I’ve had several emails asking me to review 50 Shades of Grey. I looked into it and wow does it look bad. But I had no idea how bad until I stumbled upon Bizzybiz Blog’s hilarious review. She is reviewing a handful of chapters at a time. Not only does she rip the Grey book a new one she throws in hilarious comments on top of it. Here’s a few fun ones:
“”CHRISTIAN GREY: MASTER PIANIST. He is probably also secretly the Pope, the head of the IMF…no scratch that. He’s Jesus. Sexy Jesus.”
“So here is what Christian Grey comes to the hardware store to buy: cable ties, masking tape, rope. It’s a goddamn BDSM shopping list. STOP FORESHADOWING EVERYTHING. STOP IT. STOP.”
“I AM GOING TO STAB THIS BOOK UNTIL IT’S SO DEAD IT NEVER EXISTED.”
You can find all the 50 Shades posts here. I’m really hoping she reviews the entire trilogy because I’m having a blast reading her so far.
Martinez told The Associated Press that she will ask state lawmakers during the next session to pass new legislation making online sites linked to prostitution illegal.”
When I first saw this headline I thought-yeah I agree, the laws do need updating. That’s as far as Gov. Marinez and I agree. She of course wants tougher laws to make more things illegal. I of course want prostitution decriminalized. The SWC case makes a handy example to justify more laws against the sex trade.
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Found via Tits and Sass: Hey Ho! Backpage Protesters Hit Village Voice on the Hottest Day of the Year
“Backpage.com, owned by the Village Voice, is one of the more controversial web enterprises: according to some reports, it hosts 70 percent of the web’s sex ads. On Wednesday night, there were two protests outside the Voice’s offices in Cooper Square. One was led by radical feminists and evangelical Christians who compare Backpage to a pimp, hoping to shut it down the way Craigslist’s “adult services section” was shut down. The other protest was led by Backpage users: escorts, dommes, and rent boys, who say shutting down the site will run them out of business or onto the streets.
(snip)
One of those Attorneys General, Rob McKenna of Washington state, is the architect of policy that threatens not just Backpage, but free speech online. In an amendment to Washington State Senate Bill 6251, Mr. McKenna aimed to make Backpage illegal by criminalizing any individual or company who “knowingly publishes, disseminates, or displays, or causes directly or indirectly, to be published, disseminated, or displayed, any advertisement for a commercial sex act, which is to take place in the state of Washington and that includes the depiction of a minor.””
Melissa Gira gives a nice account of the protest and then makes an excellent transition to the bigger picture. I also like her comment-”It wouldn’t be a protest without a drum circle”. I totally agree.
From BoingBoing: Two years after BP oil spill, a health crisis continues in the Gulf
“This Nation investigation into health problems caused by the BP oil disaster two years ago is a must-read. Reporter Antonia Juhasz chronicles the personal stories of families affected by lingering toxic crap—the oil, but also substances like Corexit, used to clean up the oil. Get ready to be newly outraged at our government, BP, and all the lawyers defending this disgrace while working-class Americans suffer and die from corporate recklessness and greed.”
Prepared to be outraged again indeed. The picture BoingBoing used for their post is just perfect. The sheet irony of sunbathers and oil spill clean up crew meeting up on the beach is a classic laugh or cry situation.
It all started when an argument over payment between a Secret Service agent and a Colombian prostitute spilled into the hallway of the Hotel Caribe, where a contingent of agents and military personnel were staying as part of a security detail in advance of the president’s arrival for last weekend’s the Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia.”
It’s not a surprise at all that Secret Service agents hired prostitutes. I think the real lesson here is don’t argue about a prostitute’s fees. If you do the session then you pay her price.
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From the Guardian: Occupy promises upsurge as activists prepare for ’summer of discontent’
“But Occupy Wall Street, whose occupation of Zuccotti inspired hundreds of other Occupy groups across the US, is determined to revive itself after a winter of reduced activities and the often violent police removal of its protest encampments in city centres across America.
