News Bits (Thursday)

People still confuse the whole Prop K thing. They talk about legalizing prostitution in SF, not decriminalizing it. Big difference, folks.

Bail bondsman sentenced for running escort agencies. He would bail out his employees. Of course, he was running a "prostitution ring".

Decriminalization is good for STI rates among Australian sex workers.

Scandinavian lawmakers don't want to meet in a hotel that has porn or prostitutes. They see all women as victims. I'm more concerned about the sex workers expecting to make money off this meeting not making their rent.

French film shows that female clients of male sex workers aren't losers, though people still stereotype male clients as losers. Stigma exists no matter what.

George Hamilton as sex worker? Do scroll down for an amusing moment in a Spanish brothel.

Snarky piece on sex workers as Democratic voters. "You don't disregard any voter, but how would you even advertise with these women?" and "For years and years we had politicians paying too much attention to hookers, so it's great to finally see hookers paying attention to politics".

Great piece about condom use in the US, particularly among young people. Interestingly, the huge lack of condom use is not seen as a public health threat, whereas condom-using sex workers generally are.

Women in the military seem to have a higher incidence of sexual assault and PTSD than street-based sex workers. Not to make light of these women's pain, but I wonder where Farley is? I also have to think that if sex workers were allowed access to military bases, some of these problems might be alleviated.

Former canadian sex worker becomes an activist to right wrongs, mainly because of the laws surrounding sex work. Though she had bad experiences, she can see how the laws made it worse.

Taiwanese sex workers want prostitution decriminalized. Currently their laws criminalize the sex workers but not their clients -- kind of a reverse Swedish model.

Apparently the Brazilian government created online tips to help sex workers in their business. Regardless of what you think of the tips, I love the attitude. Can't see that happening here anytime soon.

Continually miffed that things I've reported on here months ago get posted elsewhere as news. One of the reasons I stopped doing this daily. Not worth the effort. Right now it's more or less a repository of interest for myself.

News Bits (Wednesday)

Mostly leftover bits from last week (sorry). And AIDS stuff.

Ghana realizes the ABC method is a bunch of CRAP.

The ideal college job: visiting sex clubs and interviewing sex workers. (Notice how they differeniate between porn stars and sex workers?)

Have an STI? Send your sex partners an e-postcard announcing your status. Sounds silly, but if it fosters honest communication and better health -- then e-postcards it is.

UK Scouts are fully prepared for sexual adulthood. Can you imagine trying to accomplish this in the US?

MIT has created a new sexual assult service.

St. Louis students being tested for HIV after an HIV-positive student possibly infected others. No real details as to what went on. Being high school, I can only imagine this will turn ugly and someone will end up in therapy.

Bali sex workers at increased risk of AIDs because government interference has led them to start working in remote villages.

News Bits (Tuesday)

Some of these were from last week but I forgot I collected them. Sorry.

Does a former rapist deserve to work with vulnerable women? Not sex work-related, but interesting and disturbing.

European Baptists trying to eradicate prostitution. If Catholics couldn't, what makes you think you can?

Queensland to crack down on escort services or any outcall sex service.

Free Speech Coalition dinner (and show/awards, whatever).

A look at McCain's and Obama'a domestic AIDS plans.

Sex addiction rises as economy goes down, or maybe it's just old-fashioned stress relief. What's good for sex workers is seen as a problem for their clients.

Nepal has a Condom Day.

News Bits (Tuesday)

Comparing a computer company to dating a former sex worker. Tired of how okay it is to see sexual women this way. Find a new analogy.

City tries to fine banks for foreclosed homes that have become work-havens for local sex workers.

Violent crime rates rise in a city that still likes to focus on arresting sex workers.

"Children are growing up in neighborhoods with either prostitution or drugs, with sex acts, needles or condoms, and they grow up thinking these things are OK," Lewis said. "Why should we be shocked when they have a warped value system?"

No, we don't want children thinking condoms are okay. I understand the relutance to expose children to streetside sex or drug use. At least the sex workers are practicing safer sex.

Long piece on Hugh Hefner, Playboy and America's most famous blondes (or sex workers -- depending on your perspective).

Street worker defends her choices and her work in the midst of a sting operation. You go girl!

A dominatrix took a bit of advantage of her slave, to the tune of $300,000.

Not much to the post, but great title: "Stab a Prostitute, Go to Jail" .

More on the sex worker assaulted by a US Maine in an Aussie brothel.

Sixteen Indian authors on AIDS and those at highest risk. Interesting project piece.

Added note: there are a lot of arrests going on. TONS.

News Bits (Monday)

Thailand cracking down on prostitution?

Sex worker does CPR on a client with a heart attack. Blogger professes astonishment she would care so much about her client.

US Marine raped and assaulted a Sydney sex worker, though most of this article is about a Marine that was badly beaten on a road (far as I can tell, the attacks are unrelated).

The economy hits Spanish sex industry.

An off-duty jailer follows two strippers home and shoots someone else. For whatever reason, I'm not understanding this story but wanted to report it anyway.

Male sex workers at risk in Mumbai.

Straight-laced wife decides to talk to scary, scary strippers in the guise of journalism.

News Bits (Sunday)

Bad vacation experience includes too many prostitutes. Oh, and food poisoning too. But really, the hookers were too much.

