Sincerely, Kelly James

The Oldest Profession?

2011-04-05T15:04:00.005-07:00

A few weeks ago, evolutionary psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa published this article in Psychology Today with the byline "Is prostitution truly the oldest profession?" ("Do Men Try To Impress Prostitutes", The Scientific Fundamentalist 3/6/11)

According to the article, research has repeatedly shown that humans are not the only species who engage in prostitution. Female capuchin monkeys and bonobos have both been observed trading sex for "money" or for food which is considered the basic equivalant. This strongly suggests that prostitution is "evolutionarily familiar" yet Kanazawa also noted other factors which suggested the possibility that prostitution could actually be "evolutionarily novel".

Maggie McNeill immediately noticed some fallacies in his logic that appeared to stem from lack of any real working knowledge on the overall subject of prostitution and surmised that he had never actually met a prostitute. As she discussed in her column of March 12th, she wrote him an email offering some of her own experience and wisdom; although Maggie's sharp intuition comes as no surprise to anyone who knows her, Kanazawa was amazed at how accurately she had pegged him. He was very gracious and genuinely interested, I would venture to say that he found the ensuing discussion with a retired prostitute to be an eye opening experience. The idea that whores are intrinsically no different from other women is one of Maggie's deeply held philosophies; several weeks later Kanazawa published this follow-up article to the original based on their correspondance, titled "Are All Women Prostitutes? A perspective from someone who knows what she's talking about."

On the other hand, I, somewhat like Kanazawa, am going out on a limb by discussing what I believe to be logical fallacies in his reasoning based on my perceptions of subjects in which my formal knowledge is little to none; evolutionary psychology, psychology, evolution, genetics, cognition, and so on so forth. Therefore it is my hope that if he at some point reads this he takes it with the grain of salt with which it is meant to be taken :-)

do men try to impress prostitutes

"The deep evolutionary origin of prostitution and prostitutes and thus their evolutionary familiarity suggest that men would not try to impress prostitutes, because they know it is not necessary…If it turns out that men routinely attempt to impress prostitutes before having sex, then it means that prostitution is evolutionarily novel and it is not the world’s oldest profession." -Satoshi Kanazawa, in the original article "Do Men Try To Impress Prostitutes"

It is my opinion that the question of whether prostitution is evolutionarily familiar or evolutionarily novel cannot be answered by the question of whether or not men try to impress prostitutes; in fact the two are completely unrelated.

The desire of one human to impress another has less to do with who he is trying to impress than it has to do with his own ego and need for validation. It can be argued that men trying to impress women is a mating ritual comparable to a peacock fanning out his plume, but if that's the case than why do heterosexual members of the same sex try to impress each other?

In the cited example from Superfreakonomics, Allie's (a prostitute) venture capitalist client didn't try to impress her by bringing her flowers or jewelry. Instead, he attempted to impress her with intellectualism and common interests, which could have been used to impress anyone, potential sexual partner or not. Clearly the human desire to impress others is more than a simple mating ritual. Note that the desire to impress others is equivalant to the desire to be admired, respected, and liked. If someone is impressed by another individual then they by definition admire, respect, or like him.

Everyone wants to be liked, therefore everyone is constantly trying to impress everyone else to a certain degree. Additionally, most men feel a strong biological need to feel admired by a sexual partner. Her status as a prostitute is irrelevant. Most, if not all, of my gentlemen friends try to impress me in one way or another. They are always complimentary, often bring small gifts or tokens of appreciation, and many read this column. All are unfailingly polite and conduct themselves as gentlemen because they want me to like them and more importantly, they want me to enjoy the experience. In addition to their need to feel admired, most men also have a strong biological need to feel they have satisfied their partner.

the genetic factor

Kanazawa goes on to state that if prostitution is indeed evolutionarily familiar that men's brains ought to be able to recognize prostitutes.

Ever notice how certain women simply exude more sex appeal than most? Or ones who seemingly stand out in any crowd? Amanda Brooks first discussed the possibility of the genetic prostitute in her article "A Natural History of the Prostitute".

Hypothetically speaking, if men's brains are in fact programmed to recognize a prostitute there must be genetic prostitutes, and a true genetic prostitute must be programmed in some special way to make them recognizable. This would not mean that prostitutes in today's society are necessarily of the genetic sort. If genetic prostitutes do in fact exist I would expect them to be scattered throughout society due to the fact that whore stigma and criminalization has made life quite difficult for the traditional prostitute. A few could almost certainly be found among modern working girls, however many more might be found living the good life* in a nice home, caring for their children, and attending to the needs of their husbands who in return take care of the family's needs (*see Andrea in the comments section of that link). Or perhaps one might find a genetic prostitute saying something like "I am an excellent housekeeper. When I get a divorce, I keep the house" (-Zsa Zsa Gabor). Hollywood might be a good place to look if one was actively seeking out one of these fascinating creatures. I'm pretty sure if genetic prostitutes actually do exist that a few could even be found on my blogroll to the right.

the intelligence factor

Data indicating that intelligent men are more likely to have ever paid for sex at first suggested to Kanazawa that prostitution may be evolutionarily novel:

"Intelligent men are more likely to have had sex with a prostitute than less intelligent men. According to the logic of the Hypothesis (Kanazawa's hypothesis), this suggests that prostitution is evolutionarily novel and there were no prostitutes in the ancestral environment."

Maggie had another idea, indicating that this fact also has no bearing on the question of evolutionary familiarity:

"Intelligent men are less likely to believe in silly propaganda against us, and less likely to have the kind of fragile masculine ego which would be wounded by "having to pay for it." The intelligent man knows that "free tail is the most expensive kind," and can make the reasonable and pragmatic decision to spend his money on a "sure thing" rather than chasing women whose price and quality are uncertain." *

Well, now that that's settled...