Activists and organisers have vowed to carry out a massive upsurge in activities on a broad range of issues in a bid to revitalise a movement whose “We are the 99%” slogan triggered a national debate on income inequality.”
I’m very curious how the Occupy spring will turn out. The tent protests were inspiring and the police crackdown brutal. But even if the crackdowns hadn’t happened the movement needed to move beyond urban camping. In my neck of the woods the Occupy movement has turned it’s focus to local and state issues. While that’s great in many regards I think we need another wave of nationwide protests to spark up the movement again.
From The Telegraph: Edna Milton Chadwell
“The Chicken Ranch served the men of La Grange — a town of several thousand people between the Texan cities of Houston and Austin — from 1915 to 1973. The establishment had got its name during the Depression, when clients who had no money paid for the girls’ services in farm produce, notably with chickens which were then used for egg production. It was said to be the oldest operating brothel in America when, in August 1973, it was closed down as a result of an exposé on Houston’s KTRK-TV by the investigative journalist Marvin Zindler.
(snip)
The brothel apparently enjoyed a roaring trade among local businessmen and students from the University of Texas and Texas A and M; it is even said that a nearby military base laid on a helicopter to ferry soldiers to and from their trysts. “We weren’t ostracised one bit,” Edna Milton claimed. “It was just as if I had a grocery store or an office or a restaurant.””
My mother loved musicals and Dolly Parton so I grew up singing the songs from “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”. Looking back I don’t think I fully grasped what a whorehouse was. To me it seemed more just like a house of women roommates. I loved the songs and the pretty dresses and how the women lived communally.
Years ago I found one of the Chicken Ranch tip boxes on Ebay. Determined to win it I bid a large amount but ended up winning it for a bargain. I use it as my jewelry box and it’s one of my prized possessions.
I particularly like Chadwell’s quote about the casual acceptance of the Chicken Ranch in the community. I’d like to see a future where sex work businesses are seen as just that-businesses.
This first one isn’t breaking news but it’s new to me. I saw this posted over on FetLife: Turn Off The Blue Light
“The Turn Off the Blue Light poster campaign has been designed to challenge the Irish public’s perception of sex workers, to get away from the overly negative or positive images of sex work that are so often seen, and instead show a more balanced, realistic view.”
What a great idea! I too “choose the job that suits my needs”-sex work supports my artistic hippie lifestyle.
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From AVN: Buck Angel Asks Fans To Buy Girl Scout Cookies
“A YouTube video featuring the ruggedly handsome Buck Angel asking fans and the general population to forgo a boycott of Girl Scout cookies called for by a young girl.
The original YouTube video, which is no longer available, the girl asked people to boycott the Girl Scouts and the organization’s annual cookie sale after the group allowed a 7-year-old transgender girl to join a troop in Colorado.
Angel, a female to male transgender and former Girl Scout, recently posted his own YouTube video, and his response is gaining quite a bit of mainstream attention. News outlets such as the Los Angeles Times and Huffington Post have reported on the debate the original video sparked, as well as publishing Angel’s video.”
Buck’s video is here. Go Buck go! And the Girls Scouts too-very open minded of them.
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From the Free Speech Coalition: LA City Council Approves Condom Ordinance in 9-1 Vote
“The LA City Council voted this morning, in open session, to approve a mandatory condom ordinance that would require adult productions to comply with condom usage on any adult set requiring a film permit in the Los Angeles City limits. The ordinance was approved 9-1.”
(snip)
Weinstein’s grandstanding on the condom issue is groundless – using provocative language like “epidemic” and quoting statistics that have proven to be inaccurate – Weinstein has politicized the issue of mandatory condom use while alienating the industry he claims to protect. He also has suggested that the City Council add an $85 fee to film permits for adult productions, in order to fund enforcement.”
I think this is more about the morality police trying to shut down pornography films rather than trying to protect performers.
