Sex in the voting booth
There is a reason they only allow one person in at a time!
We are suddenly less than a week away from Election Day in the United States an there is sex on the ballot all over the place. I'm especially interested in the following ballot questions that deal with
Sex worker rights and public health
In San Francisco there is Proposition K which would direct the police to stop enforcing laws against prostitution. A "yes" vote on Proposition K will help protect the safety of sex workers and their clients. It may also help in efforts to find victims of human trafficking, as customers who suspect a worker has been trafficked will not need to fear prosecution if they report their suspicions to the police.
Marriage
In California, statewide, there is the question of Proposition 8 which would amend the state's constitution to define marriage as a relationship between one man and one woman, thus invalidating the recent court decision which legalized same sex marriage in that state on the basis of the state constitution's equal protection clause.
In Florida a similar measure, Amendment 2, would go further and jeopardize domestic partner recognition.
In Arizona it's Proposition 102 which in very short and simple language adds to the state's constitution a definition of marriage that restricts it to one man and one woman.
In Connecticut the issue comes up because of Question 1, a ballot question that CT residents answer every 20 years that asks whether or not the state should have a constitutional convention to "amend or revise" the state constitution. (The CT Supreme Court declared that prohibiting same-sex marriage was unconstitutional.)
Reproductive Freedom
In Colorado an extraordinary measure, Amendment 48, would give legal rights to equal justice and due process to fertilized eggs even before implantation (i.e., pregnancy). That could end up making emergency contraception, illegal. It could criminalize the failure to use all eggs fertilized during In Vitro Fertilization procedures. It opens the door for the criminal justice system to investigate miscarriages.
In South Dakota they will be voting on Initiated Measure 11, an abortion ban. In 2006 the state's legislature passed and the governor signed an abortion ban, but a ballot initiative overturned that law. Now they are trying again by putting the ban up for a popular vote with a very vague health exception included.
Back in California the reproductive freedom voting will be on a parental notification law, Proposition 4, which is a misguided attempt at protecting teens because most teens seeking abortions already consult their parents and the ones who don't are usually the ones who can't. Making it harder for them to get the health care they need only further jeopardizes their life chances.
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What's going on in your corner of the US electoral map? Are there sex-related issues at stake in your town, city, state? Are there elected officials we need to know about? And if you aren't in the US, what sex-related issues should we be paying attention to in your political landscape?
Technorati Tags: politics, law, marriage, sex work, LGBT, reproductive freedom
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Prop K story in the New York Times
The New York Times this morning has an article on Proposition K. It is pretty much a straight-reporting piece, and unfortunately doesn't do any investigative work to evaluate the claims made by either side. It contains the same quotes from Norma Hoteling et al that the measure would make the city a magnet for pimps and trafficking (unlikely since women could more easily report pimps and traffickers, as could clients). It quotes Carol Leigh (thank goodness) and the reporter did talk to a few sex workers to find out what they thought, and it ends with this bit of an interview with Patricia West, identified as a 22-year-old "independent, in-call escort":
The article also sites a local CBS poll of likely voters found opposition running slightly stronger than support but that about a quarter were undecided. If you are undecided and in need of more information, I recommend listening to the voices of those who will be most directly affected. Bound, Not Gagged , has an excellent collection of posts that might help you make up your mind.
...because public space really matters!
Elizabeth
Ballot initiative results are a mixed bag
Update on results as of November 5 at 6am from the CNN "My races" data:
Proposition K in San Francisco failed. No change in the enforcement of prostitution laws there.
Marriage bans passed everywhere they were on the ballot: Arizona (Prop 102) with 56% approving, California (Prop. 8) with 52% approving and Florida (Amend. 2) with 62% approving.
Voters supported reproductive freedom. The South Dakota abortion ban failed (Init. 11) with 55% of voters rejecting the measure, and in California a parental notification law (Prop. 4) failed by the same percentage. In Colorado Amend. 48 which would have given legal rights to fertilized eggs even before implantation also failed, resoundingly, with 73% of voters saying NO.
...because public space really matters!
Elizabeth
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