Sex In The Public Square - human rights - Comments

Mainstreaming

Michael — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 05:31:43 -0700

Thanks Elizabeth, these are all useful questions for possible future debate on Gracie’s show. One of the issues we discussed was where the pendulum of popular mores is going and how that will position sex work in the future.

One aspect of this is the conservatism that appeared in the late eighteenth century (after an earlier brief life under Cromwell’s Puritans) and lasted till the early twentieth. There is no sign of this reversing itself in the near future despite pockets of opposition that we have commented on here.

We are awash in a popular culture of sexuality, yet its expression remains firmly controlled. As you yourself have commented recently, a changing technology is enabling women to once again gain control over their sexuality and to re-invent the oral tradition of preserving and passing on knowledge. Shows like Gracie’s also provide sex workers and other sex-positive groups a forum to give voice.

We have also commented on how Dr Jocelyn Elders wanted to bring sexuality into the mainstream curriculum, rather than labelling it with the forbidden fruit ‘Adult’ tag. The only way major improvements in the protection of the human rights, health and wellbeing of sex workers will occur is by doing everything possible to mainstream it, repositioning it as normative, even if a minority activity.

Thanks, Elizabeth :) There

Gracie — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:32:12 -0700

Thanks, Elizabeth :)

There were some issues with BlogTalkRadio's server/site, and so the show will be downloaded, edited and uploaded to adjust for that. (Hopefully it is all recorded.) Meanwhile, please be patient with the "dead air" gaps ~ the show did go on (even longer than scheduled).

And look for the return of Dr. Goodyear on a future show. (Please fee free to listen to future Cult of Gracie shows , and past shows , as well! lol) Many thanks to him for sharing his information and his patience during a glitchy show.

Elizabeth, Chris, when are you going to be on? :P

Brilliant show!

Elizabeth — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:13:37 -0700

Gracie, Michael, excellent show! A few points I thought were especially important and that I'd love for our readers who weren't able to listen to know about:

There's plenty of research out there that refutes the myths about sex work and yet people don't pay attention to it. It seems people act on sex related matters -- and maybe on many political issues -- based on their emotions and not based on reason. How do we change peoples *feelings* about sex, sexuality, and sex work so they are receptive to sensible policy?

Many feminists who we believe truly do want to protect the interests of women act in ways that harm women because they buy into the myths mentioned above. Is it possible to educate those women so that they really can advance the cause of equality and reduce harm to women? Or is this, too, a matter of affecting emotional states and not a matter of reason?

Moral panics are fueled by concerns not only about sex but about population size (growth or shrinkage), about population composition (race, ethnicity) and so the sex work controversy and the immigration controversy are inextricably linked and are together reflected in the trafficking panic. How do we counter that?

Exchange is a part of all relationships. How do we help people understand that the exchange of money or other goods for sex is not uniquely different from all the other exchanges that we make in intimate relationships?

How do we build solidarity among workers across industries, especially when they seem to believe that their interests are at odds instead of being unified?

Oh, and how do we create spaces for accurate information about sex and sex work when the most commonly referred to sources, like Wikipedia, often allow that information to be altered or deleted? At least that one will have an easy answer soon. (The other questions are answerable but take more time.) We are starting our own wiki info site, SexCommons.org, a joint project between us and Center for Sex and Culture, where you will be able to find accurate and sex-positive information about all things sexual and which will also archive photos and videos of historical and social importance (yes of course that may also include erotic material).

I absolutely encourage anyone who wasn't able to listen live to click the link below and listen when they have time:

Yeah, I figured that.

Gracie — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:46:14 -0700

Yeah, I figured that. Technology is only as reliable as the beings which created it ;)

Thanks for the fix ~ I want the word out so the support can flow in! :D

Link Fixed

Chris — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:20:59 -0700

Fixed the link, Gracie. Thanks for pointing it out. It was apparently put in as a relative link, instead of an absolute link (one that starts with http), so the browser tried to find the page on our site, instead of elsewhere.

The WNU link isn't working;

Gracie — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:39:45 -0700

The WNU link isn't working; here it is: http://wnu.womynsagenda.org/home.html

A lapse and an apology to Amanda Brooks!

Elizabeth — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 03:05:58 -0800

I realized this morning that I left Amanda Brooks off of the list of participants. Amanda, I'm so sorry! I've inserted the following bio into the summary statement:

Amanda Brooks is author of the Internet Escort's Handbook and is a frequent contributor at Bound, Not Gagged.

I can only blame it on having too many good things to do. Summing up the forum last night with Chris while preparing for some out of town family visitors and starting to get ready for SXSW. If I left anyone else out, please let me know and I'll fix that ASAP.

thanks for running it, y'all!

RenegadeEvolution — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 17:36:38 -0800

thanks for running it, y'all!

The "research" conducted by prohibitionist writers

RonWeitzer — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:13:37 -0800

It is important to keep reminding people that the "research" studies and other writings by members of the prohibitionist movement have been thoroughly discredited by several scholars in academia. I am one of those scholars, and I am happy to send anyone copies of my articles, which are highly critical of the biased orientation and flawed procedures found in writings by Melissa Farley, Janice Raymond, Donna Hughes, Julie Bindel, and so on. Unfortuntely, the media continue to cite their "findings" and grand claims about sex work as if they were credible findings. For instance, unverified number of trafficking victims are constantly presented in the media, and by government agencies -- for instance the current 600,000-800,000 trafficking victims worldwide. Another example are the op-ed articles by New York Times columnist Bob Herbert in Sept. 2007, which recapitulated Farley's dubious claims about Nevada's legal brothels. I could go on, but for now let me just say how important it is to challenge such unsubstantiated claims. I can be contacted at: weitzer@gwu.edu