Another Great Poster Project

Legal Advice For Sex Workers with XXX Attorney JD Obenberger

Red Light reporter kittenINFINITE sits down with adult industry attorney Joe Obenberger to get his advice and opinions about the sex industry in Chicago, the judicial process, and why those who have been arrested on prostitution charges should plead "not guilty". Part of our "Know Your Rights" series.

Know Your Rights!

kittenINFINITE explains what your rights are if you are a sex worker arrested on the job, and what you should and should not do when dealing with law enforcement. The SWOP-Chicago gang re-enact some commonly used police tactics in interrogation and how you should handle yourself in each situation.

Turn Off the Blue Light

I just discovered this website. Found it worthy of re-posting.

 

TOBL Achievements

TOBL is now looking at how we can improve and grow as an association. As part of this, we took a quick look back at what we have achieved so far, and we thought we’d share this on our website: - We have brought 10 sex workers together as a management committee to make important decisions for TOBL. - We have drawn national media attention to sex workers’ rights in Ireland, starting with an article in the Irish Independent. - We have built a membership of 250+ members including sex workers and non-sex workers. - We have maintained a website – turnoffthebluelight.ie – with regular new articles on sex work in Ireland. In the last month we have had over 10,000 visits. Realtime Google Analytics chart to prove this below!

- We have maintained a Facebook page. At present we have 811 likes. - We have maintained a Twitter account with 408 followers at present. - We have written letters and emails to all TDs and Senators. We have also provided a facility for others to email TDs via our website. - We have written to all organisations involved in Turn Off the Red Light (TORL) to make them aware of our concerns. - We created a poster campaign to challenge the Irish public’s perception of sex workers. This was very successful and we have had great feedback on it from thousands of people from all across the world. The story was even picked up by BBC Brazil! - We successfully took on search giant Google re AdWords discrimination against us, a David and Goliath story that was picked up by major news outlets in Canada and Ireland. - We took part in events including Dublin Pride, SlutWalk London and the Dublin Women’s Mini Marathon. - We made what we feel is a very important submission to the Department of Justice re Anonymity for sex worker victims of crime or witnesses of crime. - We have met TDs and Senators and have been mentioned in Dáil and Seanad debates. - We conducted important research into Brothel Keeping in Ireland, showing that most persons convicted of brothel keeping offences are not owners or managers of brothels but sex workers. This story was covered by the Irish Independent and Hotpress magazine. - We have made sex worker and sex worker advocate friends all over the world and joined the International Committee on the Rights of Sex Workers in Europe (ICRSE). - We have been mentioned in the national media on numerous occasions, in newspapers like the Irish Independent and the Irish Times and in many other Irish and International news and blog websites. We would like to note that, at the same time as we have been working hard to establish the rights of sex workers in Ireland, so have others been doing so independently to us. The Sex Workers Alliance Ireland and Feminist Ire have done great work, as have many individuals, too many to mention, who have taken an interest, written and spoken out. Well done everyone, and thank you to everyone who has cared.

 

 

 

 

My censored reply

I replied to some asshole on myredbook, but ended up being censored. I had a feeling this was going to happen, so luckily I took a screen shot of my response.

I felt it was important for the providers on redbook to know what this guy's real agenda is, so that they will know to stay away from him.   

This guy posted about how good he is at smearing girls names and how everyone should stop giving good reviews because it drives the price up. 

***So yeah, ladies beware of LovChoc459***

Just click on the pic to make it larger.

The Real Monsters

After watching a few documentaries on some serial killers the other day, I got to thinking about a few things that really inspired me to write this article.
 

You know something that I have always told my kids over and over again, is that "monsters" are real. But the real monsters aren't going to be some kind of creature under your bed, a possessed Chucky doll, flesh eating zombies, or Freddy Krueger out to kill you from your dreams. 

No, I make sure to constantly remind them that monsters like the ones from those kind of movies are not the real threat. The "REAL MONSTERS" don't look anything like those scary boogie men, but even worse, they look just like you and me. Which really makes that even more scary when you stop to look at it. Because if they really did look like that, at least you'd know what they were right away. But the "real monsters" look just like any normal person. They blend in with the rest of us. And some of the most absolutely diabolical ones hold down good jobs, go to church, and raise families. (Well at least most of them. I am aware that there are deranged psychos out there, like Richard Chase for example. But at least with those guys, you can see them for what they are right off the bat.)

Just take a look at some of the "real life monsters" who targeted sex workers. 

