SonarsPTA

So I watched that video you posted. I think the most succinct thing I can say about that video is: citation needed. It makes a lot of claims about prostitution and legalization with literally no substantive data or citations.

I think what we're seeing with the change in nomenclature is much more insidious than you've led on. Prostitution is literally the worlds oldest profession. Society has never, and will never stamp it out. I think changing the name and calling it 'trafficking' puts legal sex workers and people interested in moving the US towards a more sex-positive place at a disadvantage. Not even two weeks ago I saw the local police department with a press release of "100 arrests for human trafficking!!!" Upon closer inspection, they had arrested 100 prostitutes and johns (and some pimps). How does that help the true victims of trafficking?

Edit: thanks for the gold!

I looked at the typology site you listed earlier and I'm a little confused. Are we now calling ordinary prostitution "human/sex trafficking"? Are we calling pimps "traffickers"?

I can certainly understand where we see people being kidnapped and trafficked, but you said in America less than 5% are kidnapped. So what are the other 95%?

If we're calling prostitutes "victims of sex trafficking", why are we changing the nomenclature here? Doesn't that hurt the movement to legalize prostitution? How do you respond to the criticism that calling ordinary prostitution "sex trafficking" does nothing but gives lawmakers a scarier boogeyman to violate people's rights?

Please don't misunderstand, I'm not advocating that we ignore human trafficking. Nor am I advocating that we not help people who are oppressed and want to exit that sort of lifestyle, or are being forcibly turned to prostitution. I very much appreciate your work in reaching out to those people and helping them in the best way possible.

I'm merely suggesting that calling run of the mill prostitution "human trafficking" might have a significantly negative effect on poor people and people just trying to survive. To me, this looks like yet another way for the government to start imprisoning/controlling poor people. By changing the name, they have made it nearly impossible to argue with. Who wants to be the person who voted against harsher penalties for human trafficking?!!? When in reality, we've just voted in harsher penalties for prostitution. Again, I point you to the board with 100 arrests for human trafficking that were merely prostitutes and johns.

Furthermore, I have to fundamentally disagree with the assertion that legalization increased demand for sex work. The demand was always there (and will always be there), legalization just provided a way for that demand to be met.

I understand you might not have come to this AMA wanting to discuss this issue, and I harbor no ill-will if you are done with this conversation, I was genuinely interested in your point of view on the matter. Thank you for the discussion so far.