Susie

[url]https://www.change.org/p/rabble-ca-we-demand-that-rabble-ca-end-your-ass[/url]... May 1, 2015 Open Letter to the Editors of Rabble.ca, We are feminists, grassroots community groups and organizations that support intersectional feminism. We are concerned about your ongoing relationship with Meghan Murphy as one of your editors. Murphy has been publishing material that dehumanizes and disrespects women with different experiences and perspectives than hers for many years, in particular Black women, women in the sex industry and trans women. By allowing Murphy to continue as an editor at Rabble.ca you are giving a platform to her hate and we are writing to demand that you end your association with her as editor and columnist. Recently, Murphy published a piece about Laverne Cox's decision to pose nude for a US women's magazine. In her piece, Murphy attacks for Cox for attempting to achieve a â??â??perfectâ?? body as defined by a patriarchal/porn culture, through plastic surgery, and then presenting it as a sexualized object for public consumptionâ? and later mocks her and other trans women for â??spending thousands and thousands of dollars sculpting their bodies in order to look like some cartoonish version of 'woman,â?? as defined by the porn industry and pop culture.â? Laverne Cox is not a cartoonish version of a woman. She is a woman, a Black trans woman who is changing history by defining her own beauty and loveability in the public sphere. For years, Murphy's racism and attacks on women who trade/sell sex or are trans have been tolerated or supported and published by Rabble, including this article where she pits Black women against each other, calling another Black trans woman (Janet Mock) "selfish" for using glamour to feel powerful--and again maligning a Black trans womanâ??s decisions about her body. [url]http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/feminist-current/2014/05/bell-hooks-will-save-us-all-long-slow-death-popular-feminism[/url]. Her anti-black racism extends to men as well as in this tweet where she calls for the death of Chris Brown [url]https://twitter.com/aurabogado/status/376380825542987776/photo/1[/url] She is famously antagonistic toward sex workers and has a long track record of using degrading, dehumanizing language such as â??prostituted womenâ?, being ageist and factually incorrect by suggesting older women cannot be active sex workers, mocking and misrepresenting sex work activists and employing racist terminology such as â??illegal immigrantsâ?. We were shocked when on the pages of rabble.ca, she blamed Cindy Gladueâ??s murder on pornography, co-opting the deaths of Indigenous women in the sex trade to denounce our calls for rights and respect. [url]http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/feminist-current/2015/03/owen-jones-its-political-flaws-matter-not-women%E2%80%99s-lives[/url] [url]http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/a-prostitution-solution-outlaw-the-customers-not-the-hookers/article12306020/[/url] [url]http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/feminist-current/2014/04/feminism-new-misogyny-on-belle-knox-feminism-and-new-backlas[/url] [url]http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/feminist-current/2014/12/feminism-existed-2014-well-other-years[/url] [url]http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/feminist-current/2014/12/hi-media-do-your-job-love-feminism[/url] This is not a question of free speech, it is a question of offering active support to bigots. For example, Rabble would not employ right wing christian fundamentalists for their opinions as their stance clearly undermines the dignity and humanity of communities they are not a part of. The same is the case for Murphy. She is a white, cis, non sex working person who writes with contempt about communities that she is not a member of. It is unjust of Rabble to financially support her bigotry. Rabble is stronger and more relevant when it publishes the voices of those who are directly impacted by the issues they cover. Doing otherwise has made Rabble unsafe for many members of marginalized populations who write from a place of personal experience. Other feminists and womanists have taken notice. [url]http://www.thefrisky.com/2015-04-27/the-soapbox-on-laverne-coxs-nude-photo-spread-meghan-murphys-transphobia/?utm_source=share-tw&utm_medium=button[/url] [url]http://www.theroot.com/blogs/the_grapevine/2013/12/twitter_feminism_meghan_murphy_sparks_outrage_on_black_twitter.html[/url] [url]http://www.gradientlair.com/post/70596255418/stop-dismissing-women-of-colour-feminsts[/url] We support working with people to transform their politics toward more equity and accountability. Despite endless attempts, Murphy has remained unwilling to evaluate her racism, transmisogyny and whorephobia. We've chosen to use an open letter as a medium, only after all other avenues toward accountability have been explored and have failed. We demand a discerning voice of equality and equity that respects and values all women including trans women, women of colour and women in the sex industry. Displays of racism, whorephobia and transmisogyny have no place in a progressive publication like Rabble. It is time for Rabble to take responsibility and cease offering a platform for hate in the form of zealous bigotry from Meghan Murphy and others like her. -on behalf of STRUT Maggie's - Toronto Sex Workers Action Project Black Lives Matter - Toronto No More Silence TransPride Toronto Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform Southwest Ontario Sex Workers Stella, Lâ??Amie de Maimie PACE Society Sex Professionals of Canada Winnipeg Working Group for Sex Workersâ?? Rights PIECE Edmonton Butterfly (Migrant and Asian Sex Workers) Toronto Migrant Sex Worker Project ASTT(e)Q : Action Santé Travesti(e)s et Transsexuel(le)s du Québec Shameless Magazine