*For anyone suffering from cognitive impairment, here is the English-to-Stupid translation: Stupid men are too stupid to realize how much money they spend chasing after women who don't put out. All they know is that they are better than men who pay to have sex with whores!

prostitution: familiar or novel?

Despite (or perhaps due in part to) some basic differences in our philosophies, it was definitely refreshing to see an "academic" with an open mind. Lately, it sadly seems that too many people simply prefer to remain close-minded, even when it becomes painfully obvious that their rigid belief systems and long treasured misconceptions are essentially rooted in the Dark Ages. It is difficult for me to grasp the idea that a highly intelligent, well educated person such as Kanazawa genuinely understood so little about whores; in fact this concept is probably just as fascinating to me as talking to a retired whore was to him. It certainly explains a lot about how people's misconceptions about prostitutes allow them to believe the most outlandish of lies.

Following his contact with Maggie he writes:

"Prostitution is evolutionarily familiar, because mating is evolutionarily familiar and prostitutes (at least the classy ones) are no different from other women, whom men also have to pay – not in cash payments but in dinners and movies, gifts, flowers, chocolates, and motor oil – if they wanted to impress them enough to have sex with them."

Prostitutes most certainly are not any different from other women, much like black people are no different from whites. Human beings are human beings, and whore stigma is just another prejudice which hopefully will soon be equally as unacceptable as prejudices stemming from skin color or sexual orientation. In regards to evolutionary familiarity however I think that his statement is only partially correct.

Advocates for sex workers rights consider decriminalization of prostitution a labor rights issue because prostitution is an occupation no different from any other. One hires a prostitute much like one hires a hairstylist, mechanic, or home health care provider. Each trades their particular service for compensation.

The original form of trade was barter; as I see it, the answer to Kanazawa's question lies in the evolutionary origin of barter and the evolutionary development of the species who built an entire world around it.

Since I don't buy into ridiculous notions of social construction of gender, I simply assume that males of our ancestry were more inclined towards hunting and females preferred caring for their young. At the lower levels of consciousness on which I assume our earliest ancestors operated they would have been aware of their physical needs: the need to eat, the need to sleep, and the need to have sex, and perhaps also aware that those around them shared the same needs. It is quite logical that barter began with the convienient exchange of physical needs - food and sex. It is unknown at what point in the evolution of the genus homo that barter actually began, however it is probable that barter is older than language. According to my line of logic, prostitution is evolutionarily familiar because barter is evolutionarily familiar and barter is only possible within the extent of the realm of consciousness.

Does this mean that prostitution is in fact the oldest profession? Not quite. By definition, compensation of some sort must be involved in order for anyone to actually prostitute themselves and so hunting and gathering must have preceded prostitution. Regardless, there is a possibility that human prostitution is almost as old as the oldest of our homo ancestors; homo habilis first appeared approximately 2 million years ago. Language most likely came into being about 200,000 years ago with the advent of homo sapiens and since we already ascertained that barter is most likely older than language, it can be logically inferred that barter as well as prostitution are most likely somewhere between 200,000 and 2 million years old.

Dear Ms. Davis

2011-03-31T02:05:00.000-07:00

From: Kelly James <kelly@sincerelykelly.com>
To: press@manhattanmadam.com
Subject: Misrepresentation of gross proportions

Dear Ms. Kristin Davis / "Manhattan Madam" Staff,

“The women who worked for me chose to be sex workers,” said Davis. “80% of the women working as escorts are doing so against their will,”

That statement is pure fallacy of unbelievably gross proportions. It is not only unethical to spread such misinformation among the public, it is irresponsible to the point of downright negligence, extremely harmful to each and every sex worker across the United States, and seriously counterproductive for the entire sex worker rights movement and those of us who invest a lot of time trying to dispel such lies. Not to mention completely and totally hypocritical. Ms. Davis ought to be ashamed of herself as should every single one of you.

Let me make sure I'm getting this straight. According to Ms. Davis, 80% of women working as escorts - many of whom I must point out are INDEPENDENT - are doing so against their will, but the women who worked for her, who gave her a portion of their earnings as an agency fee, who supported her lifestyle for how many years? Those women chose to be sex workers! Meanwhile - let me guess - the rest of us are too drug addled, uneducated, and mentally incompetent to make the same choice to be sex workers that the women who worked for Ms. Davis made?

Or did Ms. Davis simply make such a statement to garner publicity and public approval?

The Village Voice recently published an article detailing the grave errors of methodology prevalant in trafficking "studies" conducted by organizations such as the Shapiro Group.

Based on studies done in New Zealand where prostitution is decriminalized (which gives them the ability to conduct actual scientifically based studies on the subject), this is quite likely the most accurate information concerning sex trafficking in the US currently available.

Along with many other advocates for sex workers rights across the country, I am sick and tired of the misinformation and blatant lies being propegated by those who must either be shockingly ignorant or so desperate to forward their own agendas that they are willing to forego every last semblance of ethics in order to do so.

Kelly James

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ms. Davis can rest assured that although she will never hold the title of Governor or Mayor she certainly holds the title of Asshole of the Month.

This woman is to whores what the proverbial "oreo cookie" is to blacks.

"Lawman" on the Loose

2011-03-27T22:13:00.014-07:00

The Enforcement Support division of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Posse provides backup and support for the Sheriff during crucial law enforcement operations. They often transport arrestees, secure crime scenes, and provide traffic control. "Qualified" members are permitted to carry a firearm and partner with deputies on patrol. Other listed duties include assisting with law enforcement activities required in the event of natural disasters or threats to homeland security, helping with missing persons searches, working with deputies serving warrants, with detention officers searching for contraband in detention centers, and members are sometimes commissioned to work on special duty assignments such as auto theft or arson.

