A Sex Worker's Solution for Solicitation

I'm not entirely sure when my opinion shifted regarding the legitimacy of sex work, but at some point in my coming to a radical feminist consciousness, I realized that in order to fight for women's rights, I must advocate for the safety and agency of all women, regardless of whether I personally identify with the choices they have made. I now have an intense respect for those who choose to engage in sex work, and see the profession as deeply transgressive. So, I was excited when Audacia Ray, former sex worker and current editor of the International Women’s Health Coalition's Akimbo blog, contacted me about Mariko Passion's Sex Workers Outreach Project campaign.

Mariko Passion is a current sex worker who is concerned about the impact the closing of Craigslist's erotic services will have on folks in the sex industry. Her concerns are that sex workers will lose valuable and necessary income while being driven even further underground, increasing opportunities for their abuse and exploitation. She passionately argues, "Many adult providers who are NOT in human trafficking situations are also mothers, part time workers, students in college, artists, persons who would otherwise be homeless or stuck in domestic violence situations, and many other things. Eliminating Craigslist adult services and moving onto eliminating ads in [other publications'] backpage, where many of us now advertise, will hurt the last bastion of income many of us have."

To quell fears about underage sex workers and human trafficking, Passion suggests the creation of a Verified Adult Provider Section in newspapers and magazines that is affordable and monitored by the publications themselves, increasing upfront accountability while decreasing risk to adult service providers and the publications. She adds, "A Verified Adult Provider Section will also be beneficial to the customers of such ads. There will be no mistaking a Verified Adult Provider as a trafficked person or minor." So, it's win-win all around.

Passion has started a petition to gain support her plan, arguing that decreasing mainstream outlets for advertising services is not good for women in the industry. If you want to support the safety of women, you'll take a moment to sign it. I just did.

Photo credit: hdiwan