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Stanley Siegel sent me his article via Twitter. I always appreciate readers that send in tips! Curing Pornophobia
“The great majority of us watch pornography. Nearly 87 percent of men and 76 percent of women reportedly visit adult entertainment sites. In fact, pornography drives the economy of the Internet and our appetite for it has led to Internet innovation.
(snip)
If we learn to identify and understand our fantasies, we can use them to create sexual experiences that are more aligned with our true desires by intentionally choosing partners with whom we are sexually compatible. If we can even go a step further, by decoding what they say about our past, we can use that knowledge to heal the conflicts that originally gave rise to them. Understanding our sexual fantasies is a key to understanding who we are.”
I was tempted to dress up in a slutty costume-I love dressing up for protests. But December in Albuquerque is not warm weather so I went with warm clothes. I’m glad I did because no one else was dressed up either. Maybe the next Slut Walk I go to will be at a warmer time so I can wear my planned costume of a fishnet bodystocking and heels.
Roughly two dozen gathered for our event. Compared to bigger cities our group was small but that’s ok because every year our group grows a bit bigger. Before marching we gathered to make signs. Good signs are essential for a march. Ours said-My Consent Counts, Only “Yes” Means Yes, Rapists Cause Rape, Consent Is Sexy, Find The West Mesa Killer, My Clothes Can’t Consent. We walked down Central St. which is one of Albuquerque’s busiest streets. Central was also a symbolic choice because part of the street is known as the “War Zone” where many of the victims of the West Mesa Killer worked as street prostitutes.
We marched several blocks to gather at a local club that let us use a secluded room in back. While walking we came up with several chants, many of which repeated the messages on our signs. My favorite was “One two three four, we support sluts and whores”.
Once we arrived at the club we gathered in the back to read the list of fallen sex workers. Slips of papers with victims’ names were passed around the room. This is one of the hardest parts of Red Umbrella Day. Holding those slips of paper in my hand I wonder about the slain workers. Who were they? What was their story? We lit candles as we read aloud the victims’ names.
Our group was a diverse bunch-there were women and men, sex workers and non-sex workers, straight, gay and kinksters joined together for the night. As a sex worker myself I was particularly moved that so many people from different paths of life joined together to support us.
After all the names were read we held a moment of silence for all the sex worker victims that have not been identified. Then we invited the group to share their feelings. The space felt safe and non-judgmental. Several participants talked about being sexually assaulted, one person speaking about the assault for the first time. I was touched that we provided a safe and loving environment where these experiences could be shared. I felt a sense of community that night and walked away feeling renewed hope for both the sex worker and slut walk movements.
At this year’s Red Umbrella Day I learned that the West Mesa murders were now a cold case. My first thought was that NO this couldn’t be true. But sadly it is. Checking the Albuquerque Police link on the murders confirms. Damnit!
The most recent news I could find was this story. From KRQE: Serial murder case on business cards
“A unique new business card is about to go into circulation that detectives hope will help find the killer of the 11 women found buried on Albuquerque’s west mesa in 2009.
The 2-year-old case has seen a lot of publicity since the first bone was discovered by a woman walking her dog. It’s even been broadcast on a national television show.
This will be the first time that the serial murder case is printed on a business card.”
On one hand I’m glad the Albuquerque Police is still trying to solve these murders. On the other hand I can’t help but think how much the APD itself has hurt the case. How? The Southwest Companions bust that’s how.
NM escorts and prostitutes have lost business and now can’t even trust each other because they fear one of their own may now be an informant. But most importantly a site that gave them the ability to verify a client’s reputation is now gone. This bust didn’t magically make prostitution disappear in New Mexico. I think it just makes these women take more risks to make money.
If one of these women has information about the case can we really expect her to confide in a police department that says it cares about the West Mesa victims but is putting living sex workers lives at risk by shutting down SW Companions? I don’t think so.
We will remember the West Mesa victims. And we will continue to hope for justice.
For this year’s International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers I went down to an event in Albuquerque, NM. While I’ll blog about the event itself in a couple days I want this post to focus on the fallen sex workers whose names I read out that evening. A sign from the evening said “We remember”. We do. We remember and we seek justice for them.