The Posse is supported by member dues and donations from local corporations and individuals. All members are volunteers, required to be at least 18 (21 to be armed), have a valid Arizona drivers license, and be in good mental and physical health. They are subjected to background checks and cannot have any record of criminal history or record of improper personal conduct that could potentially affect their suitability for law enforcement work.

Steven Seagal: Lawman or lawbreaker?

At the scene of a recent MCSO operation, a new Posse recruit dressed in full army fatigues exits a military style MCSO armored vehicle. He is followed by a camera crew.

"Steven Seagal, Lawman" is a reality show on the A&E network which premiered in late 2009, documenting the actor's work as a volunteer Sheriff's Deputy in Jefferson Parish County, Louisiana. While he claims he was trained to perform police duties and that he earned a certificate from Peace Officer Standards & Training (POST) in Los Angeles, neither POST officials in California nor in Louisiana have any record of this, despite the fact that the actor had served various short stints as a Jefferson Parish deputy over the past twenty years.

Seagal also claims to be "one of the highest ranking Akido instructors in the world". According to the LA Times, he would participate in martial arts training sessions for deputies in Jefferson Parish. "You can look at me as a movie star, and say, 'Hey, Steven Seagal here. He a movie star,' " he told a group of deputies about to undergo training. "Or you can wipe that . . . out of your head and say, 'Steven Seagal can save my life.' "

He also claims to be a "world class marksman".

In April of 2010, all filming of the show was stopped by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff due to a lawsuit filed against Seagal by his former assistant Kayden Nguyen, charging him with sexual harassment and sex trafficking, among other infractions.

The accusations against Seagal include: pushing his hands under her shirt and attempting to fondle her bare breasts, grabbing her leg and forcing it over his body and then forcing his hand down her pants between her bare buttocks, forcibly holding her legs apart, forcing his hand down her pants into her vagina, continuing the forcible penetration of her vagina until she sobbed so loudly that he stopped, and forcing her to consume illegal pills. In the lawsuit it was stated that Nguyen was hired to be Seagal's executive assistant but "what the production company really wanted was an 'Attendant' to provide sex on demand to Mr. Seagal'". The lawsuit can be found here in it's entirety, courtesy of TMZ.

According to the lawsuit, these incidents took place at the house where Nguyen was required to stay while performing her duties as Seagal's assistant. Allegedly, when Nguyen quit the job and left the house, she was so desperate to leave that she left behind her car keys, all her clothes, her laptop computer, and several hundred dollars worth of makeup. She claimed that Seagal's production staff refused to return her possessions unless she signed a release promising not to sue.

Seagal's lawyer, of course, attempted to discredit his client's accuser by claiming she was "fired for using illegal narcotics". Two other women including the granddaughter of Ray Charles came forward with sworn statements alleging that they had been victims of similar misconduct by Seagal.

There was no reason given when the lawsuit was dropped in July of 2010. It has been well documented that Seagal's attorneys had been trying to resolve the case through private arbitration.

Although Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand had invited Nguyen to file criminal charges against Seagal at the same time he had stopped production of the show, those charges were never filed. Nyguen's attorney, William Waldo, claimed that she feared the Jefferson Parish Police because Seagal was a member.

However, the JPSO was not dismissing the issue . Sheriff Normand stated that "Seagal was facing an internal affairs investigation immediately following the outcome of his lawsuit. He refused to return to Jefferson Parish, at which time he tendered his resignation."

This isn't the first time Seagal has been accused of similar misconduct. Various public claims have been made against the actor since 1995. Ex wife Kelly LeBrock has said she wasn't surprised by the latest accusations against him. Jenny McCarthy has openly stated that he harassed her during a movie audition in 1998. The New York Post published an article with yet more claims documenting his blatant misconduct. MacarelloLaw.com lists Steven Seagal v. Cheryl Shuman among their successes, having won dismissal with prejudice on Seagal's behalf in the sexual harassment and wrongful termination claim brought against him by Shuman during filming of “On Deadly Ground” in 1995, also documented by the NY Daily News.

Sexual harassment isn't the only rumor that has plagued the actor-turned-lawman over the years. In 2002-03, the Smoking Gun, People Magazine, and the LA Times reported that the FBI had implicated Seagal in Mafia related threats against an LA Times reporter. Seagal has stated that the FBI's claims "killed his career".

Unfortunately for residents of Maricopa County, he was wrong. Since being expropriated from Jefferson Parish, he has joined the ranks of the MCSO Posse and made Maricopa County the new home of "Steven Seagal, Lawman".

I don't think I need to overly emphasize the brevity of a situation where a person of such questionable moral character is given the authority that is given to MCSO Posse members. The potential for abuse of that authority is quite significant especially towards marginalized minorities such as illegal immigrants or sex workers, both who have absolutely no recourse against police abuse due to criminalization and prejudice. There is good reason that Posse members are held to such strict standards of qualification and it's painfully apparent that Seagal doesn't measure up.

All else aside, the fashion in which he parted ways with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office speaks volumes. A deputy as dedicated to his organization as Seagal claimed to be to the JPSO wouldn't have been so quick to resign his position, and a true "Lawman" would have used any investigation as an opportunity to clear his name once and for all.

Where Men And Mountains Meet

2011-03-22T00:12:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple months I have become a big fan of Big Love. For the most part I don't really care for television and consider it Big Brother's most powerful avenue for the mass brainwashing of American society, the last TV show I regularly watched was the first season of Criss Angel's Mindfreak. Big Love, however, got me to think. What it got me to think about, as I discussed in a previous post, is that perhaps polygamy is simply a consensual crime which, much like prostitution, is grossly misrepresented in our society.

I was particularly struck by the scene in last night's series finale (somewhere in the middle of the video below) when, closely following both his speech at the state sponsored demolition of the Juniper Creek compound and his arrest for polygamy and statutory rape of his third wife Margene, Sen. Bill Henrickson takes the senate floor.

