This is the letter I sent to Senators John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison on September 27, 2010:
Dear Senator,
I am disappointed in the filibustering of the Defense Authorization Bill on the 21st of September 2010. I know excuses given by Senate Republicans are just that, excuses. It is shameful that we live in a country that treats certain soldiers as if their willingness to sacrifice their lives for us means less just because they love differently. When a soldier dies it is not their sexual orientation that is printed on their headstone but their name and their rank and that is all that should matter. The Republican Party has long claimed to be the party that most strongly supports our brave soldiers so playing politics with their Civil Liberties is NOT acceptable.
I ask that you demand that Don't Ask Don't Tell be repealed! It has already been ruled unconstitutional by two U.S. Judges. We are a country that expresses so much pride in our liberty that it's existence makes us seem hypocritical. The integrity of our country rests in the hand of you and your fellow Senators. Do not disappoint your people. If it is not repealed I will hold the Republican leadership in this country responsible as will many others.
Your country is watching you.
If you would like to write to yours you can find them here:
On September 21, 2010 Senate Republicans and two Democrats filibustered the Defense Authorization Bill. This Bill has passed the last 48 years in a row. It just passes. As I state in the video below
"Defense...is something that the American Government tends to not fuck with."
So why now? I'll give you one guess and IF you guess because they were going to try and repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell you would be correct.
In this video I express in no uncertain terms my disgust for the way these members of Congress have played politics with so many peoples lives...with so many peoples Civil Rights.
If this Bill had passed all it would have done is give the Military leadership the authority to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell. Not a complete victory but I would rather have that authority in the hands of the Joint Chiefs of Staff then in the politicians who just want to move the goal post on this for political leverage.
This is peoples live we're talking about here. It's about time we honor their sacrifices and hard work and treat them like they are just as good as every other American in this country.
After a little passionate but friendly back and forth with a fellow YouTuber I was inspired to upload this brilliant Spoken Word by Poet StaceyAnn Chin called Equality.
Closing out this series I chose to do a video on Major Margaret Witt. Here I read an exert from an article in the Huffington Post that tells of the latest victory in the struggle against DADT in which U.S. District Judge Ronald Leighton ruled it unconstitutional.
Congratulations Major Witt. Success and happiness to you and your partner going forward. I hope we will all celebrate the day this embarrassing law is finally laid to rest...for good.
I ask that if you are inspired by the victory of Major Witt or just sick and tired of the bigotry and homophobia that seems to plague our Country then please PLEASE write to your congressman and make your feelings known. I do believe that it helps and that we have enough momentum after this ruling that every letter matters.
Want to get proactive about this Craigslist thing? Watch this video to learn how.
The Petition Reads:
End Human Trafficking- Support Sexworker Self-Efficacy
We support self-efficacy and harm reduction by sex workers, and oppose the scapegoating of Craigslist for posting "Adult Services" ads. We share the goals of the craigslist opponents to end human trafficking, forced prostitution, and child exploitation, but know that driving the sex trade more underground accomplishes just the opposite.
"Adult services" encompasses a range of activity. Advertising those services is not illegal, and indeed, if there was legal cause, it would have been forced to close long ago. The reason there is not legal cause is that such a broad ban would limit constitutional rights.
The paternalism of some of the groups opposed to Adult Services ads is sadly over-generalized to fully-empowered women and men who choose to independently market erotic services. Those who exploit children and traffic in human lives merely win competitive advantage when independent providers are driven into the shadows.
Let us work together to end violence towards sex workers and let them speak for themselves.
Below you will find three links.
The first is to the supposed “scientific study” on which the push to close the adult services section of craigslist was built. This study is full of misleading information. Please examine it for yourself.
The second is to the petition.
You may not believe this issue effects you but freedom of speech effects everyone. If it can be successfully taken away based on faulty unscientific research this sets a dangerous president that could someday directly effect you or those you care about.
The last is a Directory of the United States Representatives for your convenience.
I may embed this video here as it becomes available later.
The story begins with Amber following a mother up a flight of stairs to the bedroom of her 12-year-old daughter that has been kidnapped by a pimp. Only someone with a heart of stone could resist feeling for this woman which is what makes this such an effective opening. As friend and fellow blogger Julie Meadows stated in a recent blog post she did about Shelly Lubben
"A good clue towards identifying someone who’s performing magic tricks with your mind is how quickly they are to engage your emotions. Emotions are the easiest of human faculties to engage because they are closer to our baser nature than the intellect."
What betrays the disingenuous nature of Ms. Lyon is the constant Paris Hilton semi-smile she wears as the mother explains why she sleeps in the little girls be at night.
