Sagittarius
You recently sent an email out as a means to find people involved in a so-called sex trade career. You were looking for their feedback, experience, knowledge, etc., with regard to the Pickton trial, involving the murders of several prostitutes, which is apparently starting soon in your area. I am from Kansas City, Missouri, so I am not too aware of the details of the trial, other than Mr. Pickton is apparently the murderer.
As you put it in your email, "-we are seeking sex trade workers on the other side of the pond in Canada to help us cover the trial of Robert 'Willie' Pickton." At the end of your message you say, "If you are a career sex trade worker with a passion for writing, please contact me."
Your cavalier invitation to so-called sex trade workers or those involved in a sex trade "career" is brash, insensitive and completely lacking in any form of humanitarian spirit. Your flippant call for those who happen to sell the use of their bodies and just happen also to love writing, shows how little experience you have with the realities of prostitution, which I feel sure is a good thing for you. But your seeming indifference to the criminal, immoral, disgusting trade of one's body (as well as soul) for cash shows a callousness that isn't unlike that of a John. He doesn't care who she is, where she is from, etc. He wants to fulfill a need and forget about her.
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This article disturbs me
By Trina Ricketts, August 9, 2007 at 06:37This article disturbs me beyond words. I feel that most points I would have had were covered in the previous comments and in Hazel Main's article in response to this one. But I have one more point to make. Not all "johns" are callous and uncaring. There were johns who participated vigourously in the search for the missing women, and any sex industry worker knows that many of her or his customers truly care. As an exotic dancer, I met many customers who came to care about me and I them. I remain friends with many of them. Just as sex workers are not mindless, soul-less, nobodies - the same stands for men who purchase their services. While some people do exploit sex workers and commit crimes against them, this is a result of the stigma and criminalization that has made sex workers an easy target with little recourse in a system where they are re-victimized - the criminal justice system, from police to courts and beyond. Furthermore, once a "customer" crosses the line from paying for services to robbing, beating, or otherwise harming the worker, he/she is no longer a customer. At that point, he/she becomes what anyone becomes under those circumstances - a perpetrator of a crime.
"should be hunted down,
By Jon Lacey, January 8, 2007 at 14:57"should be hunted down, tried and hung"
When talking about the execution of human beings, the proper word to use is 'hanged'.
Steve... You are quite
By Annie B., January 4, 2007 at 17:49Steve...
You are quite outspoken in your disgust of sex-trade workers and claim that prostitution "most importantly offends God".
Is this the same "god" whose Bible praised Lot and Ephremite for offering up their daughters to be raped, so that their male guests would be spared?
In this same Bible, it was acceptible for men to rape their female servants. In fact, even Abraham and Jacob, both of whom were considered righteous and holy, raped their female servants!
The Bible also encourages beatings as noted in Proverbs 20:30 - "Blows and wounds cleanse away evil, and beatings purge the inmost being."
In Deuteronomy 21:18-21, it suggests that parents kill disobedient children.
In Exodus 21:7, fathers could sell their daughters into slavery.
The list of "laws" most people today consider to be immoral, goes on and on.
"Prostitution hurts women and children and foments abortions, spreads disease and most importantly, offends God. And those who commit murder, even of some poor unfortunate soul who finds herself on the street, should be hunted down, tried and hung."
There are several things that raise my ire about this comment.
First...
What about all those "poor unfortunate" babies that were ordered murdered by your God? Come to think of it... what about all the people, from babies to the elderly, who were killed in God's flood? Only a small handful of people managed to survive that little temper tantrum of His.
If you want to talk about horrific serial killers, why don't you start looking at your own God first? Hands down, he has ordered and commited more murders than Hitler, Stalin, Sadam Hussien, and all the other mass murderers combined.
Second...
"those who commit murder, even of some poor unfortunate soul who finds herself on the street"
Even if...?? Are you saying that the lives of homeless people or prostitutes are not as important as those who don't live on the street?
"should be hunted down, tried and hung"
In the words of your Bible, "Judge not lest ye be judged". Mr. Pickton has NOT been convicted of ANY crime. He has ONLY been charged. Please note that I am in NO way defending Mr. Pickton, only reminding people that he has been charged ONLY. By the way, if you were to essentially lynch the person who killed all those people, you, yourself, would also be a murderer. Righteous killing is still murder.
Lastly... I'd like to remind people... not ALL these ladies were prostitutes. Let's stop for a moment and think about this... if these ladies were loving home-making moms, would there be any question of "morality"? How about if they were nurses? School teachers? When you think of these women in other jobs, how does your opinion of them and their deaths change?