i am susan davis, a sex worker and activist in vancouver and longtime member of cerb. i am a member of the canadian alliance western working group and so have forwarded this from them. their members include maggies, stella and POWER.... so, these questions are from sex workers to sex workers in an attempt to try to ensure all perspectives are included.... make sense? as an activist and researcher - this is not for research's sake but rather to inform those who are in a position to speak on our behalf about what we need them to say - i have a long standing reputation of respecting confidentiality and ensuring people are safe taking part in these kinds of activities. i do understand concerns however and understand if people are reluctant to take part. i hope people will consider it though, these kinds of things are important if we are to ensure that those in a position to speak on our behalf are armed with the facts... love susie

The Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform (national coalition of sex work organizations, sex work support organizations and allied groups) is collecting information on the impact of the new laws. Below are a series of questions and I'm hoping that people will be willing to answer them and forward the answers to me. I'll make them anonymous and send them off to the Alliance. This is so that when people are talking to the media or doing public talks, we'll have some recent anecdotal information about impacts sex workers are experiencing, if any. Please provide as much or as little information as you wish. Please feel free to forward the questions and my email address to anyone in your network as we'd like to hear from as many sex workers as possible and particularly independent workers as you often get missed! · What are some of the safety issues you face when doing sex work? · What is your relationship with police? · Have the police been hassling you and if so, do you know why? · Have the police been hassling your clients and if so, do you know why? · Do you go to the police if you need help? Why or why not? · Where do you work and is that the place you would like to work or would you prefer to work somewhere else? · Do you advertise and have there been changes in terms of how you advertise? · Do you work with others, have there been changes in terms of how you work with others? · What can you do with third parties in your place of work? · Have you changed your safety mechanisms since the news laws have come into effect? If so, how? please send me your answers and i will forward them to the alliance!! [email protected] love susie

wow, what amazing and reasoned responses!! keep up the good work cerbites!! love susie

good point i am also only going to answer the 2 times i did. the second one was short answers and just a test of the system.... susie

hello from vancouver!! hope all is well out east and that you are all trying to stay warm!! i took the survey also and noticed that you can answer the survey more than once... i am sure that the feminazis will use this to their advantage so am wondering if people think we should do it too... it does prove that the survey is completely anonymous so clients and sp's can both safely take part... love susie

just want to say this is awesome!! if i was out that way i would be all over this!! great project by a great group of organizations!! love susie

nada prob nikki!! yes there will be opportunities in ottawa, toronto, montreal, halifax and vancouver....i think montreal...can't remember right now...opportunities for people to come out and have their say. i want to defer to POWER, SPOC, Maggies,et al about where when and how though. in vancouver we will be starting our meetings soon i hope and i will definitley be sure to ensure i post any updates here as they come out. it needs to be complete by the end of december so we can compile the findings into a discussion document we want to use as the foundation of an "experts summit" or all stakeholders meeting to be held in vancouver next spring in june. we are hoping to identify where human rights violations/stigma and complacency about sex workers rights are affecting our "health" ( funding is hard to get and health is generally a more open approach for success). we wanted to make sure it was a national project to ensure experiences in different regions were highlighted and respected. we hope to come up with a unified strategy for all of us to use moving forward towards safety and stability for our community. i have no idea what recommendations will emerge but am really looking forward to some direction from sex workers across canada. consumers could form advocacy groups which worked under terms or reference that make them safe like confidentiality. identities of group members could be protected and statements or press relelases etc. could released by a spokesperson( perhaps someone not afraid of being outed) or could even be released by a 3rd party like POWER, SPOC or the BCCEC. ...the following statement comes from the sex consumer group "nipple nuzzlers for decrim"...?lol it could all be done in cyber space...? i would be willing to do whatever it took to support the formation of such a group... and consumers will be included in the project nikki and i are refering to. chris atchison is part of the planning committee and i expect he will be the one to facilitate the inclusion of your voices. please feel free to contact me if anyone has questions or concerns and please let me know if consumers would like any support in forming a social justice/advocacy group. love susieXXXO