The International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers is coming up. From SWOP:
“December 17th is the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. This event was created to call attention to crimes committed against sex workers all over the globe. Originally conceptualized by Annie Sprinkle and initiated by the Sex Workers Outreach Project USA as a memorial and vigil for the victims of the Green River Killer in Seattle Washington, the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers has empowered workers from cities around the world to come together and organize against discrimination and remember victims of violence. During the week of December 17th, sex worker rights organizations and their allies stage actions and vigils to raise awareness about violence that is commonly committed against sex workers. The assault, battery, rape and murder of sex workers must end. Existing laws prevent sex workers from reporting violence. The stigma and discrimination that is perpetuated by the prohibitionist laws has made violence against us acceptable. Please join with sex workers around the world and stand against criminalization and violence committed against our communities.”
Want to go to an event? Check here for something near you. Organizing an event? Let SWOP know here.
As a sex worker I think this is an important event to attend. Fellow sex workers can join together to speak up for our rights and supporters can join us in solidarity.
From Women With A Vision: December 2nd: Save the Date! Summit on Sex Work in the South
“On December 2nd, 2011, Women With A Vision is joining forces with the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition, Asheville Sex Worker Outreach Project, Sex Workers Without Borders, North Carolina Sex Workers Alliance and Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive (HIPS) to host the first regional Summit on Sex Work in the South. Attendees include the awesome Human Rights Watch and other national allies.
We will be discussing sex work in the South, human rights & sex work, the negative public health & criminal justice effects of criminalization of condoms, advocacy for sex worker related issues, risk reduction for sex workers, drug use & sex work, bad date reporting and more!”
If I were in the area I think I’d go to this.
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From Self Served: Haystacks, Fucking, and Needles: Is Sex Work a Cop-out?
“Let’s talk about the world’s oldest profession. In my experience, the societal view of sex work claims it’s easy. Women and men who choose sex work, our culture tells us, are throwing away their education, or should go make something better of themselves, because exchanging sex or sexuality for money is a drag on society, morally corrupt, and a waste of one’s talents. For this blog, we’re going to examine the last stereotype—that being a sex worker wastes a person’s talents because it is easy. The implied idea in this stereotype whispers: “You’re such a smart/pretty/talented/capable girl; you come from such a good family/religion/socio-economic status; why are you doing this?”
I don’t know that I can argue that being a sex worker is easy, even for the sake of argument. I do know that not everyone can do it.”
My friend Sera Miles is blogging over at Self Served, a hip sex store in New Mexico that gives a discount to sex workers. In this post he writes about traits sex workers need to have to do well in the industry. It’s a good read.
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Found via Tits and Sass: Why are sex workers and their allies occupying Wall Street?
“In the last four weeks, many have been wondering what has driven people to Occupy Wall Street (OWS) and bring attention to the economic situation that has developed in our country. Critics have argued that so many issues are being discussed and that so many disparate groups have joined forces, that the occupation has no cohesive message, purpose, or goals. As our group of sex workers and allies stood in solidarity with our fellow revolutionaries Wednesday, October 5th at the rally at Foley Square in New York, it was apparent that we were included in that critique or question. What were we doing there? What was our purpose? What was our message? And how do sex workers’ rights connect to the larger OWS movement?
Those of us who were there, or who are active in the sex workers’ rights movement generally, have no doubt about how we fit within OWS and how OWS fits within our movement. United, in solidarity, with everyone coming together in Zuccotti Park and in all the plazas nationwide, we can bring about greater change. After the rally, we decided to highlight the points that bring together our intersecting movements and realities.”
Yes, yes and yes. This post is from last month but is still a good read. I wholeheartedly agree with it!
SWAAY’s text-only billboard reads, “Sex worker: a person who consensually exchanges their own sexual labor or sexual performance for compensation. Sex work is not the same as forced sex trafficking or sex slavery. Learn about the people and facts behind sex work at SWAAY.org.” Any variation of the group’s message was banned by Clear Channel, CBS, Lamar, Regency, Van Wagner, Avant Outdoor, LA Transit Authority, and Outdoor Solutions, but was finally picked up by a mobile billboard company.
