Media Interview Questions

[MandalayBay 575]

I've been sent a few email questions by a local journalist in Winnipeg. Since I'm retiring soon, I thought I would take the time to help her out and hopefully do my small part in educating the general public about the profession and what we deal with as escorts.

 

Since I've only been in the industry for 4 months now (and am retiring at the end of the month) I am wanting to make sure that I respond in the most educated way that makes my colleagues (you ladies) proud.

 

Can you please give me some guidance in how you would answer these questions if they were posed to you? I will take the best responses and information you provide, combine the information into some great answers and respond to her in a way that uses all of our minds. When the article is published, I'll then scan it on here for everyone to read.

 

Could you please provide your thoughts for good answers based on each question number below?

 

 

REPORTERS COMMENTARY IN EMAIL

 

Hi Mandalay --

Thanks for the links.

This is an interesting line given some recent reporting I did on the death of Cherisse Houle:

It’s clear that we are nowhere near a comfortable place on this issue. But I’d like to think that even those on the other side of the debate can grasp what Kuzyk is saying: “If we had the same access to health and safety resources on the job as other Canadians, there wouldn’t be so many of us getting murdered.”

Here's the link to my story on Cherisse that I did with her family.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/awful-questions-on-top-of-grief-50118217.html

I have a lot of community contacts with people familiar with street work by women.

Way less so on the escort side. (which I'd like to change)

So, as starting point, here's some questions:

 

QUESTION #1

 

How do you feel about licensing? Does it enhance safety for women?

 

QUESTION #2

 

With the advent of the Internet, how has the escort biz changed? Better? Worse? Added safety? Less safety?

 

QUESTION #3

 

I hear there are less licensed escorts now.

How does this affect the city industry? Relationships with police if there's a problem to report?

 

I am really appreciative of any and all input you can provide.

As I said, I think you have a perspective that many of our readers might not otherwise hear.

And it's an important one. Protecting your identity is also crucial so you can share information freely.

I've stuck an article below my colleague Bart wrote on the new personal escort licenses.

 

How are they working?

Rules for escort services change

Winnipeg Free Press

Mon Apr 21 2008

Page: A4

Section: City

Byline: Bartley Kives

 

Escort services in Winnipeg will be required to record where they send their employees as part of crime-prevention measures built into a new business-licensing bylaw.

 

The proposed Doing Business In Winnipeg Bylaw, which was designed to eliminate red tape, will see the city stop bothering to approve 55 out of 80 business activities listed under an existing set of rules known as the City of Winnipeg Licence Bylaw.

 

Most of the activities the city will no longer regulate -- such as amusement parlours, soap manufacturers and barber shops -- are either governed by the province or already get dealt with by city zoning regulations.

 

Other activities, such as psychic readers, are no longer considered a public concern.

 

But the new rules first announced in January also call for a handful of new protective measures, including an insistence that escort services know where their employees are going at all times.

 

Escort services will no longer be required to record the names and addresses of clients, mainly because those clients rarely offer their real names anyway.

 

The report also recommends a comprehensive review of the way the city regulates escort services, specifically with an eye for crime prevention.

 

Other new security measures embedded in the bylaw include new rules for pawn shops and second-hand dealers. A 15-day hold period for selling recently obtained goods will be expanded to bicycles and precious metals to allow the Winnipeg Police Service more time to track down stolen property.

 

There are also new licencing requirements for large public venues such as concert halls or arenas, mostly to deal with potential fire threats, while swimming pools will be regulated more closely because of health concerns.

 

But overall, the new Doing Business In Winnipeg Bylaw eliminates more rules than it creates.

 

For example, there is now just one licencing category for outdoor mobile food vendors -- and no licencing requirement at all for carts selling only fresh, uncut fruits and vegetables.

 

The new rules will come into effect on June 1, pending approval today at Katz's cabinet and Wednesday at city council as a whole.

[Andee 220524]

Hi Mandalay: Before I answer these questions, I just want to say that I read the article about the young girl and feel bad for her family. But as I have always said, the sex trade is diverse and to compare girls working "on the street" to escorts like ourselves is pretty much like comparing apples and oranges - at least when it comes to safety concerns, which I think this journalist is getting at.