there are plenty of studies demonstrating the tremendously positive impact of decriminalization in new zealand,australia,etc...google it and also check out the words of the workers themselves...decrim is the only solution. http://www.scarletalliance.org.au/ http://www.nzpc.org.nz/index.php?page_name=Home the studies refered to done by perrin and farley are absolutely bogus and do not meet the criteria set out by the federal government governing research involving human beings- known as the tri-council policy statement- this is why farely's "research" was thrown out in the ontario charter case. in my opinion the perrin and farely data is promotion of hatred and can not be held up as a reason for any actions taken by the canadian government. consider if you took a religion let's say just for fun christians in general. imagine if a member of parliament said they were un apologetically chasing the complete abolition of christianity... or the hebrew religion....is this seeming familiar to anyone else....? perrin and farely are constantly and consistently held up as the leaders in "research" but its crap. they only care about their own goals- making money and the abolition of prostitution- no matter who they hurt. i have contacted the federal ombudsman for the victims of crime and demanded that their office intervene and ensure the inclusion of actually working sex working peopled uring development of any plans or strategies that may comprimise the safety of sex working people. their mandate forces them to have to meet with us and take our concerns forward. i will keep people updated. also, the ongoing missing women's inquiry in vancouver- while it may seem un related- should be able to give us all a powerful tool to combat these kinds of morality based actions. they are inverstigating the actions of police- broadly- during the timeline of the case of the missing women and also now. i have told them the details of what we learned about the effects of on going brothel/health enhancement center raids, show lounge closures,etc... the bc coalition- www.bccec.wordpress.com- of which i am a member have done a number of projects related to gaps in services provided by the criminal justice system including victim's services...yes, a conflict of interest to be sure to have the police in charge of victims services. i am hoping that the report could be used to combat future efforts to "irradicate" our community..... as always, please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. love susieXXXO

joy smith is a moral zealot and with a majority conservative government...? it might happen. we are fighting for inclusion in the federal human trafficking strategy development and hope to go through the federal ombudsman for the victims of crime to fight the implementation of any kind of criminalization including criminalize the client. on a personal note; hope everyone in cerb land is well!! love susieXXXO

hi everyone! what an amazing thread!! i just wanted to share a link to some work done by annie temple - trade secrets- sex industry occupational health and safety that also includes information from consumers for consumers and from workers for consumers as well as finally from consumers for workers; www.tradesecretsguide.blogspot.com i can't wait to see the outcome cat!! it's sure to be amazing! stella also have a sex consumer guide known as dear client... it rocks!and inspired the work we did here in vancouver! www.chezstella.org love susieXXXO

