Lazy Self-Indulgent Book Reviews

….in the Times today.

And, of course, I’m open to the question of whether legalization results in more trafficking (it seems to vary by country), and so on, but I’ve never heard a decent rejoinder to the idea that men and women can decide to have sex with each other for any, any random/shitty/nice reason they want (boredom, vengeance, lust, love, can’t afford movie tickets, hatred, etc.) EXCEPT for this one: one of those people has money to offer, and the other person needs the money.

I don’t think their intent is our business. I fundamentally do not believe it’s our business to interfere with THEIR business, other than to vigorously enforce existing laws against coercion, violence, robbery, and rape to fight people who would abuse sex workers.

Also, in a universe where pornography is legal, what on earth difference does it make if two people are having sex with each other, freely, and getting paid to do so, but if a third party is filming it, it’s legal, and if it’s just the two of them in a Motel 6 at a highway off-ramp, it’s not?

And some people want to go after johns, and not providers, instead, which I don’t care about either. I don’t have a problem with people who pay for sex. Not at all. I don’t think it’s sad, or creepy, or disgusting. I have a problem with violent johns, or johns who don’t pay.

And I’m particularly aggravated, when I support legalizing sex work, and people say triumphantly: “would you want your daughter to be a sex worker?” as though that should matter.  I’d rather she not be a lobbyist, or work in a sweatshop, or a coal mine, or be a malpractice lawyer, either. But it doesn’t have a lot to do with me, either way, and if she were to do any of these things, I’d like her to be able to call the cops on someone attempting to take advantage of her, and be able to use Turbo Tax at the end of the year to report her income.