 

I have been an escort since 1995. I can count on one hand the number of "bad" calls I have had and even those, you can't really use the word "bad" in comparison to what women on the street face. One guy was "really" drunk, picked me up and I fell against a table resulting in a cut/bruise. A few have tried to pay me in dope or other things and one tried to give me a cheque. Another one wanted some of his money back because he didn't come and he seemed a bit sketchy, so in that case I did because my vibe told me there was no use arguing and in that case I did feel my safety might have been jeopardized. In retrospect, I believe the client was high on something. I am much better in screening my potential clients and I must say have been incident-free for quite awhile.

 

I also believe pressure by municipalities, such as Ottawa where the mayor has pressured to Police to crack down on street prostitution has done nothing more than to drive it onto the chat line and free boards like CL, leaving us with more undesirables as I would put it...the scammers looking to fulfill their means to the end - the quick fix (usually drugs).

 

I have known girls who were hooked on drugs and they ALWAYS ultimately ran into some kind of problems, mostly because of how and where they conducted their business. I know of one who recently got evicted from her apartment because her landlord found out due to complaints due to high traffic of guys and drug dealers to her place). In the past 3 years, she has called me from time to time to cry about various things that in my 15 years of working, I have NEVER encountered. So I think there's something to be said for running a "clean" business.

 

 

So, here are my answers:

QUESTION #1

 

How do you feel about licensing? Does it enhance safety for women?

 

Having worked as a "licensed" escort in Calgary, Grande Prairie and Ft. McMurray, NO, it does not.

I think it is nothing but a tax grab for municipalities. An escort license in Calgary was $100 in 1995. All that meant was I had to show it when I went advertise in the Sun and my name and the phone number I was using had to match a list of Agencies since you were not allowed to work independently which meant the City and the Agencies were nothing but "legal pimps", in my opinion.

 

QUESTION #2

 

With the advent of the Internet, how has the escort biz changed? Better? Worse? Added safety? Less safety?

 

The "escort" business has gotten better in some ways because we have more options for advertising and exposure which newspaper advertise did not afford us. Men can access our e-mail, stats (sites) within minutes and make a more informed decision as to whether they want to see us. As for safety, cannot really say because again, clients can e-mail from anonymous accounts and on public computers if they really want to "hide".

 

In other ways it has gotten "worse" because providers and their clients who once roamed the streets are now online thus "mixing" in with legitimate providers and giving newbies a real headache trying to sort it all out. Free boards like CL have proven that. In the Ottawa region, we fortunately have cowboysdiary.blogspot.com a site specifically aimed at identifying scammers. In one way that is good, but there are so many scammers now, it is hard to get on top of them all, and again, it gives legitimate providers a challenge in "standing apart from the crowd" if we choose to advertise on those free sites as well. Scammers = trouble = potential trouble (for both parties, actually).

 

QUESTION #3

 

I hear there are less licensed escorts now.

How does this affect the city industry? Relationships with police if there's a problem to report?

 

It just means the City is getting less tax revenue. As for relationships with Police, what exactly is being reported and when. So the Police have access to a list of people's names holding "licenses". I'm not sure how helpful that is when most problems are kind of after the fact. Safety-wise, what good is that if an SP is lying in a hospital bed or morgue.

I doubt a would-be predator would use his real name if details were recorded with agencies. Also, I think stats prove that the percentage of escorts (who run a clean business) being killed compared to street workers is so low...or non-existent in some communities. And when I lived in Calgary, I don't know of any street girls who went and got licenses and they were the ones at high risk for safety concerns.

 

Although I got a little long-winded, I hope my answers help. Although I must tell you, I'm not sure how useful the questions really are in determining safety factors.

[MandalayBay 575]

Thanks Angela ... Awesome ideas that I will definitely use in my response.

 

I look forward to hearing from more ladies.

[MandalayBay 575]

I thought I'd bump this with the hopes that I hear back from more ladies. I'd like to get back to this journalist today or tomorrow.

 

Any other thoughts?

[Andee 220524]

Where all the other ladies who usually speak out...like Erin etc.?

 

I'm sure they'd be more than happy to help you.

:lol:

[mod 135640]

How do you feel about licensing? Does it enhance safety for women?

A: No, it does nothing for the safety of the women. In fact it pushes them more underground and in some cities it puts them in the hands of a pimp! The police and cities abuse this power to harass and scare the ladies and force them to work in even more unsafe conditions!