UK feminist workshop pities and objectifies strippers.

Thai brothels in the woods. Allegedly a trafficking destination as well.

Strip club folds due to economy?

Everything to do With Sex Show in London.

Attempted prostitution in a grocery store parking lot.

News Bits (Saturday)

Spitzer costume for Halloween.

A rapper's career is just like a stripper's. (One of the benefits of being a stripper is "lots of attention." Um, yeah, every stripper wants lots of stripper-attention when she's not working.)

Stripper who hires a lawyer to defend her doesn't deserve a judge to hear her case (among other things). Everyone has rights but sex workers.

Sad story from a former child prostitute somehow blames prostitution for her problems, not the mother who abandoned her. This article also mentions Operation Clean Sweep (or whatever it was) of a few months ago which netted a total of what --18? trafficked children and arrested tons of adult sex workers.

A look at the modern world economy, how it affects women and workers. Not a look at sex work.

Yet another blogger outraged over the middle-class UK callgirl Lara. How dare Lara speak in defense of herself or make her own life choices that don't agree with what everyone else thinks she should do? The nerve!

Springfield IL contemplates cracking down on customers of prostitutes.

I generally don't like reporting on these things as I find it depressing, but this case of the terrible murder of a UK sex worker wrenched me. Another name for the December 17 list.

News Bits (Friday)

Does sex sell products?

Women's rights best way to fight AIDS in Uganda -- and everywhere. Yay! Someone is getting it!

Teenage girl is a child pornographer for taking photos of herself. By that rational, every sex worker can also be arrested for trafficking themselves if they travel.

Coffee table book on the history of porn: 1969-2009.

Max Hardcore sentenced (no news there), more disturbingly a woman who ran a fictional story site was sentenced. Granted, the site dealt in the abuse of children, but there were no pictures (or models).

Introducing the $1000 lap dance. Finally.

OMG! Strip club operates in neighborhood and it doesn't go to hell in a handbasket!

"Gaps" in sex trafficking "enforcement" in Minesota. It's not "enforcement" it's just business-as-usual where sex workers are the only criminals in illegal sex work. And any actual trafficking victim is still considered a criminal.

New movie about child trafficking: for labor, sex and warfare. It's a "seat-of-your-pants rally for a modern abolitionist movement, boosted by celebrity activists Daryl Hannah, Ashley Judd and Julia Ormond." We need some celebrity activists.

Journalist bothered by salicious headline writing in the death of a young woman. Thank you.

News Bits (Thursday)

The caffeinated edition, and I'm in a mood too.

One of those "it had to happen" things: US government listens to phone sex via wiretapping, all in the name of fighting terrorism, of course.

Community campaign to shame the men who seek commercial sex. Notice this bit: "prostitution gradually wears down a neighborhood over time, bringing down property values and bringing in a criminal element." Might it not be the criminal status of prostitution that harms the neighborhood and the women involved? Just a thought. Otherwise, it appears sexually-available women are responsible for the decline and fall of just about everything.

Whale-watching is like prostitution because...maybe I missed the connection. I don't think the writer clearly closes the gap. I found this amusing, which is why it's here. (I kept waiting for her to mention local streets where people can watch prostitutes at work and play. Or maybe tours to the birthing grounds of prostitutes.)

Someone else who can't make the mental leap into consensua sex work. They compare prostitution with call-center work. Most girls I know would rather have sex for a living. It's not as demeaning as working at a call-center.

Ukrainian banknotes may contain hidden prostitutes! Counterfeiters can now hide a whole human on a bill! Actually, it's only images of women naturally assumed to be prostitutes (what other kind of woman would go on a bill?). I want to collect the whole set.

Another blogger thinks the majority of Canadian sex workers are victims of one sort of another. Sigh. I can't understand why people like to sky-dive, but it doesn't mean I think they're all forced out of airplanes.

Former madam of Sheri's Ranch writes a book. I saw her speak and had a lot of anger about many of the things she said. Like prostitution "needs to be controlled" or the phrase "choosey Suzies". Excuse me, it's my body -- I can be as choosey I want to be. This is the shit that makes me mad.

Once again, shooting/harming sex workers is funny to men.

Interesting musings on class among sex workers, female sexuality, work and legal issues. All-around a good read.

Porn store built on the iTunes concept. It was just a matter of time. I'm actually surprised by how long it took someone to do this.

Three Bits

Sexual rights for Nambian women. Though this discussion stems from the efforts to fight AIDS, any discussion that looks at a society's core sexual values is worthwhile. Yay Nambia!

Male sex workers the focus of the fight against AIDS in Bali. They need more education and medical support.

How to get hookers off the street: give them a makeover! Come on, Oprah, you can do this too! Clean up America's cities by offering some nice clothing. That's all hookers need anyway. With some properly applied makeup and designer duds, all their problems are solved! Who needs to make money when you look great?

Casual Friday Edition

College girl auctions her viriginity via The Bunny Ranch. And I just gave it away!

Strippers make casinos even sexier -- this is news, apparently. I'm really just curious how many strippers actually enjoy spending their free time at the club -- essentially.

AIDS has probably been around for 100 years. This isn't casual news, really. I'm fascinated.