World Cup Avoids Flood Of Sex Workers World Cup Avoids Flood Of Sex Workers by Anders Kelto July 6, 2010 In South Africa, many feared there would be a huge influx of sex workers to profit off the tourists gathered for the soccer fest. But for the most part the fears seem to have been unfounded. MELISSA BLOCK, host: From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. Im Melissa Block. ROBERT SIEGEL, host: And Im Robert Siegel. When the World Cup kicked off several weeks ago, it was widely reported that thousands of prostitutes would flock to the country's nine host cities. And many feared that international traffickers would try to cash-in on the huge influx of tourists by importing sex workers. Well, that hasnt happened nearly as much as anticipated. Anders Kelto has our report from Cape Town. (Soundbite of conversations and music) ANDERS KELTO: In the heart of Cape Town's central business district is Long Street, a late night destination for those seeking a taste of South African nightlife. Music thumps from the dozens of bars and clubs that line the street, as a never-ending stream of taxis crawls along the road. And like many cities, visitors here are enticed to enter some of the area's seedier establishments and to pay for sex. Prostitution is illegal in South Africa but there are plenty of gentlemen's clubs and lounges that allow clients to do more than just look. There are also more than 30 brothels in Cape Town and dozens of sex workers who visit area bars and clubs on a given night. But according to some prostitutes, the boost they expected during the World Cup hasnt materialized. A woman who goes by the name Rose has worked on the streets of Cape Town for the past 17 years. ROSE: World Cup, we didnt make money. I dont want to lie. Even if we go to the pubs, they will all just tell us: No, we are here for soccer not for sex. KELTO: A woman named Ray has been a sex worker in Cape Town for the past 10 years. RAY: No, I didnt make money, nothing. I only see my regular clients, my local regular clients. I never saw foreigner or nothing. I didnt make even money. KELTO: Before the tournament began it was widely reported that 40,000 sex workers would arrive in South Africa's nine host cities, and that many would be the victims of trafficking. But according to Cape Towns city councilor, JP Smith, the number of cases has been much lower than predicated. Mr. JP SMITH (City Councilman, Cape Town): We've not seen international trafficking, certainly not the ludicrous 40,000-figures and stuff that were bandied about. So it is exactly 10 at last count. KELTO: Officials acknowledge that sex trafficking is a real and serious issue in South Africa, but they also worry that too much focus on these more sensational stories has distracted the public from more common problems that prostitutes here face. (Soundbite of machinery) KELTO: Salt River is an industrial working-class neighborhood just outside downtown Cape Town. Near a factory in a long line of repair shops, two men push a shopping cart filled with scrap metal and other salvaged parts. The area is home to SWEAT, an NGO that provides education and counseling for local sex workers. Today, two nurses from a nearby health clinic conduct a workshop on HIV. Unidentified Woman: Okay, especially if you live a stress-free life. KELTO: South Africa has the highest incidence of HIV in the world, with roughly one in eight people infected. Sex workers are at especially high-risk, in part because clients - many of whom are HIV-positive - often offer to pay more money for unprotected sex. Rose describes one such encounter. ROSE: And then he will tell me: No, I give a thousand rand for the whole night but without condom. You're like - and then when, yeah, that thousand rand is a lot of money and you need money. And then you sell for the thousand rand and then you dig your own grave, you see? I can't fall for the money. What about my life and my children? KELTO: But while sexually transmitted diseases are a major concern, it's clear that what the women here are most fearful of is not HIV, but the South African police. Ray says the police have stolen from her many times. RAY: Yeah, the police is take bribery from us. They took my cell phone. They took my chain. And I never got my property back again. I think the police is there to protect us but for me they just use us. They use us. KELTO: Perhaps most disturbingly, a recent study showed that 12 percent of sex workers in Cape Town have been sexually assaulted by police officers, and nearly half have been threatened with physical violence. To help sex workers get off the street and out of brothels, SWEAT has begun providing educational grants for them to return to school. But in a country where the unemployment rate hovers around 25 percent, the sad truth is that most of these men and women will continue working in the same illegal trade, and will continue living in desperation on the margins of society, even long after the World Cup has ended. For NPR News, Anders Kelto in Cape Town, South Africa.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&click_id=139&art_id=vn20100619084506590C889199 By Thabiso Thakali and Candice Bailey There's just no "boom boom" in Joburg's sex industry. Sex workers hoping to turn a quick buck when thousands of horny soccer fans descended on the city for the World Cup say they have been disappointed. And while some upmarket strip clubs say business has been good, others have been forced to cancel shows. Even metered taxi drivers delivering girls to tourists say business has died down. In the months leading up to the World Cup, there was mounting expectation that prostitution would peak. Reports suggested that up to 40 000 sex workers would be brought into the country to satisfy the demand for sex. But last year, during the Confederations Cup, prostitution suffered a hammer blow when a theft from the Egyptian team's hotel room at the Protea Wanderers in Illovo was blamed on prostitutes. Initial reports suggested that there had been prostitutes in the players' room, but the police later ruled this out. Nevertheless, since then, hotels have begun clamping down on sex workers. On the streets this week, the winter chill and increased police visibility meant fewer sex workers on the strip. Visits during peak cruising hours, around 9pm, to the traditional red-light areas of Oxford Street, Illovo and Sandton found fewer than 10 sex workers roaming around in skimpy skirts. Those who had braved the low temperatures to lure clients dived into bushes whenever the police patrolled. One sex worker, in her seventh year on the streets, said the tourists were "boring". "We have not had any luck. I usually make R4 500 a month. I was hoping I would cash in R15 000, but it has been quiet." Another sex worker, known as Natalie, also said the tourists were "boring", adding "It's disappointing". She had been approached by some Mexican tourists, who would have given her $500 for the night - but when she arrived at the hotel in Sandton, security refused her entry. "The securities have been making our lives hard. They say they don't want girls in their hotels." Her friend Nicole said she'd had a good time with an American. The two, aged between 22 and 24, are from Bez Valley and have walked the Oxford Street strip for about two years. They were still hopeful that business would pick up. If a white man approached them and looked like he had money, they could charge up to R500 for a "full house". A metered cab driver said that while he had requests at the beginning of the tournament to get "girls", when he brought the girls to the men, they could not agree on a price, and the girls left. He'd had requests from Argentinians, Americans, Mexicans and Brazilians. "They say they're being ripped off.