 

It is illegal for the city to license prostitution (and they know this) so they define the term "Escort" as a person who is a paid companion. This forces anyone who uses the word "Escort" in their advertising and marketing to obtain a license to use this term (or face a nasty ticket not to mention fake bookings by police or by-laws officials set them up to ticket them). This is harassment without a doubt. What other legal profession has to face issues like this and have their rights taken away from them unjustly?

 

Everyone knows that a "Escort" is a nicer way to say prostitute and helps distinguish the difference between a street walker and a more exclusive courtesan. They are all "Sex workers" and just because the city defines the word "Escort" in a by-law does not make it any less a sex worker job.

 

By charging a license fee the city becomes the "Pimp" and is living off the avails of prostitution (This is illegal under the criminal code of Canada).

 

The license terms in many cities by-laws does not allow for SEX to take place on the call (?? - covering their own ass) all the license does is restrict the lady from doing her job and allows the local law enforcement to harass her easily as they can pass out by-law tickets a lot easier than charging someone under the criminal code.

 

The by-law gives the city (and the police) the power to hand out municipal by-law tickets to people who are NOT breaking any laws under the criminal code of Canada. Many of these by-law charges are being disputed (It is the right of the individual to be able to appeal the by-law ticket in a actual court of law with a real justice of the peace who will look out for that individuates rights) the judges are seeing first hand that these ladies are prostitutes and not "Escorts" by the cities definition and these by-law tickets are being thrown out left and right. If the lady says "I am a prostitute" in her advertising (or a "Sex worker" or anything that distinguishes here as a sex trade worker the judge will throw out the ticket as the licensing is not for sex workers it is for escorts and companions who do not have sex for money... and well we all know they may as well license unicorns while they are at it as both things do not exist!).

 

The cities continue to push these by-law tickets because many of the ladies are uneducated in regards to the law, many will pay the ticket (making the business less profitable and therefore less desirable) and some will even get scared and leave town (Often without disputing the ticket as facing a real judge and admitting to being a "Prostitute" is scary for a lady who knows nothing of the law except for what she has heard and seen on TV - and since most of our TV is American content and they have laws against prostitution many of the ladies get scared that they will go to jail over stuff like this!).

 

Many of the ladies also do not know the difference between a by-law infraction and a criminal charge (With the help of sites like cerb.ca this is slowly changing). We explain that a by-law ticket is not a criminal charge, it has no permanent record, no jail time. If you refuse to pay the ticket they will send a collection agency after you! (Same as a parking ticket) and you may not be "Allowed" to purchase a license to be a "Escort" if you don't pay your fine.

 

When the police show up, take all the ladies info, tell her that she has been caught breaking a "Law" and then issue the lady a ticket (sometimes worth 1000's of dollars) the ladies panic, they don't realize they have not actually been charged under a criminal code offense. They run out and warn their friends in the business and this makes the by-law a very good scare tactic for the police and the cities. This even makes some of the ladies leave town and go to cities without by-laws (We know that many cities have these by-laws and enforce them like this just for this purpose - they do not want prostitutes working in their cities).

 

Bottom line is... Prostitution is legal in Canada but the cities put these by-laws in place to force the legally working escorts out of the city and in some cases to profit off the ladies.

 

Some cities force the escorts to work for a "Agency" to obtain a individual license. How can this even be allowed to happen? The cities are not fooling anyone... we all know that a "Escort" is a "prostitute"... you will NEVER find a "Escort" in Canada who does not offer sexual services as part of the "date". For a city to define the word "escort" in a by-law is abusing their rights. A city is not legally allowed to make a by-law because of MORAL reasons. They are not permitted to unjustly remove a person's right to legally do their job... and they are NOT allowed to license prostitution under the current criminal code of Canada. When you get a city council that is anti-prostitution (Usually morally pro-church) you get cities with ridiculous by-laws like this. Most of the ladies think these by-laws are put in place so the city can make money from them... personally I beleive these by-laws are put up to force the ladies to leave town so that the city can rid itself of what the council feels is a morally wrong profession.

[Suzirider 737]

REPORTERS COMMENTARY IN EMAIL

I have a lot of community contacts with people familiar with street work by women.

Way less so on the escort side. (which I'd like to change)

I am really appreciative of any and all input you can provide.

If you feel that she is sincere in her quest for knowledge, point her to CERB for further reading. :!:

[MandalayBay 575]

Thank you Mod & AngelaofOttawa!