Sen. Henrickson: "Juniper Creek is a grotesque manifistation of the Principle. It's been allowed to fester and bloom like a cancer in the dark closet of illegality. I wish to offer an amendment to decertification of Juniper Creek...the legalization of polygamy. An act for the legalization of plural marriage - a 19th century ban that's based in comparing polygamy to religious murder...and actual human sacrifice and murder doesn't even pass the stink test.

Another senate member chimes in: "In this respect it does. It is a remnant of a neolithic time, something from the dark ages that enslaves women ...."

Sen. Henrickson: "For 50 years, the Utah territory, a polygamist territory, was progressive, idealistic. Our polygamist women demanded and recieved the right to vote decades before the rest of this nation and it was this chamber that stripped them of their voices when they voted to make polygamy illegal, casting them into the shadows and then turning their backs on them..."

Sen. Henrickson's first wife Barb speaks from the public gallery, directing her words towards the senate member who had interrupted her husband: "And you're not one to talk. Your LDS religion suppresses women as well, excommunicating us for speaking out. And attempting to bury the Mother in Heaven doctrine!"

(is this beginning to sound familiar?)

Sen. Henrickson: "For the first time in 120 years this body and this state will discuss and debate the merits of the legalization of polygamy. And failure to do so lays it's abuses, it's victims, at your feet, not ours. We have stepped out of the shadows and demand our day in the sun."

The character of Sen. Bill Henrickson, for all his shortcomings, was a visionary willing to stand up for what he believed in the hopes of bringing change and I was sorry to see poor Bill killed off in the final episode of the series.

As for polygamy, while it occurred to me that I hypothetically might be better off in a plural marriage with the fictional character of Bill Henrickson than with the now permanant ex that has been giving me so much grief, I am quite certain it is not for me, just as sex work isn't right for everyone. I once experimented with a polyamorous relationship with a married couple whom I used to refer to as my "sugar couple" and it was more than enough. Besides, I definitely have no desire to convert to Mormonism, but hell, to each their own.

Just don't come knocking at my door and I won't come knocking at yours, right Brandy? LOL

Weathered

2011-03-19T23:38:00.000-07:00

I lie awake on a long, dark night
I can't seem to tame my mind
Slings and arrows are killing me inside
Maybe I can't accept the life that's mine,
No... maybe I can't accept the life that's mine

Simple living is my desperate cry
Been trading "love" with indifference an' yeah it suits me just fine
I try to hold on but I'm calloused to the bone
Maybe that's why I feel alone?
Yeah, Maybe that's why I feel so alone.

Me... I'm rusted and weathered
Barely holding together
I'm covered with skin that peels and it just won't heal

I'm rusted and weathered
Barely holding together
I'm covered with skin that peels and it just won't heal.

No... It just wont heal.

The sun shines and I can't avoid the light
I think I'm holding on to life too tight
Ashes to ashes and dust to dust
Sometimes I feel like giving up
Yeah, I say... Sometimes I feel like giving up

Me...I'm rusted and weathered
Barely holding together
I'm covered with skin that peels, and it just won't heal

I'm rusted and weathered
Barely holding together
I'm covered with skin that peels, and it just won't heal.

It just wont heal.
Oh...

The day reminds me of you
The night hides your truth
The earth is a voice
Speaking to you
Take all this pride
And leave it behind
cuz' one day it ends
One day we die
Believe what you will
That is your right
But I choose to win
I choose to fight...
To fight

Me... I'm rusted and weathered
Barely holding together
I'm covered with skin that peels and it just wont heal.

I'm rusted and weathered
Barely holding together
I'm covered with skin that peels and it just wont...
Covered with skin that peels and it just wont...
Covered with skin that peels and it just wont heal.

-Creed

Of Prostitution and Polygamy

2011-02-28T05:43:00.002-07:00

Prostitution of the Constitution Part III

At first glance prostitution and polygamy might seem to be direct opposites; theoretically either might drastically reduce demand for the other. In practice however the two share much common ground from stereotypes to archetypes to underlying principles of individual rights that affect every citizen in this country, even those who would never even consider either to be an acceptable lifestyle.

The Archetype

The archetype of man as polygamist is as old as the profession of whoredom as demonstrated in the Book of Genesis: "Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife" (Genesis 16:1-3). In King Solomon's case, his seven hundred wives were a sign of his great wealth. Of course prostitutes are well represented in the Bible from Rahab to Mary Magdalene who in my opinion was a prostitute after all, but not a repentant one ;)

Polygamy and prostitution have both thrived since. Today polygamy is legal and widely practiced in Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, Asia, South Asia, and Saudi Arabia. Prostitution, well, that's everywhere. The question this raises is if man is by nature a monogamous creature. Perhaps that is best answered by example of the so called serial monogamy prevalent in our culture. Our practice of marriage, kids, divorce, remarriage and so on has actually been referred to as slow-motion polygyny.

The Stereotype

Although the glamourized pimp-n-ho culture is not at all grounded in the actual realities of sex work, in that culture the pimp's hoes refer to each other as "wife-in-laws"; eerily similar to the widely popularized polygamist term of "sister wives". Pimps and hoes refer to their lifestyle as "the game" or "the life" while fundamentalist Mormon polygamists refer to theirs as "the principle". Both discourage females asserting dominant roles, the extent to which submission is expected depends on the particular situation. There are polygamist sectors who force arranged marriages on their womenfolk just as a pimp forces a prostitute to sell her body. There are pimps who prey on vulnerable, underage girls. There are polygamists who do the same.

All of the above are stereotypes of various levels of depth. Prostitution and polygamy have certainly both earned some pretty negative reputations due to those who use them for ill intent.