The sex workers’ rights billboard was paid for by 115 supporters on EpicStep.com, a Kickstarter-like website that allows grassroots activist groups to crowdsource the funding of a media campaign. Previous billboards successfully launched through Epic Step include messages in support of WikiLeaks and accused war crimes whistle-blower Bradley Manning.”
While a billboard would have been awesome I’m glad SWAAY got the mobile billboard as a backup. It’s so nutty that the simple definition of a sex worker is considered controversial. Let’s hope this campaign gets bigger and goes nationwide.
Recently I had the pleasure Cameryn Moore’s two plays Phone Whore and Slut (r)evolution. Since I saw them both in one night I’m combining them into one post. I first blogged about Phone Whore here.
Phone Whore
I was particularly excited to see Phone Whore. A play all about what I do-yay! The audience was small and the stage was sparse. I don’t know if this is the case in all of Moore’s performances but she performed so close to us that I felt like I could reach out and grab the phone from her. This gave an immediate intimacy to the performance.
The play starts with the phone ringing and Moore offstage. She speeds in, grabs the phone and talks to the dispatcher. And then bam-the audience is experiencing her side of of phone sex call. After the phone call Moore breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the audience. This gave the whole play such strength. Since sex work is something that’s “hidden” to many people this dialog made a connection with the viewers.
Phone Whore’s tag line is “a one-act play with frequent interruptions”. And there are lots of interruptions. She’ll talk for a bit, sometimes about herself, the callers, sex work in general, and then the phone will ring and she’ll go on a call. This is an accurate portrayal of the work. My friends are used to me talking to them on the phone and then suddenly saying “I gotta go” when a call comes in.
Moore talks about her callers with compassion. She may poke fun at some of her clients but she also cares about them. She sees herself as an outlet where men can express their hidden desires in a judgement free space. I totally relate to that.
In one instance Moore is working on an art project. Later after the show my friend Kelli remarked, “how many of us do sex work to fund our art”? How true. So many of my sex worker friends, including myself, are artists.
There were a few surprises with how Moore did her calls. She didn’t use a headset. I started off without one but that quickly changed. I find a headset essential to doing calls. While she’s working on an art project her phone rings. She stops working on the project and sits in her work chair to do the call. I wasn’t expecting that. I love working on art while on calls; it helps me relax and focus on the fantasy. Another time she is making a snack and the phone rings. While talking to the client she looks longingly at her quickly getting cold food. Normally I don’t eat on calls but if I’m hungry I utilize my mute button and eat anyway. (I blogged about eating on calls here.)
The play was funny. As a PSO myself I laughed hard at some of her sex work jokes. She refers to the abundance of BBC calls-big black cocks. I often joke if I was back in college I’d write my thesis on the middle-aged, married, heterosexual male’s obsession with big black cocks.
As the phone rang one time Moore turned to the audience and says “you’re going to wish I would have signed off instead” before starting the call. I got excited. We were going to get a sick roller coaster ride of a call.
It turned out to be an incest call. At the time I felt disappointed. Incest? That’s easy. I can do complex lace knitting while doing an incest fantasy. But after the play my friend Kelli put it into perspective by commenting “wow that incest call was really hard to listen to”. As soon as she said that I appreciated that part in the play. For most people that scene is probably hard to sit through. I know a few PSOs that refuse to do that fantasy. I’ve been doing phone sex for nine years now-of course it was easy for me to hear that.
After the play Moore held a Q&A with the audience. This was a great idea. It gave non sex workers to engage with her. I’m sure many people haven’t knowingly talked with a sex worker. Remember we walk amongst you. ; ) The Q&A increased the intimacy of the performance and stirred up an interesting dialog.