These women, regardless of whether they were prostitutes, moms, or school-teachers have been murdered. They were our sisters, moms, and daughters and deserve our respect as does EVERY human being, regardless of what they do.
Annie
Steve - It seems that your
By sadclown, January 4, 2007 at 10:32Steve -
It seems that your perceived price of freedom is simply the word of YOUR God. Ms. Wallace is recruting an experienced witness to write stories that contain some inherent knowledge regarding the industry. It is neither your choice nor the choice of others to legislate regarding the exchange of values. Women who work in the sex trade have attached a value to a service that they provide which I must say is MUCH better than a church advising the populace to donate with the threat of eternal damnation.
You and your entire ilk are completely bent on utilizing government power and FORCE to relegate the masses to obeying your morals. Who then is the barbarian? Almost every study done regarding the prohibition of actions that are considered "immoral" has shown that government interference has done nothing but assign the supervision of such actions to the criminal elements of our society. Doing so provides them with exorbitant profits leading to the purchase of further illegal products including guns and drugs.
What is your interest in denying the masses right to live as they please, as long as they violate nobody else's rights? Does your religion advocate spreading the word of your God or forcing the word of your God via weapons and imprisonment? Why are you so interested in everybody else's entrance in "heaven?" That is not your place nor does any religion assign you such a responsibility or power.
Futhermore, if your assertion is correct the capitalist market should bear out the fact that the public hates prostitution. Unfortunately for you history has never shown that to be the case. So basically, you are against freedom unless it is sanctioned by the public, otherwise known as the dictator with millions of faces. Such ideas have resulted in wonderful moments in time such as the Spanish Inquisition, the Crusades and the Salem Witch Trials. Now your morals are leading to involuntary imprisonment and even death. It's an absolute enigma to wonder why you oppose somebody ruining their own life but completely advocate the public being able to do so in the name of God and morals.
One last point: Who is the judge? You or your God? Maybe, if there is an afterlife, you will also be damned for trying to usurp God's power.
In any case, bravo Ms. Wallace! I hope you find your writer!
cLoWn
Milwaukee, WI USA
[size=16]You compare these
By Afghan, December 30, 2006 at 21:46[size=16]You compare these women to "criminals" and said my call was as shocking as if I had put out a call for killers with a passion for writing. Are you really comparing the actions of prostitutes to those of killers? [/size]
That is really cruel if someone compares the actions of prostitutes to those of killers.
Dear Steve, My call for
By Heather Wallace, December 29, 2006 at 15:25Dear Steve,
My call for women with expertise in the sex industry was not driven by "indifference" by any stretch of the imagination. Orato aims to let people in the front lines of world events sit in the reporter's seat. We are giving women who are personally affected by the murders of prostitutes in the U.K. and elsewhere a chance to tell us their story. The call was also driven by a great concern for the safety of women who are at risk. If we can shine light on this dark facet of society, which I believe women with personal experience in it have the ability to do, perhaps we can improve the safety of women.
In your letter you said my indifference was demonstrated by a "flippant" call for prostitutes who "happen to love writing." Are you implying that sex trade workers are not likely to have a passion for writing? These women have passions like any other women, and I am willing to bet that many are skilled writers.
You compare these women to "criminals" and said my call was as shocking as if I had put out a call for killers with a passion for writing. Are you really comparing the actions of prostitutes to those of killers?
And my invitation did not imply that a woman who wishes to work with us reporting on the Pickton trial would be doing so "for free" as you suggested. Details of what we are offering were simply not broadcast.
You compared my call to action to a john's solicitation - not caring who she is, where she is from-wanting to fulfill a need and forget about her and having no human involvement. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have always been deeply troubled by the disappearance of women, and have been particularly concerned since the Pickton story broke. I refer you a story I wrote on the matter many years ago: 69 Women
I also volunteered on a rape crisis line for a year, and did work with some women in the front lines of this trade. Not only that, but I had a friend fall into addiction and watched her slip into the sex trade, never to emerge. My call to action was intended to be no different than any other call to action for informed, involved citizens to bring their expertise to shine light on a current event that affects them.
Perhaps the reason 1000s of women continue to go missing and murdered is because there is so much moral judgment, criminalizing and shaming that drives this industry underground, putting these women at greater risk. Often those women who become deeply involved in working on the streets are those who have the fewest choices in life due to poverty, health issues, abuse or addiction.
There is something to be learned and gained by giving the women involved a voice. The women that died cannot tell their story, but the ones who still can should have the opportunity.
Heather Wallace
Senior Editor