Janice G. Raymond Spews Propaganda

I just came across an article written by Janice G. Raymond back in 2003 titled 10 Reasons for Not Legalizing Prostitution. Reading it just about made me want to puke. I knew that there must be a rebuttal written from someone by now somewhere on the internet. And I was right. The following is a rebuttal written by  Tracy Ryan on behalf of Arresting Prostitutes is Legal Exploitation, (APLE):

            In 2003 Janice Raymond of CATW, (Coalition Against Trafficking in Women International), wrote “10 Reasons for Not Legalizing Prostitution”. Recently this work has been circulated to offer rationales to oppose the proposals suggested by APLE, (Arresting Prostitutes is Legal Exploitation). Like CATW, APLE is extremely concerned with the health and safety of individuals involved in prostitution. Clearly serious and significant harm has occurred and continues to occur to individuals involved in sex work.  APLE understands that the harms associated with prostitution can manifest on a variety of levels from harm to the prostitutes themselves extending to harm to their families, friends, customers, community and to the larger society.  APLE understands that prostitution in and of doesn’t cause harm. The root causes of harm related to prostitution are highly complex, stemming from historical, cultural, and societal norms to individual morals, values, and beliefs. CATW does not appear to hold this complex understanding of prostitution.  Ms. Raymond lists ten reasons to oppose what she lumps together as the legalization or decriminalization of prostitution in her article. This response is intended to address those points.

            My objections to the arguments presented by Raymond are clustered into several main areas. First is her reliance on questionable statistics and studies, most of which were done by anti-prostitution advocacy groups.  It is too easy for people who have an axe to grind to come up with whatever results they want in such studies.  It is generally understood that unless studies are done using appropriate research methodology the statistics they present are of little or no value. A separate paper on scientific methodology and how bias of the researchers can affect results is attached.

The second general problem is one of relevance. Many of the complaints, valid or not, raised by Raymond apply specifically to legalized systems of prostitution overseas. They have no connection to the changes discussed by APLE for Hawaii.

The third problem is relationship. Ms. Raymond discusses problems and furnishes statistics, but does little to relate them to any solutions of her own. At no point does she attempt to demonstrate how the arresting of prostitutes or their customers will solve the problems she sees. APLE does not claim that decriminalization will solve all of the many problems Raymond is concerned with. It will however solve several other problems that Raymond never bothers to discuss.

The final issue I take with the Raymond approach is its undercurrent of morality. It appears that she and her CATW believe that prostitution in all cases and in all times is universally harmful. Therefore they ignore any arguments or evidence to the contrary. This simplistic attitude taints all of the studies and conclusions they present.

Hereunder are my responses to the ten points against legalizing/decriminalizing prostitution as stated by Raymond.   Her numbered points are in bold text.

The Murder of the DC Madam

DC Madam Predicted She Would Be Suicided "Rape, beating, maiming, disfigurement and more than likely murder disguised in the form of just another jailhouse accident or suicide would await me," Palfrey wrote - Time Magazine curiously quick to re-affirm suicide story

Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet
Thursday, May 1, 2008

Click here to listen to Palfrey clearly state that she would not commit suicide.

DC Madam Deborah Jeane Palfrey predicted she would be "suicided" on several occasions both recently and as far back as 17 years ago - comments that now appear ominous in light of the announcement that the former head of a Washington escort service allegedly killed herself today.

"If taken into custody, my physical safety and most probably my very life would be jeopardized," she wrote in August 1991 following an attempt to bring her to trial, "Rape, beating, maiming, disfigurement and more than likely murder disguised in the form of just another jailhouse accident or suicide would await me," said Palfrey in a handwritten letter to the judge accusing the San Diego police vice squad of having a vendetta against her. 

During several recent appearances on The Alex Jones Show, Palfrey also said that she was at risk of being killed and that authorities would make it look like suicide. She made it clear that she was not suicidal and if she was found dead it would be murder.

Palfrey had threatened to release the names of well-known clients of her upscale call girl ring in the nation's capitol, and had indicated that Dick Cheney may be one of them.

"We now know it goes at least as high as a United States Senator," Palfrey told The Alex Jones Show, "I'm hearing rumors now from other people that there are other possibilities in that stratosphere so to speak, on that level."

"No I'm not planning to commit suicide," Palfrey told The Alex Jones Show on her last appearance in March, "I'm planning on going into court and defending myself vigorously and exposing the government," she said.

"Blanche Palfrey had no sign that her daughter was suicidal, and there was no immediate indication that alcohol or drugs were involved, police Capt. Jeffrey Young said," according to an AP report.

Click here to listen to Palfrey clearly state that she would not commit suicide.

Click here to listen to the entirety of a July 2007 interview with Palfrey.

UPDATE: In an almost uncanny development, as soon as this article started to go viral on the Internet, Time Magazine released a story claiming that Palfrey told author Dan Moldea that she would rather commit suicide than go to jail. What a funny coincidence!

RELATED: Palfrey Considered Call Girl's "Suicide" Possible Murder

FLASHBACK: D.C. Madame: "Big Names" May Be On Client List

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