 

I took your answers and incorporated them into my own response ... using many of your exact same words.

 

Here is my final response to the reporter. Chances are that she will only use a few sentences, but it gives her a lot of information to select from.

 

I am also hoping she gives CERB the plug it deserves in her article.

 

I'll scan and post the article when it appears in the newspaper.

[MandalayBay 575]

Hi Gabrielle,

 

Sorry for the delay. I wanted some time to research for proper answers to your questions as I have only been in the industry for 4 months and have been learning every day from other amazing women in the industry. I consulted with other escorts who who have been in the industry for a while and have included my own thoughts in these answers.

 

Here are my responses. Please feel free to take any excerpts you like from these very long answers.

 

1) How do you feel about licensing? Does it enhance safety for women?

 

No, it does not. I think it is nothing but a tax grab for municipalities and makes cities no better than "pimps." There is no benefit to licensing yourself as an independent escort whatsoever.

 

To test the system, I personally turned to a Winnipeg sex-trade worker outreach programs (funded by our government) to see if I could obtain hepatitis C and HPV vaccinations to help protect myself against diseases. I was told because I am not a "street level" sex trade worker, I do not qualify for covering costs of these vaccinations. So I paid for the vaccinations myself. It is laughable that those expected to pay licensing fees (high-end escorts such as myself) don't qualify for help through outreach programs, while street level prostitutes (breaking the law and walking the streets) do.

 

It is illegal for the city to license prostitution (and they know this) so they define the term "Escort" as a person who is a paid companion. This forces anyone who uses the word "Escort" in their advertising and marketing to obtain a license to use this term (or face a nasty ticket not to mention fake bookings by police or by-laws officials set them up to ticket them).

 

Everyone knows that a "Escort" is a nicer way to say prostitute and helps distinguish the difference between a street walker and a more exclusive courtesan. They are all "Sex workers" and just because the city defines the word "Escort" in a by-law does not make it any less a sex worker job.

 

By charging a license fee the city becomes the "Pimp" and is living off the avails of prostitution (This is illegal under the criminal code of Canada).

 

The license terms in many cities by-laws does not allow for SEX to take place on the call (?? - covering their own ass) all the license does is restrict the lady from doing her job and allows the local law enforcement to harass her easily as they can pass out by-law tickets a lot easier than charging someone under the criminal code.

 

The by-law gives the city (and the police) the power to hand out municipal by-law tickets to people who are NOT breaking any laws under the criminal code of Canada. Many of these by-law charges are being disputed (It is the right of the individual to be able to appeal the by-law ticket in a actual court of law with a real justice of the peace who will look out for that individuates rights) the judges are seeing first hand that these ladies are prostitutes and not "Escorts" by the cities definition and these by-law tickets are being thrown out left and right. If the lady says "I am a prostitute" in her advertising (or a "Sex worker" or anything that distinguishes here as a sex trade worker the judge will throw out the ticket as the licensing is not for sex workers it is for escorts and companions who do not have sex for money... and well we all know they may as well license unicorns while they are at it as both things do not exist!).

 

The cities continue to push these by-law tickets because many of the ladies are uneducated in regards to the law, many will pay the ticket (making the business less profitable and therefore less desirable). Some will even get scared and leave town ... often without disputing the ticket as facing a real judge and admitting to being a "Prostitute" is scary for a lady who knows nothing of the law except for what she has heard and seen on TV. Since most of our TV is American content and they have laws against prostitution many of the ladies get scared that they will go to jail.

 

Many of the ladies also do not know the difference between a by-law infraction and a criminal charge. With the help of online forums like cerb.ca this is slowly changing. We explain that a by-law ticket is not a criminal charge, it has no permanent record, no jail time. If you refuse to pay the ticket they will send a collection agency after you (the same as a parking ticket) and you may not be "Allowed" to purchase a license to be a "Escort" if you don't pay your fine.

 

When the police show up, take all the ladies info, tell her that she has been caught breaking a "Law" and then issue the lady a ticket (sometimes worth thousands of dollars) the ladies panic, they don't realize they have not actually been charged under a criminal code offense. They run out and warn their friends in the business and this makes the by-law a very good scare tactic for the police and the cities. This even makes some of the ladies leave town and go to cities without by-laws.

 

The bottom line is that prostitution is legal in Canada but the cities put these by-laws in place to force the legally working escorts out of the city and in some cases to profit off the ladies.