Any consenting adult sex worker would laugh at the idea promoted by the antis that all sex workers are coerced into sex work by pimps and traffickers. The vast majority of sex workers are in fact consenting adults. They do not have pimps or wife-in-laws nor do they consider their job a "game". They become sex workers for a wide variety of reasons but for the vast majority it is a conscious choice.

There are approximately 38,000 active polygamists in the United States. Since they are in fact polygamists it is probably fair to assume that females outnumber the males by a 2:1 ratio, therefore according to that figure there should be around 25,000 women living a polygamist lifestyle in this country today. For the vast majority of them it too is a conscious choice, although they may in fact consider it to be a principle as well.

Every Individual's Right

Each individual has the inalienable right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. The fashion in which one individual or even most individuals are compelled to further their lives and pursue happiness is not necessarily how every individual is going to be compelled to do so. Since no individual is any more or less important than the next, what gives anyone the right to dictate what any other consenting adult can or cannot do to pursue their own happiness? Because the individual's right to their own life is recognized in the principles of this country, we are granted the right to have our own beliefs and the right to live according to those beliefs.

What if the proverbial shoe was on the other foot? What if the majority of this country practiced polygamy and monogamy was illegal? That would be ridiculous. How about if it were legal to be a prostitute but illegal to be a political lobbyist?

Would you ask this guy for sex advice?

In the past year, Nevada Senator Harry Reid (pictured above) has launched attacks on both prostitution and polygamy as demonstrated here and here.

"These people who are doing this — many of them are doing things that are immoral, and in many instances illegal.......I think we have an obligation to help these women and children who are being victimized."

Wait...was Senator Reid talking about prostitution or polygamy? Does it really even matter?

Who the hell is he to tell someone else what they can or cannot do with their own physical being? He's trying to tell me that I can't fuck who I want when I want? Or is he only placing the stipulations that a) I can't accept money from someone I fuck and b) I can't fuck someone who is fucking someone else?

If he can stipulate that, what stops him from stipulating c) I can only fuck between the hours of 9pm and 6am, d) I can only fuck a member of the opposite sex, or e) I can only get fucked in my pussy?

I wouldn't be surprised if Harry wanted me to save my ass just for him so he can continue fucking it without interruption.

The violation of one individual's rights equals the violation of all individuals' rights and so apparently Senator Harry Reid thinks he has the right to dictate the sexual conduct of every citizen of America.

Somehow I don't think that's in the "senator" job description.

President Obama is February Asshole of the Month

2011-02-27T06:46:00.000-07:00

The following is an excerpt from the President's very own agenda!

"Often the best source of information about waste, fraud, and abuse in government is an existing government employee committed to public integrity and willing to speak out. Such acts of courage and patriotism, which can sometimes save lives and often save taxpayer dollars, should be encouraged rather than stifled. We need to empower federal employees as watchdogs of wrongdoing and partners in performance. Barack Obama will strengthen whistleblower laws to protect federal workers who expose waste, fraud, and abuse of authority in government. Obama will ensure that federal agencies expedite the process for reviewing whistleblower claims and whistleblowers have full access to courts and due process."

Wait a second....Last time I checked, the government funds the military. This makes soldiers government employees.

Anyone know where I'm going with this yet?

Although he states that whistleblowing is a courageous and patriotic act and pledges to protect government employees who expose fraud and abuse in government, Bradley Manning remains at Quantico Military Prison and President Obama has yet to do a damn thing to protect him, much less to ensure that his claims are reviewed for legitimacy or that he has any access to due process at all.

A few more quotes from Obama's agenda

"As president, Barack Obama will restore the American people's trust in their government by making government more open and transparent."

"....But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It's about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect."

"....help address police brutality and accountability issues in local communities."

"Fight attacks on workers' right to organize"

"Protect striking workers"

"Getting Politics out of Intelligence"

"Change the Culture of Secrecy"

"Too often bills are rushed through Congress and to the president before the public has the opportunity to review them."

Liar, liar, pants on fire

Every President makes promises he can't keep. That's simply the nature of the game. This is (supposedly) a democracy, not a dictatorship, and so the President's every wish is not at his command. What irritates me about Obama is on a broader scale; clearly principles mean nothing to him. Not only isn't he doing what he promised but he is actually doing the opposite. His most basic principles change according to social and political climate. This is what makes him Asshole of the Month.

"I am in this race to tell the corporate lobbyists that their days of setting the agenda in Washington are over. I have done more than any other candidate in this race to take on lobbyists — and won. They have not funded my campaign, they will not run my White House, and they will not drown out the voices of the American people when I am president."

Uh huh.

What a crock of shit.

Kelly Updated

2011-02-21T23:18:00.000-07:00

I've been in kind of a strange place personally of late, accounting for my lack of writing this month! Not a bad place, just a strange place; uncharacteristically uninspired I suppose.

My attention has also been focused on several other projects, one being the revamping of my escort website. I took some new pictures and put together a whole new website that I feel relates better to this one in both design and overall tone, connecting my professional and personal personas and better completing my brand of myself as me LOL.

Another project I have been contemplating is the all new SWOP - Phoenix and exactly what I would like to do with it as an organization. I have finished the website template, although it is as of right now only a bare bones template with absolutely no information except for my mission statement so please excuse the disarray! I am looking forward to the opportunity to build the website and my vision as well as the opportunity to work with the wonderful folks over at SWOP.

So, that's where I've been at! Around. Still right here.

Thank you all for your continuing support.

My thoughts on "Selling The Girl Next Door"

2011-02-10T01:29:00.001-07:00

Read this and this.

Why the fuck is a 13 year old sex trafficking victim brought to court chained and shackled? Why is a 13 year old sex trafficking victim locked up in jail and not allowed to go home....indefinitely? Why is it that in the "land of the free" ANY victim is treated as a criminal?

