Who ARE the people who want to eliminate prostitution anyway?

I have gotten to wondering about this lately. WHO are the people who want so badly to prosecute escorts and their clients and WHY?

Is it Christian ministers and their religious hierarchy who love to control others through fear and intimidation?

Wives who think that their husbands will "stray" when the wives are, by all accounts, not willing to give their husbands what the husbands want sexually? Or are women more generally afraid that if it is legalized that most guys will just P4P and avoid the whole GF-BF and then the "lets get married and settle down" game? Do women generally think that if it were legalized that this would then be the only way to get $ out of men?

What is the explanation for why escorts and sexual services are not just another of "the helping professions?"
This is a pretty prudish country. You can chalk that up to one of the bases that created the country: freedom of religion. And we have been inhabited by the most conservative of Christian elements.

There is no one answer to your question. I think it's very complicated, but has it's genesis in the country's history.

All I gotta say: good luck on eliminating the oldest profession. It ain't going to happen.
London Rayne's Avatar
Because most escort/client relationships are based on lies, they are not classified under the tag "Helping professions."

As to "who" wants it stopped...it's a combination of all you listed above. Some consider it immoral, while others just want to be able to tax and regulate it.
Laws are based upon what the society deems acceptable/unacceptable. If society deems something as obscene, then it shall be censored... this is a general theory in which all the above stated falls into place.
pyramider's Avatar
Its by the same people that refer to Planned Parenthood as Auschwitz despite all the good programs it has, and refers to homosexuals as sodomites.
The puritans who think escorts are " threats to families", I got a threatening comment on my blog last year from one of them, it went:

"Myself and some other law students are working on a blacklist type site of our own – listing the names, addresses and contact (including family members) of “High Risk Low Class Last Resorts” like yourself. The constant Hate Crime YOU commit against families and our society are too endless to list. I hope that every criminal, identity thief, extortionist, ect., ect. will tap such evil freaks as yourself to work their magic. You truly deserve to live in the shadows, but shining some light on your real identities and what you do is needed."

Creepy...When I was an escort, I didn't consider it my business whether my client was married or single, I was providing them a service.
London Rayne's Avatar
That's not surprising. Many men and women here also don't want it legal...I sure as hell don't. It would reduce rates and allow more people to know what you do because you would be forced to get a license to work. Even if it were legal, I would still operate with the same discretion level I do now. I would still require references, and hide my identity. The only thing it would help...not prevent, would be the crimes associated with sex workers. More women would likely come forward in rape and robbery cases, and traffickers would be more out in the open for once.
The ones who are escorts and lie about it or do not stand openly towards their profession or visit them but do lie about it fall into this category as well. Lies are supportive of norms. If the things you lie about are escorting and being an escort then you support the norm that does not condone it, therefor you support your own oppressors. Other than that, its mostly because sex is only good sex if it fally within th ecategory of heteronormativity, that means - its within monogamous relationship, contains love, means the partner is of opposite sex.

I think its a good thing that in the USA escorting is legal and prostitution like in Europe is not. It makes escorts more valuable and in control of their body. In europe its mostly like selling services and being independent is kind of hard too. So its a two way sword.

Religious authorities also want to prevent prostitution of course :-), but it depends what kind of religion. The puritans do so.
DallasRain's Avatar






AND Jesus loves prostitutes too!!!! lol
It is a variety of different people. There reasons include because its immoral, it will stop the spread of STD's some and also it will eliminate sexual abuse against kids. But I think this is just a coverup because they dont make any taxes off of it personally.






AND Jesus loves prostitutes too!!!! lol Originally Posted by DallasRain
That's ausome!!!
  • Leta
  • 01-11-2011, 11:09 AM
The answer to that question is very complicated. But I do believe its based heavily on religion. I don't think it has much to do with societal norms because there is sex everywhere you look in America. Sex sells, but if you sell sex there is a problem. America, the land of contradictions.
sex everywhere you look in America. Originally Posted by Leta
Just "America?"
This is a pretty prudish country. You can chalk that up to one of the bases that created the country: freedom of religion. And we have been inhabited by the most conservative of Christian elements.

There is no one answer to your question. I think it's very complicated, but has it's genesis in the country's history.

All I gotta say: good luck on eliminating the oldest profession. It ain't going to happen. Originally Posted by charlestudor2005

It is the oldest profession in the history of our world. I don't think it was that big of a issue until maybe the 60's? When the age of the Hippy and drug world became much more prevelent.

I have the understanding if the drugs, and other hate crimes would ease this profession would be slightly more tolerated.