I saw this on a gas station bathroom condom machine the other day.

The text says:
French Freedom Tickler
Tickle her fancy with the real thing…It’s the Patriotic thing to do!

Posted by Vixen as Sex Toys at 3:47 PM CDT

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From Epic Step:
SWAAY’s Sex Work Definition Billboard
“SWAAY’s mission is simple: to grow the American sex workers’ rights movement through real public outreach and providing accessible information about sex work to general audiences. Through our educational web site, we aim to draw in people who are new to sex workers’ rights issues and help them understand what sex workers do and who we are, give them information about how to be respectful allies and ethical customers, and motivate them to support sex workers in changing the bad laws and social stigmas that affect our lives.

In response to increasing pressures from anti-sex worker campaigns this summer, SWAAY would like our friends and allies to help us put up what would be the first sex workers’ rights billboard in America. We’re starting with answering the first question: what is sex work? (Note: you will not be billed at the time you pledge, but at the end of the 30 day fundraising period if the campaign is successful.)”

I love this billboard idea. Let’s make this happen!

Posted by Vixen as Activism, Sex Workers at 10:47 PM CDT

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From Adbusters:
#OCCUPYWALLSTREET
“The time has come to deploy this emerging stratagem against the greatest corrupter of our democracy: Wall Street, the financial Gomorrah of America.

On September 17, we want to see 20,000 people flood into lower Manhattan, set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades and occupy Wall Street for a few months. Once there, we shall incessantly repeat one simple demand in a plurality of voices.

(snip)

The most exciting candidate that we’ve heard so far is one that gets at the core of why the American political establishment is currently unworthy of being called a democracy: we demand that Barack Obama ordain a Presidential Commission tasked with ending the influence money has over our representatives in Washington. It’s time for DEMOCRACY NOT CORPORATOCRACY, we’re doomed without it.

This demand seems to capture the current national mood because cleaning up corruption in Washington is something all Americans, right and left, yearn for and can stand behind. If we hang in there, 20,000-strong, week after week against every police and National Guard effort to expel us from Wall Street, it would be impossible for Obama to ignore us. Our government would be forced to choose publicly between the will of the people and the lucre of the corporations.”

—

Now you know I love revolutionary talk like this. However, I am skeptical if this would work. Say there really is tens of thousands occupying Wallstreet come September. The big demand is for a Presidential Commission tasked with something? Really? That’s it?! How about an immediate law to end Corporate Personhood? That sounds better to me. A commission can hem and haw and wring their hands and technically meet protesters demands.

Still though something needs to be done-that’s painfully obvious. Massive protests have worked in other countries-surely we can do something similar?

You can follow the hashtag #occupywallstreet on Twitter for protest thoughts and ideas.

Posted by Vixen as Activism at 12:27 PM CDT

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Jennifer is an escort working in New Mexico. She graciously agreed to be interviewed about the recent prostitution bust in Albuquerque. The David Flory she refers to is the man accused of running the Southwest Companions website and other charges.

How did you find out about the Albuquerque bust?
Texts and messages started flooding in immediately. Everyone who heard contacted me pretty quick.
Friends sent me links to different stories.

How has your escort business been affected?
It has been devastated and I guess that was their goal. The business completely died immediately after the story broke. Only a very few long time clients are still in contact right now, and half of them weren’t associated with SWC at all.

What’s the vibe in the escort community right now?
I know very little because I haven’t had much communication with anyone. I have no idea who I can trust and who I can’t so I’ve been very cautious. One of my friends took down her website like I did. Another one that I know of at least changed her phone number, although I have no idea how that would help.

How have the clients been reacting to the bust?
Well, the ones I have spoken with have looked for reassurances that they’re still safe with me and are pretty saddened by the loss of the New Mexico community as a whole. No one understands why resources are being wasted like this on our industry, which we view as a “victimless crime” when there is so much serious crime out there that involves violence and theft and destruction.

How does this bust affect escorts communicating with each other and with clients?
Well as I’ve said, there is very little communication now, which creates a very dangerous environment for all of us. This “prostitution ring” was really a website designed for open communication and safety, and of course a little free advertising. It was the place we could discuss clients and verify with each other who was honest and good and who was freaky, violent or a rip off artist. The same goes for the men. They knew which girls were not only talented, but also who was drugged out or known to be a thief. We could discuss who played unsafely and who had good reputations for practicing safe sex. All that is gone now, and we’re all back to playing blind so to speak.

How will these arrests affect safety practices amongst escorts?
When we see sad circumstances of young girls being pimped and controlled and mistreated, and then even more horrific stories like the West Mesa Murders, it creates a feeling that “something should be done”. The saddest part is that Southwest Companions was created exactly for that purpose and now it’s gone. They’ve destroyed the community of safety we built to enable us to work independently.

I would beg women to just hang on through this tough time, work to build back trust among us, and continue to communicate with each other. Don’t turn to the streets or the truck stops or to pimps for protection. Don’t let feelings of desperation or despair make you reckless. Stay strong, stay clean, stay smart.