 

Some cities force the escorts to work for a "Agency" to obtain a individual license. How can this even be allowed to happen? The cities are not fooling anyone. We all know that a "Escort" is a "prostitute." You will NEVER find a "Escort" in Canada who does not offer sexual services as part of the "date." For a city to define the word "escort" in a by-law is abusing their rights. A city is not legally allowed to make a by-law because of MORAL reasons. They are not permitted to unjustly remove a person's right to legally do their job and they are NOT allowed to license prostitution under the current criminal code of Canada.

 

 

 

 

2) With the advent of the Internet, how has the escort biz changed? Better? Worse? Added safety? Less safety?

 

Personally, I never would have entered the industry without the anonymity the internet provides. It has allowed me to supplement my income in a major way and has truly changed my life in many positive ways financially for myself and my children. (Not living paycheque to paycheque and enjoying life a bit more.) The internet has allowed me to incorporate escorting into my life in a way that works well for me and maintains my anonymity.

 

Other ladies have told me the escort business has got better in some ways because of the internet because there are more options for advertising and exposure which newspaper advertising did not afford women. Men can access women's e-mail addresses, stats, photographs and specialties within minutes and make a more informed decision as to whether they want to see us.

 

It does not, however, makes things safer because clients can e-mail from anonymous accounts and on public computers if they really want to "hide".

 

In other ways the internet has made it "worse" for legitimate escorts because unscrupulous providers and clients - who once roamed the streets - are now online mixing in with honest sex-trade workers and giving legitimate clients a real headache trying to sort out the good from the bad. Free boards like Craig's List are infamous for their scams. In the Ottawa region, this is a blog called cowboysdiary.blogspot.com, which is specifically aimed at identifying scammers. Local scams are also identified in online review forums such as http://www.cerb.ca and help both sex trade workers and their clients become more informed about dangers. i.e. Sex trade workers have a private area where they trade information about bad clients and clients have areas where they can report sex trade workers who are scamming them (i.e. placing a photograph of a playboy bunny in their ad and Big Bertha actually coming to the clients doors)

 

There are so many scammers now on websites like Craig's List, it is hard to get on top of them all, and again, it gives legitimate providers like myself a challenge in "standing apart from the crowd" if we choose to advertise on those free sites as well. Scammers = trouble = potential trouble (for both parties, actually).

 

 

 

.... continued in next post ...

[MandalayBay 575]

.... continued from previous post ....

 

3) I hear there are less licensed escorts now. How does this affect the city industry? Relationships with police if there's a problem to report?

 

It just means the City is getting less tax revenue and that most sex trade workers (like myself) see zero value in licensing themselves as escorts and paying the government. I refuse to pay a pimp/madame a portion of my proceeds and also refuse to pay the City of Winnipeg a portion of my proceeds. By charging a license fee, the City of Winnipeg is acting as a "Pimp" and is living off the avails of prostitution. This is illegal under the criminal code of Canada.

 

As for relationships with police, I have no relationship with them whatsoever. I sometimes hear about sporatic busts on the online forums (i.e. http://www.cerb.ca), but they generally leave high-end, upscale, independent women like myself alone as I am quiet, discreet and not breaking the law in any capacity.

 

Another interesting point is that there are laws (which police must enforce) that indicate that one cannot make money from the proceeds of prostitution. So if I want to hire a security guard or driver to protect myself, I am breaking the law. If I want to work out of the safety of my own home or in-call location, I am breaking the law. The system forces women to go underground and this does nothing to help protect us and keep us safe. A major overhaul needs to take place and the Canadian government needs to observe what is going on in Amsterdam and make their system happen here. As long as men continue to be born with sexual desires, the sex-trade industry will never end. It's time for government to work with us (sex trade workers) and not against us.

 

I donate 10% of all the money I earn to local charities. What I do is a legitimate and by being safe, drug free and honourable in my profession, I am helping to prevent the spread of disease and doing a good service for society. If a man is looking for sex, it is much safer for him to turn to a legitimate escort like myself who is drug and disease free, always practicing safe sex and honourable in my behaviour and treatment towards him.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Sincerely,

 

Mandalay

[Suzirider 737]

Your BF is a lucky guy.

You could have said "I'm getting out.. not my concern any more" but instead, you give your time to do this (for the other girls). 8-)

 

Any news from Gabrielle about article (if, when)?