-@34 seconds:
The mother explains how a friend of hers told her to look on Criagslist for the missing girl and low-and-behold she was there.
Of COURSE Miss Amber doesn't acknowledge that this validates every Sex Workers Advocates position that though craiglist can be used to find johns for missing children it can ALSO be used by police and family members to find those missing children as is proven later in the story.
"We have been able to find, locate and return home 54 missing kids on craigslist. Now that is a tiny fraction of what the total scope of the problem is."
My question for Mr. Allen is "If nobody knows what the real numbers are then how do you know that saving 54 kids that were found on craigslist is a tiny fraction of what the problem is?" I'll hold my breath for the answer but I suspect it has to do with a little "scientific study" I will discus at the end of this post. Just a side note, they also located 12 children due to backpage.
-@1:45
Here Amber discusses 52 missing persons posters of children that are all being sold for sex. On all these posters read the words
"MAY be in the company of an adult male"
obviously a pimp, right?
Amber honey...if those children are missing how exactly do you know what all of them are doing? AND How do you know that the men they are with are pimps?
I have NO love for pimps but I think making this blanket assumption is a bit of a stretch. It is not unheard of for a father who is denied visitation rights with his child do something desperate. I am just speculating of course, but then again sweetie...so are you.
-@3:20
She admits craigslist DID report 132 children to The Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 15 months. But earlier that Centers CEO said they only rescued 52.
It seems to me that if craigslist is reporting MORE missing children then are being rescued that the fault is not with craigslist.
-@3:40
Amber's BIG FINISH!
"And that 12-year-old girl we told you about at the beginning...By CHANCE, she called home just as we were speaking with her mother."
OK, maybe I'm just nitpicking here but I don't buy this for one instant! Not only did they have a lead as to her whereabouts because of craigslist but (keeping that in mind) what are the chances of the daughter calling home just as all the cameras from the big, well funded news station are on her?
ALMOST NONE!
(play clip below for effect)
-@2:28 The Pièce de résistance
A group out of Georgia called A Future Not a Past commissioned a "scientific study" from The Schapiro Group on which this witch hunt was waged. Now, I'll be the first to admit that numbers are not my friend. That said, even I can see that this thing is just riddled with holes and misrepresentations of their "findings." I suspect this to be a group that is in the business of producing "findings" that best suit their clients. Of course, I am only speculating again but that seems to be what everyone is doing nowadays.
I challenge ANYONE who is capable of being objective about this issue to read this study and tell me it is not full of shit.
I am in the process of doing some deconstructing of this skientifakical study myself but so far some of my favorite parts of it are:
-Under methodology:
"...we decided to develop a methodological approach where participants would voluntarily contact us without suspecting that they are participating in a research study. To do this, we placed advertisements on Craigslist.com, Backpage.com, and other Internet sites commonly used for
advertising paid sex services. Our advertisements mimicked other ads on these sites; the text content crudely described paid sex services with a young female for anyone who called the advertised phone number. In addition, we included a picture of a young female in the advertisement — just as nearly all other internet advertisements do.
Why “young” instead of underage? Any advertisement that explicitly mentions paid sex with an adolescent is removed by these internet sites instantly and/or automatically. Advertisements featuring adolescents are rarely labeled in text as such. Instead, advertisement creators rely on pictures of the females and young text descriptors to convey her approximate age to prospective customers."
So...what they're saying is the whole study hinges on these uninformed mens subjective understanding of the word "YOUNG" as it relates to sexual activity! Not only that but @2:48 Amber states that
"There's no legal obligation for websites to report ads that might involve underage prostitution."
so the fact is that craigslist DID NOT BREAK THE LAW! If there is a problem why not put all that money and effort into changing the law instead of going on witch hunts to make yourselves look during election time?
Figure 5: How Men Who Respond to Advertisements for Sex with Young Females Refer to Preferred Age (with my small commentary at the end...hey if they can do it so can I)
-Oh but it gets better. Under the obviously objective part of this unbiased "scientific study" titled "How men buy sex with adolescent females you'll find this:
"...we devised a 3-step “escalated warning” procedure that we initiated at the end of the phone call (so that it did not interfere with any other data collected from the participant). The three warnings issued by the operator, in order, are as follows:
1. We’re talking about the really young girl, right?
2. She doesn’t look like she’s 18.
3. I don’t believe this girl is actually 18, and I have no reason to believe she is.
So, they went from saying "young" to "really, REALLY young?" Ok, fair enough. But what they purposely UNDERemphasis is that MOST of the men became disinterested in the interaction after these warnings; 65% to be as exact as I can given the skewed stats that proceed this figure.