What are your opinions of the media coverage?
Well it was definitely the hot button story for a few days. The writing was pretty skewed in the direction of making David seem evil. Mostly, it was pretty much just regurgitated repetition, thankfully (in this case) no one really does serious investigative reporting anymore. It was easy for me to see that not much is known about how our industry really works.

Several women were accused of being prostitutes in the media before being found guilty of it. Have you heard how these women have been affected? What do you think about the media doing this?
Well, I have to defend the media on this one. The women that they accused of being prostitutes had full web sites claiming to be talented escorts, containing pictures and detailed descriptions of what they would do and how they would pleasure someone during a date and had their hourly rates posted. It’s pretty hard at that point to quibble over who might be a what.

The Dateline special portrayed the ABQ police as wanting to help New Mexico prostitutes (ex the West Mesa Murders) and yet the police are busting women and men in the ABQ area. Do you think this bust will negatively affect future progress on the case?
Omg, I can’t even imagine! I’m afraid of more escorts moving to the streets after losing their main internet business. I know that by destroying trust and communication avenues the only willing participants with police are going to be girls who are being threatened by the police because of their minor children or drugs. How reliable will those be? By arresting the decent paying clients it’s only going to create a desperation that may drive girls to be more reckless with which Johns they go with, leaving them wide open to freaks and killers.

What actions would you like to see the sex worker activist community doing about this bust?
I’m not sure what can be done. We need to rebuild a forum for referencing safe people, places, and practices.

What can sex worker supporters do to help escorts?
It mainly depends on voting for the right people and ideas, especially on local levels. We need to put pressure on our governments to put the money and resources into the projects that are really important.

Prostitution busts are often portrayed as necessary to get women out of the escort business. Do you think women quit the business and get “socially accepted” jobs because of busts like this?
I don’t know. Two women I know well already have regular jobs and I think that’s really common. One is a teacher who is divorced with two children; she got into the business when she was facing foreclosure on her house. The other has been working a job, going to school and still works in the business to stay afloat. I’m disabled and unable to work a normal job. I’m in the business so I can afford my doctors and medications. My medications alone run about $1,200.00 a month. I’ve been on the waiting list for state medical care for over 3 years now.

What are your opinions on governments and societies telling consenting adults what they can and can’t do with their time, bodies and money?
Oh I could go on forever about how wrong the system is. I think most of the ridiculous laws were brought about through good intentions of creating an environment of protection for it’s citizens but hundreds of years worth of history has proven that it doesn’t work. People are not better people because they live under thick layers of blanket laws that don’t take individual circumstances into account.

Any other thoughts on the bust that you’d like to share?
I’d like to give my personal opinion on David Flory, as someone who knew him and worked with him. Although we, the local working girls of New Mexico, would get frustrated with him for encouraging so many outside girls to travel to New Mexico for work, he wasn’t a bad guy. He took over the site to keep it from getting lost and falling apart. He recognized the need for service that the site provided and he was dedicated to keeping the hobby fun and safe for everybody. He never pressured or forced or intimidated or threatened or “pimped” or “managed” anyone. His biggest error was trying to encourage out of state girls to visit. In his mind, and the minds of the other men that were arrested, it was about increasing the variety of girls to choose from.

Posted by Vixen as Interviews, Sex Workers at 10:10 PM CDT

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From this gallery. The guy is doing a yoga pose. That’s a great one for stretching out the thigh muscles.

Posted by Vixen as Sexy Sensations at 4:40 PM CDT

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“I’ve got ten inches. Where does it go inside? Does it go up into your stomach or something?”
-new client

Posted by Vixen as Quote Book at 8:26 AM CDT

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Found via BoingBoing:
Move To Amend
“On January 21, 2010, with its ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations are persons, entitled by the U.S. Constitution to buy elections and run our government. Human beings are people; corporations are legal fictions.

We, the People of the United States of America, reject the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United, and move to amend our Constitution to:

* Firmly establish that money is not speech, and that human beings, not corporations, are persons entitled to constitutional rights.

* Guarantee the right to vote and to participate, and to have our vote and participation count.

* Protect local communities, their economies, and democracies against illegitimate “preemption” actions by global, national, and state governments.

The Supreme Court is misguided in principle, and wrong on the law. In a democracy, the people rule. We Move to Amend.”

Moving to abolish corporate personhood is one of the most patriotic things I can think of for today. Should it take a constitutional amendment to do it? Well no. It never should have been made law in the first place. But in the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision what options do we have?