I dunno....but I'll venture a guess - perhaps an attempt at early modification of socially deviant behavior?

But...it's for her own good! (ahem. The good of whom? at whose expense?)

Go feed that crap to someone else. Here's what I noticed...

First off, the mother of the girl in this story is a bitch.

Personally, I think any mother who leaves her 13 year old daughter in jail is a bitch in spite of the possibility that she might run away again if allowed to come home.

It’s a damn shame when a 13 year old girl would rather go back to an abusive pimp than deal with her mom and the system. Just sayin'.

This is clearly being presented as a case of drug addiction. Now, I've known some crackheads who would do just about anything for a hit. On the other hand, I (many years ago!) had quite the cocaine habit yet would have had nothing to do with any pimp, preferring instead to earn my own money and buy my own drugs. A very subtle difference, yes, but a difference nevertheless. The stereotype of an addict is absolutely a stereotype; the actualities vary depending on the addict. Justifying the imprisonment of this girl based upon drug use is fallacy of logic.

Note that we have no indication of what drugs she was supposedly using. I've tried just about every one in the book with the exception of heroin and experienced no side effects of uncontrollable desires to run into the arms of an abusive pimp. However I have known several heroin addicts and lemme tell you what - if she was hooked on heroin and thrown into juvenile detention center to detox - that would be considered cruel and unusual punishment...of a criminal. Of course, the girl is a victim.

All this only demonstrates how miserable her home life must have been. She's in jail because of concern that she might prefer life with a pimp to life with her mom.

Here's a brilliant idea: take the public funds currently used to investigate, prosecute, and imprison consenting adult sex workers and instead use that money to implement programs to help and support unhappy teens who are otherwise susceptible to predators such as pimps and traffickers!

Or perhaps those resources would be better used to apprehend the pimps and traffickers? Why aren't we out catching those motherfuckers and putting THEM in jail?

This is terrific...

2011-02-08T02:19:00.000-07:00

I borrowed it from Maggie's....

The Land Of Opportunity

2011-02-07T12:31:00.000-07:00

According to expert sources, there is a pimp on every street corner of America.

Perhaps that's because the criminalization of sex work creates a veritable Land of Opportunity for sex traffickers, pimps, and other opportunists.

The world of sex work is every opportunist's dream. The grass is green the sun is shining and there is an endless supply of unsuspecting people to take advantage of. Why? The same reason that sex workers are so often the victims of violence - because it's sex work and sex work is illegal.

This immediately presents two obvious issues: 1) Private consenting sex work must be decriminalized for the sake of the preservation of every individual's rights. 2) Until that is accomplished, all sex workers, potential sex workers, and allies of sex workers must learn to recognize and protect themselves and each other against opportunists.

The first rule of recognizing an opportunist is to understand that an opportunist will not seem to be an opportunist.

Will The Real Ruby Scarlet Please Stand Up?

Here in my little corner of the world, the concept of PAAC (Professional Alliance of Adult Companions) was recently introduced by "anonymous" individuals using the pseudonym "Ruby Scarlet". It is now known as Pillow Talk.

Clearly, things are not always as they seem.
Welcome to the Land of Opportunity....

What's your type?

2011-01-26T15:39:00.000-07:00

I'm an ENTP Visionary and have found various descriptions to be more or less eerily accurate.

Take test here and here

Read about individual types here

xoxoxo

Mathematics Of A Victim

2011-01-21T13:54:00.000-07:00

Prostitution of the Constitution Part II

One of my most favorite revelations to spew from my little self created digital podium of late has been the following (in case you hadn't noticed):

NO VICTIM = NO CRIME

Recently, I have done a LOT of reading on victimless crimes which are also sometimes referred to as consensual crimes. Among these are drug-related offenses, prostitution, assisted suicide, gambling, and a multitude of conduct related offenses. Common law provides the basis for the equation of crime to victim (note, if no victim = no crime, then crime = victim, correct?). Finally, I thought, something that makes sense! This idea fit in so naturally with my line of thinking that I just knew it was fundamentally moral and so I adopted it, using it in any and all applicable settings even though I realized I didn't understand it on a conceptual level and couldn't explain it.

I quickly noticed however that everyone and everything is claimed as a victim at one point or another. Maggie discusses this at length in her Jan 16 column. For example, the anti trafficking zealots, adopting the line of thinking of the 'Swedish model', claim that prostitutes are the victims of prostitution. Not any particular prostitute, but prostitutes as a whole. Making this even more ridiculous is the fact that traditionally, it has been the client who is painted as the victim of the evil prostitute! I automatically realized that this was all a bunch of crap, but still couldn't quite put my finger on the rational fallacy involved.

Then one evening, while surfing the net at 3am (common occurance!) it dawned on me.

The Guiding Principle

Our right to life is the fundamental right from which all others are derived - liberty, pursuit of happiness, and property. I know what you're thinking - "yeah, yeah, but we already know all that"!!! The question then is this - since these are inalienable rights, self evident, even axiomatic in nature, how can they be taken away?

These rights can only be taken away by physical force. One's life can only be taken away if another kills him. One's liberty or pursuit of happiness can only be taken by direct force or indirect force as in the threat of force. One's property must physically be taken from him; to assert physical control over another's property without their consent is to take it by force. All take away the human being's ability to live, therefore violating the right to life.

It is possible to cause harm to another without the use of force. One can cause psychological harm in a number of ways, but if the individual who was psychologically harmed retains their liberty, they can move on with their life. One can experience economic harm if they get fired from their job, but as long as they retain their personal liberty they are able to continue their pursuit of happiness by finding another job. The human being's ability to live is not affected. The right to pursuit of happiness does not guarantee happiness, it only guarantees the freedom to pursue happiness. The right to property does not guarantee property, it guarantees the freedom to take whatever measures one deems necessary to earn property and it guarantees the freedom to keep the products of those efforts.

