Explain How The Pandemic Changed The Sex Work Industry.

Links: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/08/magazine/should-prostitution-be-a-crime.html
https://uwmil.instructure.com/courses/418144/files/36342012/download?verifier=5hY7DWgw9FBuLnAM2qbWSHYnaoZVfHBfL3OZf940&wrap=1

As the reading for this week illustrates, there is a recent and growing tide of sex workers and activists that are making a case for the decriminalization of prostitution, world wide and in the United States. Decriminalization– the move to treat sex work as any other work (the Australian model)– is in direct conflict with existing prostitution policies — criminalization (treating prostitution as sex trafficking, the American model) and abolition (criminalizing the purchase of sex, the Swedish model).

This discussion will give you the opportunity to debate these different policies and discuss the divisions within feminism as it relate to sex work.

Instructions and Questions: Initial post

In preparation for this discussion, read and watch the following:

Explain How The Pandemic Changed The Sex Work Industry. FiveThirtyEight video. July 2, 2021. Video is approximately ten minutes long.

Should Prostitution Be A Crime? By Emily Bazelon The New York Times May 5, 2016
If you are unable to access the New York Times site, here is a PDF of the article.
1. In the article, Liesl Gerntholtz, executive director of the women’s rights division at Human Rights Watch, takes a sort of “harm reduction” approach to sex work. She states:

“Like many feminists, I’m conflicted about sex work. You’re often talking about women who have extremely limited choices. Would I like to live in a world where no one has to do sex work? Absolutely. But that’s not the case. So I want to live in a world where women do it largely voluntarily, in a way that is safe.”

Do you agree with this sentiment? Is a better world a world without sex work? Explain your answer.

2. There is a case to be made that decriminalization of sex work comes from a position of economic, gender, and racial privilege. In other words, it is much easier for cis, white, economically well off people to support decriminalization of sex work. because, due to their privilege, they assume that all people can “make a free choice” to engage in sex work. This is often not the case. Is a person truly making a choice if the choice is between not being able to make rent and feed self or children and selling sex? What do you think about this criticism? Is the sex worker movement a movement based on privilege?

3. There are major divisions between feminist when it comes to sex work. On the one side, you have the Second Wave radical feminists, supportive of abolition. On the other, you have the Third Wave sex-positive feminists, supportive of decriminalization. Describe each of these viewpoints. Which side makes provides the more compelling analysis of sex work? Explain your answer.

4. Team Sweden or Team Australia? Describe the policies associated with each Team, making sure to identify strengths and weakness. When it comes to the United States, should it join Team Sweden or Team Australia…or some other approach? Explain your answer.

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