Figure 6 with ending commentary again: Results of the “Escalated Warning” Mini-Experiment
MY conclusions:
1. Amber Lyon is an opportunistic disinformationist who cares nothing about journalistic integrity OR the lives & safety of the many sex workers who will now have to chance the dangerous streets for work. She also cares nothing for the children that could have been found because of craigslist because she is a blood sucking famepire devouring whatever she needs to to get what she craves...celebrity status!
2. CNN was once my favorite 24 hour news channel but if they are going to let the likes of Amber Lying exploit a families pain so she can make a name for herself on their station I think they may as well buy the rights to "The Bad Girls Club" and call it a day.
3. The Schapiro Group are in business...that's that. You pay them enough and they will fabricate what you need with no concern for the truth and that's all their is to it. What pisses me off is that nobody without a vested interest will probably look closely at that study because people are usually lazy and only care about what directly effects them in the here and now IF THEY CARE AT ALL! The Schapiro Group knows this. The Schapiro Group exploits this for a buck and don't give a fuck who it hurts.
A few months ago I made one of the best decisions as a Sex Workers Right's Advocate I could have made. I took the advice of friend and blogger iamcuriousblue and bought a book called Trafficking and Prostitution Reconsidered by Kamala Kempadoo from Amazon.com.
Book Summery
Trafficking and prostitution are widely believed to be synonymous, and to be leading international crimes. This collection argues against such sensationalism and advances carefully considered and grounded alternatives for understanding transnational migrations, forced labor, sex work, and livelihood strategies under new forms of globalization. From their long-term engagements as anti-trafficking advocates, the authors unpack the contemporary international debate on trafficking. They maintain that rather than a new 'white slave trade,' we are witnessing today, more broadly, an increase in the violation of the rights of freedom of movement, decent employment, and social and economic security. Critical examinations of state anti-trafficking interventions, including the US-led War on Trafficking, also reveal links to a broader attack on undocumented migrants, tribal and aboriginal peoples, poor women, men and children, and sex workers. The book sheds new light on everyday circumstances, popular discourses, and strategies for survival under twenty-first century economic and political conditions, with a focus on Asia, but with lessons globally.
From the Publisher
Contributors: Natasha Ahmed, Vachararutai Boontinand, Lin Chew, Melissa Ditmore, John Frederick, Matthew S. Friedman, Josephine Ho, Jagori, Ratna Kapur, Phil Marshall, Jyoti Sanghera, Susu Thatun
This is an A-MAZ-IN book and anyone who wants a better perspective on Prostitution and Human Trafficking then the propaganda the media, politicians, and the abolitionist feminists have to offer should definitely invest in it.
I have found it not only informative but following the work of the people who contributed to this book has lead me to many great resources. The other night I picked a name at random-Jyoti Sanghera-from the book and just googled it. Low and behold I was lead to a gold mine of corroboration for the views I and my fellow Sex Workers Rights Advocates have been presenting on YouTube in the form of transcripts and Audio from the Symposium on Human Trafficking by the Council on Foreign Relations.
I then made the following video proving that anyone telling you they know the whole story when it comes to human trafficking is a liar.
On Sept. 2, 2010 Monica Shores of Spread Magazine did a very even tempered blog post for the Ms.Blog entitled How to Respect Sex Workers.
In this post she makes and elaberates on the following suggestions for having a healthy dialogue with Sex Workers Right's Advocates/Activists.
1-Don’t diminish or mock sex workers’ agency.
2-Don’t assume your problems with the sex industry are the industry’s only problems.
3-Use language with care.
4-Educate yourself.
Inspired by the polite tone of this blog and a hope for peace with the Anti-Porn feminists I happen to share space with on YouTube I made the following video...
Being that I have heard more than one Anti-Porn feminist express a desire for "a healthy dialogue" you would expect this blog post and my efforts to reach out respectfully to be received with a modicum of consideration...and you would be wrong!
In this video made by the commonly know Anti-Porn YouTube feminist iremythpurr not only does she reference me by name but she proceeds to mock my comments on this blog post and many things about me that have no relevance what so ever.
This is just one example of how the "antis" take every well meaning gesture and twist it to not only sow more division within the feminist community but to character assassinate as well.
If you watch it on YouTube you will notice the comment section is full of unwarranted personal attacks and misrepresentations of my positions. One commenter even said:
"That woman has ZERO class. She's a bull in a feminist china shoppe."
another said:
"dick in ya ear is agency! i'm not a "victim" feminist but I am a victim. gawd. i'm going to become an manger of a strip club and then become a "sex workers rights advocate" ie industry rights, not worker rights. muney muneeehhh munns."