A crime is committed when one man takes by force another man's ability to live or the property that he has rightfully earned. Period. In a free society, this can be the only moral definition of crime.

Note: when I use the term 'moral' I don't mean it in it's traditional sense which is society's sense of right and wrong which is derived from religion. I mean it in the basic philosophical sense of ethics derived from the reasonable application of axioms; i.e. if we know 'x' exists than rationally 'y' and 'z' must follow.

The Application

Let's go back to the supposed crime of prostitution and those who have been claimed as it's victim.

a) The Client - Acting as a rational individual with full claim to his rights, the client seeks out a prostitute. Note that the prostitute does not seek the client, the prostitute simply makes herself available for hire. There are no websites, agencies, nor street corners where the client simply makes himself available to pay for sex and prostitutes flock to take him up on it (guess the closest thing is CL casual encounters but if you are a guy who has ever posted an ad there you know it's not quite the same thing). Nor does the prostitute use physical force to get the client to use her service , and if she did it would certainly be a crime - rape and robbery perhaps - but not the 'crime' of prostitution. The client's experience with the prostitute begins and ends with his rights intact.

b) The Prostitute - With rights intact, she chooses to advertise her services and conduct business with clients that seek such services. If she is not acting with full claim to her own rights, then there must be someone else (pimp) in the background directly or indirectly using force to cause her to act against her will. It must be someone as it can't be something; neither an inanimate object nor any idea can apply physical force. In this case, someone else is violating her rights and is therefore committing a crime. The possibilities of what that crime may be are wide; kidnapping, assault, and extortion all come to mind - but again not prostitution. Assuming that the prostitute is acting of her own free will and her rights are not violated by the client - which of course would be a crime on the part of the client - the prostitute's experience from advertisement through performance of her services begins and ends with her rights intact.

c) The Client's Wife - In most instances, she has no idea her husband occasionally uses the services of a prostitute. Sometimes she knows but chooses to overlook the fact, as she understands that the prostitute is fulfilling a need of her husband's that she for whatever reason is not. Quite often, she does not know whether or not her husband uses the service of prostitutes yet feels very threatened by the existance of such. Occasionally, a wife 'finds out' and is understandably hurt and angry. But have her rights been violated?

Obviously, her basic right to life has not been taken from her, nor has her right to liberty. She may be unhappy but let us remember that we are not guaranteed happiness but only the right to pursue happiness. Her ability to pursue happiness remains unaffected, she can choose to leave her husband or she can choose to remain in the marriage.   As no human can be considered the property of another, her husband cannot be considered her property and therefore her right to property has not been violated.

Who is responsible for her hurt and anger; the prostitute who owes her nothing or her husband who chose to dishonor their vows to each other? While that answer, at least to me is painfully obvious, the question here is of her rights. Although psychological harm was certainly inflicted, she is still able to live and so her rights remain intact.

d) 'Society' or 'the common good' - If there is indeed a hierarchy of wrongs; if it is possible for one wrong to be more wrong than another, than 'society' as the 'victim' is the most wrong of all. 'Society' cannot be the victim of a crime as society is not it's own entity; 'society' is nothing but a number of individuals. The concept of 'the common good' completely negates the entire concept of individual rights.   The violation of one individual's rights equates the violation of all individual rights. To assume 'the common good' as principle is to say that the good of some individuals is more important than the good of others, which is the antithesis of morality. To allow 'the good of society' to supercede individual rights is to say that 'society' is something greater than the sum of it's parts...an idea which has been used to justify the most horrendous human rights violations in history.

This is a subject for it's own column as it's been the subject of columns, essays, and entire books written by individuals much more educated and intelligent than I, so rather than harp on it let's just say that 'the common good' is a piece of shit argument as far as I'm concerned and that 'society' is not a victim by default.

Conclusion

If we cannot clearly define 'victim', than how can we define 'crime'? And if 'crime' cannot be clearly defined, than what is NOT crime?

Perhaps this is part of the problem.

Let's clarify.

A crime is a specific action involving physical force which infringes upon individual rights. A victim is an individual who has had their individual rights violated by a specific action involving physical force.

CRIME - SPECIFIC ACTION = JUST A WHINY PATHETIC LOSER CLAIMING TO BE A VICTIM

CRIME - VICTIM = A SPECIFIC ACTION THAT INFRINGES UPON NO INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS

SPECIFIC ACTION + VICTIM = CRIME

Got it?

Interesting

2011-01-17T03:10:00.000-07:00

From IQ.org

The truth is not found on the page, but is a wayward sprite that bursts forth from the readers mind for reasons of its own. I once thought that the Truth was a set comprised of all the things that were true, and the big truth could be obtained by taking all its component propositions and evaluating them until nothing remained. I would approach my rhetorical battles as a logical reductionist, tearing down, atomizing, proving, disproving, discarding falsehoods and reassembling truths until the Truth was pure, golden and unarguable. But then, when truth matters most, when truth is the agent of freedom, I stood before Justice and with truth, lost freedom. Here was something fantastical, unbelievable and impossible, you could prove that (A => B) and (B => C) and (C => D) and (D => F) Justice would nod its head and agree, but then, when you turned to claim your coup de grace, A => F irrevocably, Justice would demur and revoke the axiom of transitivity, for Justice will not be told when F stands for freedom. Transitivity is evoked when Justice imagines F and finding the dream a pleasurable one sets about gathering cushions to prop up their slumber. Here then is the truth about the Truth; the Truth is not bridge, sturdy to every step, a marvel of bound planks and supports from the known into the unknown, but a surging sea of smashed wood, flotsam and drowning sailors. So first, always pick your poetic metaphor, to make the reader want to believe, then the facts, and -- miracle! -- transitivity will descend from heaven, invoked as justification for prejudice.

