Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Sex workers fear violence as US cracks down on online ads: 'Girls will die'

theguardian.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 225 posts

Re: Sex workers fear violence as US cracks down on online ads: 'Girls will die'

#11

Post by ihsw2 »

coenhyde wrote: post #6

Just legalize it already! It's been proven time and time again across many countries around the world that legalizing and regulating prostitution creates a safer environment for the girls AND the customers.

Prostitution is abhorrent to the women's rights movement -- it is another tool of oppression.

Women are having sex with men whom they otherwise wouldn't have sex with -- we should be removing the need for sex work rather than accommodating it. Sex "for survival," child prostitution, sex trafficking -- none of these go away when the stigma and illegality are removed and if anything it gets worse because clients just automatically assume their sexual partner isn't (for example) a victim of sex trafficking.

Re: Sex workers fear violence as US cracks down on online ads: 'Girls will die'

#12

Post by whack »

It's really sad to hear about sex workers fearing for their very lives, let alone their livelihood. These are some of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable members of society. Their lives could be so much better if we moved towards Netherlands/German-style legalization. Instead, we seem to be going in the opposite direction.

I wonder who exactly the opponents of sex-legalization are trying to "protect". Trafficking victims? They will be vastly better served by a well regulated workplace. The sex workers themselves? I think this article debunks that myth. The Johns? Hah, there's a good laugh. The criminalization of the sex industry seems like Prohibition all over again.

Re: Sex workers fear violence as US cracks down on online ads: 'Girls will die'

#13

Post by blhack »

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #2

I think the missing discussion is that some bad law exists, but that SESTA/FOSTA is not that bad law: Websites should not be immune to prosecution for intentionally facilitating criminal activity. Section 230 is a bad thing and it going away is a good thing. Headlines I've seen like "sex workers are the canary in the coal mine for free speech" are not really accurate, because this is about activity which is and has b…

>the sole interest in banning it appears to be religion

If you can't think of any moral hazards around prostitution, then I don't believe that you are trying very hard.

>I don't think Christian views should be the determining factor in our legislature

Is Christianity the only moral system that looks poorly upon prostitution?

Re: Sex workers fear violence as US cracks down on online ads: 'Girls will die'

#14

Post by sigzero »

blhack wrote: post #13
ocdtrekkie wrote: post #2

I think the missing discussion is that some bad law exists, but that SESTA/FOSTA is not that bad law: Websites should not be immune to prosecution for intentionally facilitating criminal activity. Section 230 is a bad thing and it going away is a good thing. Headlines I've seen like "sex workers are the canary in the coal mine for free speech" are not really accurate, because this is about activity which is and has b…

>the sole interest in banning it appears to be religion If you can't think of any moral hazards around prostitution, then I don't believe that you are trying very hard. >I don't think Christian views should be the determining factor in our legislature Is Christianity the only moral system that looks poorly upon prostitution?

> Is Christianity the only moral system that looks poorly upon prostitution?

No, but is it probably one of the most vocal.

Re: Sex workers fear violence as US cracks down on online ads: 'Girls will die'

#15

Post by dwighttk »

whack wrote: post #12

It's really sad to hear about sex workers fearing for their very lives, let alone their livelihood. These are some of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable members of society. Their lives could be so much better if we moved towards Netherlands/German-style legalization. Instead, we seem to be going in the opposite direction. I wonder who exactly the opponents of sex-legalization are trying to "protect". Trafficking v…

>Trafficking victims? They will be vastly better served by a well regulated workplace.

why?

Re: Sex workers fear violence as US cracks down on online ads: 'Girls will die'

#16

Post by Ancalagon »

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #2

I think the missing discussion is that some bad law exists, but that SESTA/FOSTA is not that bad law: Websites should not be immune to prosecution for intentionally facilitating criminal activity. Section 230 is a bad thing and it going away is a good thing. Headlines I've seen like "sex workers are the canary in the coal mine for free speech" are not really accurate, because this is about activity which is and has b…

What's even more obnoxious is the hypocritical legality of pornography in the US. All of the problems created by prostitution are present in the porn industry, somehow we manage to overlook this aspect though.

Re: Sex workers fear violence as US cracks down on online ads: 'Girls will die'

#17

Post by giancarlostoro »

AFNobody wrote: post #3

> Donald Trump is expected to sign the law this week, but sex workers across the country told the Guardian they were already suffering consequences. Craigslist shut down its personals section, and federal authorities seized Backpage.com, releasing an indictment this week accusing its founders of money laundering and “facilitating prostitution”. The list of charges did not include trafficking. And just a reminder this…

Just like SOPA wasn't necessary when they took down Mega Upload by arresting people accross the world without SOPA or any of the proposed bills that followed....

Re: Sex workers fear violence as US cracks down on online ads: 'Girls will die'

#18

Post by throwajay123 »

blhack wrote: post #13
ocdtrekkie wrote: post #2

I think the missing discussion is that some bad law exists, but that SESTA/FOSTA is not that bad law: Websites should not be immune to prosecution for intentionally facilitating criminal activity. Section 230 is a bad thing and it going away is a good thing. Headlines I've seen like "sex workers are the canary in the coal mine for free speech" are not really accurate, because this is about activity which is and has b…

>the sole interest in banning it appears to be religion If you can't think of any moral hazards around prostitution, then I don't believe that you are trying very hard. >I don't think Christian views should be the determining factor in our legislature Is Christianity the only moral system that looks poorly upon prostitution?

people really think regulating how others have sex is going to fix the world. it would be adorably naive if it weren’t so grossly authoritarian, popular, and doomed to fail anyway.

Re: Sex workers fear violence as US cracks down on online ads: 'Girls will die'

#19

Post by patrickaljord »

I hate to use the argument but it's really sad that in 2018 we're still trying to make voluntary sex work illegal when every studies show that it 1) doesn't work and 2) makes everything worse for everyone involved. Also, the fact that the very president is known to have used prostitutes and that Washington politicians are well known to be big customers makes this hypocrisy really infuriating.

Re: Sex workers fear violence as US cracks down on online ads: 'Girls will die'

#20

Post by [deleted] »

maxxxxx wrote: post #7
ocdtrekkie wrote: post #2

I think the missing discussion is that some bad law exists, but that SESTA/FOSTA is not that bad law: Websites should not be immune to prosecution for intentionally facilitating criminal activity. Section 230 is a bad thing and it going away is a good thing. Headlines I've seen like "sex workers are the canary in the coal mine for free speech" are not really accurate, because this is about activity which is and has b…

The ban on prostitution is the same thing as the war on drugs. It wasn't able to stop the practice so the only result was to move these into the criminal environment. I'd much prefer if prostitution (and drugs) was tightly regulated but in the open.

[deleted]
Post reply on HN