Mocking the fact that I used to be a stripper and have since embrace a position of authority in hopes of making the bar more sex worker considerate. But of course, it's easy to mock when you have nothing personally invested in the well being of women you don't even respect.
Medusa was one of three sisters born to Phorcys and Ceto. Though she was born mortal, her sisters Stheno & Euryale were not. Medusa was originally very beautiful. Her crowning glory was her magnificent, long hair and she was courted my many quality suitors. Before she could be betrothed to a husband, Poseidon/Neptune found her worshiping in the temple of Athena/Minerva and ravished her. Athena was outraged at her sacred temple being violated, and punished Medusa by turning her beautiful tresses into snakes and giving her the destructive power to turn anyone who looked directly at her into stone.
The Meaning
As a Sex Workers Right's Advocate I see a lot of symbolism in this legend that parallels the lives and experiences of the Sex Workers I speak out for.
1-As someone who has casually studied archetypes in my spare time I have come to understand Athena in a certain way. Though I have a great deal of respect for her in other ways, her archetype is one of a Goddess in service of and empowered by men. She is the protectress of the patriarchy. She was born of Zeus and Zeus alone and though one might expect her to come to the defense of a woman in need she had a tendency to look down on what she perceived as weakness.
I hear many Anti-porn and Radical Feminists talk about "overthrowing the patriarchy" but if you look closely at the companies that publish their books and the people on the Religious Right they tend to join forces with you will see that they doth protest too much! Much of the outward contempt they express for "the patriarchy" is a pathetic attempt at hiding the true nature of their connection to it.
2-Medusa was worshiping at the temple of Athena at the time she was "ravished."
The temple to me represents the feminism we think we all know and believe in when we are naive to the true nature of feminist politics today.
3-Poseidon/Neptune raped Medusa in the temple of Athena but rather then Athena getting mad at him she punished Medusa and turned her into a snake headed Gorgon for the rest of her days.
Poseidon obviously represents what we typically think of when we think of Patriarchy. He is powerful and he takes what (or who) he wants when he wants it. I hear many antis go on and on about how the Patriarchy puts women in the position to go into sex work by limiting their choices. I have noticed; however, that once a woman does go into that line of work they are quick to demonize her and accuse her of "Kowtowing to the Dick."
4-Medusa's gaze can turn anyone to stone instantly.
Marginalized by a society that sets many up for failure many women turn to sex work to make ends meet. You would think most human beings would have a great deal of compassion for them and you would be wrong. Once in "the lifestyle" many women find themselves so Stigmatized by the nature of the work they do you would think the hearts of everyone around them had turned to stone.
5-Know as an archer Medusa's Arrows were sharp and deadly accurate. Once she set her sights on her target their was little that could be done to distract her. As she was an underworld creature sunlight was not a friend to her but if you think you had escaped her once it found you might be mistaken. She may not peruse you but her arrow might follow you into that light and bring you back into the underworld she called home...the hard way.
Once marginalized and stigmatized by society a woman has little choice but to adapt to her new state of being or shrivel away in defeat. Taking up the cause of Advocacy is not only a way to heal but one might find that their words are capable of reaching those who would otherwise exist in a state of blissful ignorance.
Using our voices to spread this awareness is not only a way to heal but also a way to make a difference. Sadly, sometimes the greatest wounds are caused not by sex work itself but the stigma that goes along with it and the betrayal of those who claim to care.
I have found a solid support system in the Sex Workers Advocates on YouTube I have come to know and am grateful for it.
FeministWhore has been a mentor to me and I have learned so much since I met her.
YeOldeHeretic has been there for me in ways I can't go into but her friendship has given me strength when I wanted to quite and I thank her.
xxxild has taken me under her wing and guided me threw the underworld and for this reason I call her Kore.
And dynamiteruby is always ready to cheer me up...even when I don't wanna be cheered up!
Thanks Ladies!
Together we will shoot those arrows straight and hit those disinformationists...
RIGHT IN THE ASS!
For a little extra insight into why Medusa means a lot to me (hint-it has something to do with my childhood) watch this video. It also features a great song by Solace called Journey's end.
The Sexual Services Section of Craigslist has been closed. All is right in the world...right. Or is it?
Those who made the push to have it removed claimed that Craigslist was a catalog where anyone could find underage prostitutes and trafficked persons being exploited sexually. But do they not realize that worked in favor of those people trying to find and help them just as much as anyone else? In the following video you see how police use these online websites like Craigslist to find girls that need their help:
Another problem I have with this is that prostitutes that once used the site to conduct their business in a way that is safer for them now have to face having to go back into street prostitution which is 10 times more dangerous. In my video "Craigslist" below I make my concerns known.