Slut (r)evolution
After an intermission Moore performed Slut (r)evolution. I’m not a slut myself but I certainly am supportive of my slut friends. If that’s your kink I say go for it! So I went into this play with curiosity. What would her perspective be like?
The play’s tag line is “no one get there overnight”. Indeed the play shows her evolving into the proud slut that Moore is today. She again breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the audience. This works well for one person plays I think. Again, it created an intimacy between performer and audience.
Moore switches up the timeline. The first scene is her as a college aged woman. A scene of her as a girl appears in the middle of the play. Like Phone Whore, Slut (r)evolution shows Moore having conversations with unseen companions and then addressing the audience. This didn’t work as well for the play I thought. There is a scene where she is playing with a fellow kinkster at a play party and another where at Burning Man that I felt would have been enhanced with another actor. The scene with the white sheet portrays her as a young girl finding an erotic passage in a book. That scene felt the strongest to me.
Again there were several moments that were laugh out loud funny. Moore is a funny person. The ending surprised me. It wasn’t the context per se-it’s more that I didn’t realize it was the last bit until it ended. Unfortunately she didn’t do a Q&A after this play. That was a disappointment. I so enjoyed the one for Phone Whore that I was hoping for a repeat for Slut (r)evolution.
If Cameryn Moore is visiting your town I recommend seeing her. You can check out her travel schedule here.
However, the decision doesn’t mean the nationally known political science scholar is out of hot water.
It’s a move that buys the D.A. and the police more time to analyze evidence and the build their case against Garcia and other men busted in what police call a prostitution ring.”
I’d been hearing some NM rumors that the case against Garcia was falling apart. I don’t like this whole “buying time” bit. If prosecutors don’t have a case then they shouldn’t file charges in the first place.
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From the Advocate: A Gay Grandson to an Evangelical Empire
“Ten years later, Potts sits in front of an emotional crowd — many of them Oral Roberts University alumni — inside the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center to speak about his perspective on faith and sexuality, as he often does as a member of the Liberty Education Forum’s speakers bureau. He shakes his head, smiles a honeydew grin that belies memories big enough to break through stained-glass windows, and then begins sharing them. Potts continues to measure his former self — the closeted grandchild of televangelist Oral Roberts — against the one we see onstage: a proud, openly gay man.
(snip)
Oral Roberts pioneered TV evangelism, conducted more than 300 crusades on six continents, and founded Oral Roberts University and the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association —a holy empire that was worth more than half a billion dollars. He would also achieve worldwide notoriety after he claimed that God “would take him home” unless his followers raised $8 million in cash.”
Congrats to Randy Roberts Potts for speaking his truth!
As United States Ambassador to the United Nations under the Nixon Administration, President George H.W. Bush (the first President Bush) wrote a letter to Alan Guttmacher (founder of the Guttmacher Institute) congratulating him on creation of a “family planning” stamp commemorating (gasp!!) Margaret Sanger.”
Considering how many anti-choice laws are being hurled Planned Parenthood’s way these days it’s important to remember the Bush’s family one time spot on their board.
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Found via Tits and Sass: Get on the bus: St. James Infirmary’s new sex worker PSAs are
“St. James Infirmary has been providing free, non-judgmental medical and social services for sex workers since 1999. This week, it’ll take the next step. The clinic is putting ads up in Muni buses throughout the city this month meant to educate and inspire Muni riders throughout the city.
From Tits and Sass: Long Island Serial Killer Update
“Here’s the deeply depressing, and depressingly unsurprisingly verdict: two of the unidentified victims found on Gilgo Beach were likely working as prostitutes. One was an Asian male whose body was found in women’s clothing. He’s the only man among the ten bodies uncovered thus far. (Edit: Dacia has pointed out that the victim may have identified as a trans woman.) The five identified victims were all escorts.”
If you want to tell Suffolk County officials to give sex workers amnesty you can find details here.
Super cute! I think the heart shape is clever. SWAAY is currently having difficulties with the billboard project. Long story short-no LA billboard company will take their business. I’ll post any updates as soon as I get them.
