. So, should we ban sewer work? How about nursing? Spending all day cleaning wounds, emptying bedpans and washing bottoms for low pay? Oh, but all that is necessary work, you might say. Well, so is sex work. People need sex.

“But they should get sex some other way. They should not have to pay for it.”

Absolutely! We should all get sex for free. Now give it up.

But seriously, why shouldn't they get paid if they are doing the work? Nurses get paid. Cleaners get paid. And what is wrong with being paid for sex, and not for cleaning toilets or bottoms? Share on X

The combination of sex and money bothers us for some reason, when it comes to women at least. And this is the weird thing. For if you are a transgendered prostitute, you are not assumed to be a victim in need of rescue. And if you are a guy getting paid for sex, then – wow! How lucky are you? What a great job! Unless you are a guy having sex with guys for money, then your status drops a fair bit.

Sensing any double standards or discrimination here?

Promiscuous, Partner Or Prostitute?

Ever bought your sex partner a drink, a dinner or a gift? Given them some money? Oops. Trading sex for stuff is prostitution, you know that, right? So, how generous are you allowed to be with a sex partner before it becomes illegal? And when does a person go from being promiscuous, to being a prostitute?

There is no limit by law of how many sex partners a person is allowed to have (at least that I am aware of), or any rules about how generous sex partners are allowed to be with each other. So how exactly do you decide who is a prostitute and who is not?

The only difference I can find is that a prostitute has a fixed price and will ask for money to have sex with someone, and refuse to do it if there is no money in it. While a promiscuous person may not ask for money or any other form of payment, but still get it from their partners.

But what happens if your lover says ‘no money, no honey’ and insists on you buying them a gift or giving them money before they will have sex with you? Are you then buying sex from a prostitute, or just giving in to your lover’s demands?

Maybe there are no clear boundaries. Maybe we are all prostitutes. Maybe some of us do it for a living, while for others it is just a hobby.

Porn – Prostitution Caught On Tape?

Prostitution is illegal in many places, but porn is not. But what is porn if not sex for money, caught on camera? What the law actually prohibits then is having paid sex in private and not allowing anyone to watch. Share on X

So, if you want to make a living as a prostitute in a place where prostitution is illegal but porn is not, just register as a self-employed filmmaker and get a camera to film your sexual encounters.

In this way, prostitution is comparable to boxing. It is generally speaking illegal to beat the shit out of someone, unless you do it before a paying audience. Or, when you are in training for such an event. Which makes me wonder, when are we getting sex athletes training camps, and sex in the Olympics, with anal marathons and long distance cum shots as events?

© Merlyn Gabriel Miller