Already I have received many comments from people who feel the same way I do and even a very provocative video response from johntheother entitled "Damage Keeps The Money Flowing" where he discusses his theory on what he calls the "Victim Industrial Complex."
I'm willing to bet money that NO ONE involved in making this decision consulted a Sex Worker Advocate of any kind. Everyday it becomes clearer and clearer to me that those of us who believe in this cause must band together and fight for our voices to be heard. It is obvious to me now that those fighting against the sex industry care nothing for the safety of those they claim to care about and must be exposed for who and what they are! We must not allow our stories to be exploited by those who just want to use us to further their agenda!
Just about anyone who hasn't been living under a rock for the past 3 years is familiar with Eliot Spitzer and his discrepancies. But how much of the story do you really know? Did you know; for instance, that Spitzers career was ruined not even a month after he published an article in the Washington Post entitled
In this article he made a bold accusation that the Bush administration not only turned a blind eye to the predatory lending practices that were bringing our countries economy closer and closer to peril...but enabled it! He laid bare the connection between what the Attorneys General of all 50 states had been doing to try and combat predatory lending practices and what The Bush Administration did to stop them. And then his career was destroyed!
Ironically, the tool used against him was the very anti-prostitution laws he helped to pass. For more just watch the video:
How many times has this happened to you? You're talking about sex workers rights and someone who supports the Swedish Model decides to offer their two cents. After talking to them for about 2 minutes you get the distinct feeling you're dealing with someone who doesn't know SHIT other than the propaganda they are spoon fed by the media.
Try this. Ask them:
"What is the official U.S. definition of Sex Trafficking?"
If you're lucky enough to get a straight answer at all it will probably be something to the effect of:
"Sex trafficking is modern day sex slavery"
Sounds about right...right?
WRONG!
According to the U.S. code; as stated by the Cornell University website, the definitions for Sex Trafficking/Human Trafficking are as follows:
(8) Severe forms of trafficking in persons
The term “severe forms of trafficking in persons” means—
(A) sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age; or
(B) the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.
(9) Sex trafficking
The term “sex trafficking” means the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act.
(notice there is nothing in this definition about being forced AT ALL!)
So I've chosen to write an entire blog post about something so basic WHY? I wish I had a nickle for ever ANTI
("Antis" is what we on YouTube call the pro-Swedish Model, Anti-porn, Anti-prostitution, Anti-choice, Anti-HARM REDUCTION supporters)
that wanted to engage me in "debate" that didn't even know the basics of what their abolitionist leaders have been fighting for.
Rad-Fems and the Religious Right fought for YEARS to get these definitions made official and now that the ugly true colors of the consequences of the ambiguous wording of these laws is coming to light many of their supporters are simply seeing fit to deny them.
It's funny (in an unfunny way) to me the position I have found myself in with these people over and over again. The last thing I want to have to do is explain to my opposition what they're positions really are. I suspect many already know. It seems to me that some feel content to distract an S.W.R.A. (Sex Workers Right's Advocate) by playing dumb
AND OTHERS ARE NOT PLAYING!
If you find your self in this tiresome position feel free to direct them to this blog post or simply ignore the pest as my latest video advises.
Being a Sex Workers Right's Advocate is not just about asserting that: women can and DO choose to be in the sex industry, they're right to say yes is just as important as they're right to say no and that they should NOT be punished if they do. It's also about calling attention to the kind of human trafficking you DON'T hear about...Labor Trafficking!
WHY DO WE NEVER HEAR ABOUT LABOR TRAFFICKING?
I'm only venturing a guess but I think it could be for the same reason many S.W.R.A.'s (Sex Worker's Rights Advocates) grumble about radical, abolitionist, feminists working with the religious right. Corporate greed prettied up with righteous, religious language!
In this video uploaded to YouTube by FeministWhore called "Delay and the Northern Marianas," proof is given to support this assertion.
I am doing a piece on this now because when she uploaded it we were both pretty new to YouTube and it didn't get as much exposure as it deserves.
FeministWhore has been my mentor in all of this and just about everything I know and any exposure I get is because she has VERY patiently guided me. I can't count the number of times I have said the words
"F.W. how do I...?" or "F.W. where do I find...?"
& sat there on "the skype" giggling (sometimes not so secretly) listening to her try to explain something to me while she chants her mantra
"CAT! I WILL KILL YOU!"
Anyone who follows my work needs to be following hers. If they do they will see...I am the peas and she is the steak. Her blog is filled with information I haven't even begun to learn yet...but I'm workin on it.