A proper legislative discussion on the inconsistency of Canada's prostitution laws is long overdue. British Columbians recently endured the lengthy trial of Robert Pickton, and came face-to-face with the perils of life on the street for dozens of women who were victimized. Just a few blocks away from the Downtown Eastside, purported massage parlours operate in apparent disregard of the Criminal Code, blatantly advertising access to women on the Internet or the back pages of weekly periodicals. Last year, two challenges to Canada's prostitution laws were launched in British Columbia and Ontario. It is the expectation of the plaintiffs that the Supreme Court of Canada will end up making the final call on how our country's prostitution laws should be interpreted. Under existing guidelines, exchanging sex for money in Canada is legal. However, the Criminal Code makes many activities surrounding prostitution illegal, including the public communication for the purposes of prostitution, and owning, running, occupying or transporting anyone to a bawdy house (or brothel). In a 1990 decision, the Supreme Court of Canada called this incoherence "bizarre." A survey conducted by Angus Reid Public Opinion sought to review just how much Canadians know about existing legislation, and whether they would be open to change. For starters, just 23 per cent of respondents are aware of the fact that exchanging sex for money in Canada is legal, with residents of Ontario and British Columbia being a little better informed than those in other provinces -- but not by much. Canadians, however, are divided on whether it makes sense to criminalize all other aspects of prostitution. Two-in-five claim that the Criminal Code provisions are fair to the purpose of protecting the public good, while the same proportion view them as unfair and forcing prostitutes into unsafe situations. It has been suggested that Canada look at the examples of other countries. In Norway, the government opted to make purchasing sex a criminal act. Under the new regulations that came info force last year, Norwegian citizens and residents now face a punishment-- ranging from fines to jail terms -- if they decide to exchange money for sex. Canadians are not ready to take this drastic step. Half of respondents to the Angus Reid survey believe that adults should be allowed to engage in consensual prostitution without punishment, while 34 per cent would punish both the prostitutes and the clients, and eight per cent would only punish the clients. Throughout the entire survey, a wide gender gap is evident. While 60 per cent of men are ready to accept consensual prostitution in Canada, only 36 per cent of women concur. And while 43 per cent of female respondents want to see both prostitutes and clients punished, this view is shared by only 25 per cent of men. Canadians are also open to the concept of brothels, with the impression that working indoors would make prostitutes safer. Two-thirds of men and half of women surveyed supported this notion. However, the gender gap appears again on another question. While 62 per cent of men are in favour of decriminalizing some aspects of the sex trade, only 40 per cent of women side with this option. It is clear that male respondents are more welcoming of prostitution than female respondents, on the questions related to working indoors, punishment and even on how a new policy should be created. Canadian women, for the most part, relate to prostitution as an exploitation issue and do not believe that decriminalization will help. The 1990 case that reached the Supreme Court dealt with the issue of liberty, and the judges stopped short of openly discussing decriminalization. This time around, the prevalent issue is safety, which is at the heart of the double-standard that is flagrant in Vancouver. The lack of a consistent approach has allowed better funded operations to advertise their services openly, while other sex workers are routinely exposed to disease, violence and even death. They are both, for all intents and purposes, acting in direct contravention of the Criminal Code. But one is evidently safer than the other, not because of a suitable safeguard under the law, but because of wealth. Lawmakers are supposed to make laws. On this particular file, the centre-left and the centre-right have failed to formulate a strategy. Conservatives may not want to alienate their base by appearing to endorse a way of life that is contrary to their moral beliefs. Liberals may not want to touch the law because it may be construed as an attack on the civil liberties that they hold dear. Ignoring the problem, which has been the modus operandi for decades, is clearly the worst course of action. When it comes to prostitution, Norway has opted to punish the clients. In Canada, it is the lawmakers -- past and present -- who require a scolding. Mario Canseco is vice-president, public affairs, at Angus Reid Public Opinion. © Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun [LEFT][COLOR=#000000] Read more: [URL]http://www.vancouversun.com/news/staggering%20incoherence%20Canada%20prostitution%20laws/3180224/story.html#ixzz0rgbqVOxg[/URL][/COLOR][/LEFT]