Posted by Vixen as News at 12:07 PM CDT

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From Melissa Gira’s Tumblr:
Hype, Hustle, Harm: Why Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, and the DNA Foundation Need To Stand Down
“Hype. First, terminology. “Sex slavery” is a hot issue, and a non-issue. I refuse to use the term “sex slavery,” because all of the people, practices and conditions that the term “sex slavery” has been applied to vary so greatly. It’s a huge mistake to label absolutely everyone involved in commercial sex as a “sex slave.” Even when people are coerced into selling or trading sex, it is not clear that calling forced labor or rape a form of “slavery” is accurate or beneficial. By using very emotional terms like “slavery,” paired with images of young girls — and usually girls of color — campaigns against “sex slavery” play on stereotypes, fears, and melodrama in order to gain public support. Anyone who faces force, fraud, or coercion in the sex trade does not benefit from having their whole lives reduced to “slavery,” “trafficking,” or “exploitation.” People in the sex trade are not slaves in need of rescue. They do not need saviors, no matter how well-intentioned. They need power and control over their own lives.”

Preach it Melissa! I agree with her 100%. I also wonder what Kutcher’s and Moore’s real reasons for promoting this campaign.

The first time I saw Kutcher’s “Real men don’t buy girls” ad I thought well of course they don’t. Real men rent adult women’s time. Melissa is spot on-labeling all sex work as sex slavery is a huge mistake. I’m a sex worker and am certainly not a sex slave.

—

While researching the recent prostitution bust in New Mexico I came across a website devoted to the Long Island Serial Killer.
There’s a lot on the site-emails people have sent in, a chatroom for people to discuss the case, a profile of the killer, a timeline of the murders and more.

On one hand a site like this could stir up unhelpful rumors about the case. It’s even possible the killer himself could send false flag information to a site like this. Doubtful yes but still possible. But the site keeps the murders current. The more the murders can be kept in the news and in the public’s mind the better I think. Maybe the West Mesa Murders should have a similar site?

—

Recently New York and Rhode Island took two different paths for gay marriage.

From the Advocate:
New York says”I Do”
“In a historic vote with far-reaching implications, the New York State Senate passed the marriage equality bill Friday, making New York the sixth and most populous state in addition to Washington, D.C., to offer civil marriage for same-sex couples.

The 33-29 vote, including four Republicans, came at the end of the legislative session and capped a dramatic week in Albany, where loud protests for and against the bill, many based in religious belief, filled the hallways outside the Senate chamber and the majority conference room at the state capitol. New York became the first state with a Republican-controlled legislative body to pass a marriage equality bill, following passage multiple times in the Democratic-controlled state Assembly since 2007. ”

Yes, yes and YES!

Also from the Advocate:
R.I. Gov Signs Civil Unions Law
“Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee Saturday signed into law a controversial civil unions bill that failed to please many gay activists, who had hoped for marriage rights instead and objected to the bill’s broad exemptions for religious institutions.

Chafee, an independent who supports marriage equality, said at the signing that he sympathized with the criticism of the civil unions bill, but he also said it “brings tangible rights and benefits to thousands of Rhode Islanders,” the Associated Press reports.”

A frustrating compromise but still it’s progress.

—

From San Francisco Gate:
US Airways let man wearing women’s panties fly
“Six days before a college football player was arrested at San Francisco International Airport in a dispute that began because he tried to board a US Airways jet with sagging pants, a man who was wearing little but women’s undergarments was allowed to fly the airline, a US Airways spokeswoman conceded Tuesday.

(snip)

A photo of the scantily clad man was provided to The Chronicle by Jill Tarlow, a passenger on the June 9 flight from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Phoenix. Tarlow said that other passengers had complained to airline workers before the plane boarded, but that employees had ignored those complaints.”

This news is a bit old but I got several emails asking me to blog about it. I’m so curious about this man. Is he a brave crossdresser? If so then I say-you go girl! The lipstick, necklace and pose suggest crossdressing.

On the other hand I wonder if this guy is fucking with the TSA. Just think if he went through the pat down line. How much would that freak the TSA agent out? I love that idea. Really I’m a fan of either scenario.

But shame on the people who are complaining. What’s more offensive? A guy wearing feminine clothing in public or the government legally allowing molestations of adults and children at airports?

Posted by Vixen as News, Sex Workers at 11:35 PM CDT

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From E Online:
It’s Over! Supreme Court Smacks Down Anna Nicole Smith Estate’s Claim to Late Hubby’s Fortune
“The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a ruling Thursday denying the descendants of the ex-Playboy Playmate the $89 million-plus judgment previously awarded to her from late oil baron husband J. Howard Marshall’s estate.

(snip)

In a 5 to 4 vote, the justices sided with the Marshall clan which claimed that Smith was entitled to not one penny of Marshall’s $1.6 billion fortune. The verdict caps a 15-year legal battle that began in 1996, when the blonde bombshell sued her stepson Pierce Marshall for half his father’s millions, claiming the elder Marshall promised to leave her $300 million.”

—

I know, I know-she got pretty wacky near the end of her life. But I still stand by my conviction that Anna Nicole earned some of that $1.6 billion fortune. All of it? No. But she still deserved a portion.

This judgement seals the deal for her sainthood. Remember, traditional saints often suffered greatly in their mortal lives before they were elevated to sainthood. Anna Nicole suffered many hardships and lost her fortune thus she is the Matron Saint of Golddiggers.

Posted by Vixen as News, Sex Workers at 9:54 PM CDT

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