What do sex workers want? by Juno Mac

Prostitution, for the most part, is illegal today. It was illegal yesterday. It was illegal last year. It's been illegal, once again for the most part, just about forever. However, the world's oldest profession continues to flourish. And a new generation of law makers and moralists seek to combat this supposed social scourge by — Surprise! Surprise! — making it illegal.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
-Anonymous

Does making anything illegal stop it? Does a law make a problem go away? There's an underlying issue to every problem, and if one never addresses that issue, one will never solve the problem.

Published on Feb 26, 2016 by TEDx Talks
YouTube: What do sex workers want? | Juno Mac | TEDxEastEnd (18:01)
Everyone has an opinion about sex work, but what does sex worker Juno Mac think? Juno takes us through four different legal models addressing the sex industry and explains why they -- and sex workers around the world -- believe decriminalization and self-determination are the only way to keep sex workers safe.

An activist with the Sex Worker Open University, Juno campaigns for better working conditions by fighting criminalization and is involved with public education projects around issues relating to sex worker rights.

Final Word
In my article "Prostitution: People, people, people, what are we doing?" (Jun 7/2014), I discuss the misinformation surrounding this issue, from public perception and government reaction, to insider information from such notable as Maggie McNeil, author of The Honest Courtesan: “Frank commentary from a retired call girl”. It would seem that everybody has an opinion, but few people have the facts.

"We cannot properly address an issue if misinformation prevents us from properly assessing the issue."
-Irene Graham, Australian anti-censorship crusader

As I said in the opening: Does making anything illegal stop it? Does a law make a problem go away? There's an underlying issue to every problem, and if one never addresses that issue, one will never solve the problem.

References

Verso Books: Revolting Prostitutes: The Fight for Sex Workers' Rights by Juno Mac and Molly Smith
How the law harms sex workers—and what they want instead
Do you have to endorse prostitution in order to support sex worker rights? Should clients be criminalized, and can the police deliver justice?

In Revolting Prostitutes, sex workers Juno Mac and Molly Smith bring a fresh perspective to questions that have long been contentious. Speaking from a growing global sex worker rights movement, and situating their argument firmly within wider questions of migration, work, feminism, and resistance to white supremacy, they make it clear that anyone committed to working towards justice and freedom should be in support of the sex worker rights movement.

Amazon: Revolting Prostitutes: The Fight for Sex Workers' Rights by Juno Mac and Molly Smith

Twitter: Juno Mac @fornicatrix

Tank Magazine - Spring/Summer 2019
Interview with Juno Mac and Molly Smith
Juno Mac and Molly Smith are activists, writers and sex workers based in England and Scotland. Their new book Revolting Prostitutes (Verso, 2018) is a defence of neither sex nor work. Rather, it makes a powerful case that, whether or not we like or approve of their jobs, sex workers – like all workers – have rights, and that the best way to ensure these rights is the full decriminalisation of the sex industry.

Interview by Tamar Shlaim

Quote Investigator - Mar 23/2017
Insanity Is Doing the Same Thing Over and Over Again and Expecting Different Results
In conclusion, based on current evidence the saying originated in one of the twelve-step communities. Anonymity is greatly valued in these communities, and no specific author has been identified by the many researchers who have explored the provenance of this adage.

my blog: Prostitution: People, people, people, what are we doing? - Jun 7/2014
"The vast majority of those who sell sexual services do not do so by choice. We view the vast majority of those involved in selling sexual services as victims."
- Justice Minister Peter MacKay discussing Bill C-36 dubbed the protection of communities and exploited persons act; (CBC - June 5, 2014)

2019-04-26

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