It is called the oldest profession but those involved are mostly amateurs. And its practitioners continue to be abused, stigmatized, reviled and terrorized. They perform a vital service for the community that turns its back on them. They are fighting in the courts for their very freedom and we can no longer leave them in the position of something that is used and discarded and insulted. They are people. They are citizens. They have rights. They deserve better of us.
We might make jokes about hookers but they are reality and it is those who force them to work the streets in such a high-risk manner whom we really ridicule. The federal and provincial governments have lawyers before the Ontario Court of Appeal trying to maintain prostitutes’ unsafe working conditions and it is disgusting. We might not have to wait long for the Ontario decision on this but then we will be faced with waiting for the Supreme Court of Canada.
There is an interesting personal note on this subject as years ago, when newly married, we were producing a television series on political subjects. A hot topic at the time was the creation of a Status of Women Commission. Our production staff had three very prominent womens’ advocates to talk on the subject but felt we needed some balance with someone who could take more of a ’house wife’ approach to it. We were stuck on who until someone suggested my wife. She had the broadcast training and was active on both political and charitable boards. There was no question that she could do it. All she had to do was dress as frilly as possible with the then current bouffant hair style and she could pull it off.
She agreed, as she also thought it would be interesting. What we did not know was that she would blow away those three womens’ liberation advocates. She showed them to be somewhat hypocritical and completely unprepared on the question of prostitution. (This newlywed was a bit surprised by this. She explained that while studying Radio Television Arts at Ryerson in downtown Toronto, she found, when practicing person-on-the-street interviews, the most interesting were with the sex trade workers in the area.)
She turned the show into a discussion of how women were oppressed by the prostitution laws that existed at the time. She also showed how men—and obviously some women—were ignorant of the problems.
And little has changed over the years. The law is still an ass on subject of prostitution. Luckily, we have been able to decriminalize the act. We had to, as people will always do it for fun.
What society has done, in a puritanical way, is create criminal barriers around the act. These barriers continue to oppress and endanger women and men. (And if you were not aware of male prostitution and its problems, you have missed some education.)
In a free society, people can invite anyone they wish into their place and their bed. They are entitled to the protection of the law. Free people can advertise their services. They can post their prices. And they will find customers because human nature will not be changed. You, as a citizen, can express your moral outrage if you wish. Be narrow-minded, if you wish.
But if you oppress others, whom will you turn to when you are oppressed? Your fellow citizens also have rights.
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