Often we suffer to read, "But if we believe X then we'll have to...", or "If we believe X it will lead to...". This has no reflection on the veracity of X and so we see that outcomes are treated with more reverence than the Truth. It stings us, but natural selection has spun its ancestral yarns from physically realized outcomes, robustly eschewing the vapor thread of platonism as an abomination against the natural order, fit only for the gossip of monks and the page.

Yet just as we feel all hope is lost and we sink back into the miasma, back to the shadow world of ghosts and gods, a miracle arises; everywhere before the direction of self interest is known, people yearn to see where its compass points and then they hunger for truth with passion and beauty and insight. He loves me. He loves me not. Here then is the truth to set them free. Free from the manipulations and constraints of the mendacious. Free to choose their path, free to remove the ring from their noses, free to look up into the infinite voids and choose wonder over whatever gets them though. And before this feeling to cast blessings on the profits and prophets of truth, on the liberators and martyrs of truth, on the Voltaires, Galileos, and Principias of truth, on the Gutenburgs, Marconis and Internets of truth, on those serial killers of delusion, those brutal, driven and obsessed miners of reality, smashing, smashing, smashing every rotten edifice until all is ruins and the seeds of the new.

-Julian Assange
from his blog IQ.org, circa 2007

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Whatever else he may or may not be, Mr. Assange is certainly one of the most interesting people of the year.

Ignorance Of The Week

2011-01-16T12:49:00.001-07:00

So, I was surfin' the Web in search of info on a whole different topic (having relationships as a sex worker) and came across this piece and this one by Antonia Crane on the Rumpus. The comment thread was full of misinformation and ignorance, including several commenters stating that both Norma Jean Almodovar and Robin Few of COYOTE and SWOP respectively are pimps and their organizations nothing but fronts for pimping.

All this rational arguing is getting a bit old I must admit. I got absolutely nothing written about having relationships as a sex worker.

Anyways....sez I...

WHOA!!! Lots of issues, so little space on the Web! chill out folks, I can barely keep up :-)
First off, I am a longtime 100% fully consenting sex worker as well as an activist and author.

Bedelia - What happened to you was an inexcusable violation of your inalienable rights as a human being. It is wrong in every sense of the word and I am so sorry you had to go through that :-( The people who did that to you ought to be publicly hung, or perhaps shot by firing squad (sorry...was that overly violent? o well, I meant it).

Let me tell you who is really responsible: our government and police. Their mission is to protect and serve; their only moral duty in free society is to defend the individual's right to life. Instead, while unthinkable horrors were happening to you, they were too fucking busy investigating, arresting, and prosecuting thousands and thousands of girls like Antonia to do anything for you!

According to common law, Antonia didn't even commit a crime (read the story of her arrest)! For a crime to be a crime, there must be a victim! So why does government at state and federal levels spend so much time and money to investigate, arrest, and prosecute her and so many others for prostitution and other 'consensual crimes' that harm no one except perhaps the perpetrators themselves?

I'll tell you why - for power, and for money. What's in it for them to rule innocent people? Nothing - so they make so many things a crime that they literally create criminals - ostracize potential dissidents from society as criminals - and cash in. Sweet deal huh...for government and the corporations they represent!

Your tragedy wasn't caused by the sex industry (and I'll ignore the reference to Hitler - except to point out that no one in the sex industry has ever held any position of power). Your tragedy and many others have been caused by the CRIMINALIZATION of the sex industry.

Why do you think a police officer participated in your abuse with absolutely no fear of getting caught? Because it's sex work, that's why! I wrote a column about just this subject - "Cause We All Know That Ain't Cool" - violence against sex workers and why "they" think they can (and often do) get away with it. They figure that since prostitution is illegal and not acceptable in society, prostitutes won't go to the police nor will anyone notice if they're missing :-(

Never, ever, ever forget your friends who didn't make it. Although they need to be remembered every day, December 17th is a special day to remember such victims of violence: International Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers. If you would like for your friends to be among those honored next Dec 17, please feel free to contact me anytime and I'll make sure they are included :-( I am deeply sorry for your loss.

I realize that your experience makes it difficult for you to understand that there are individuals who for whatever very different reasons voluntarily choose to become involved with sex work. I can assure you from my own many years of experience that the vast majority of sex workers are doing it voluntarily. That's not to say that they love their work, but no one is forcing them to do it. Do not mistake my words as minimizing the experience that you have had - if you are only one of a thousand it is one too many. Consenting sex workers would like nothing more than for sex work to be decriminalized so we could fully participate in efforts to bring predators such as those who hurt you to justice.

As far as privilege and division - coincidentally, this has been a much discussed issue of late! All our experiences are different, but we all share common oppression. Concerning Antonia's supposed 'privilege' - let me assure you that up until today I'd never even read her writings - but it's pretty obvious in reading them that she's gone through some pretty tough times too.

Norma Jean Almodovar is one of the most influential civil rights activists of my generation and was never a pimp. She did time in prison for acting on her beliefs and because the LAPD wanted to stop her from writing a book revealing their own corruption. Of course, since popular support immediately goes to law enforcement, she only managed to get her book published years later, after the Rodney King videos were made public. She had tried to expose the same types of crimes by the LAPD years before as she had seen them firsthand as a LAPD traffic cop.

Additionally, SWOP most certainly isn't run by a madam. Although I don't share every single one of their viewpoints, I am a member and they do a lot of good in communities across the world. Robin Few, like Norma Jean, was simply a victim of the same police abuse and harassment we all suffer. Believe me - the more one speaks out about such issues - the greater of a target they become.

The term 'concentration camp' can be used to describe one thing - concentration camps. Period.

Neither do I want to glamourize sex work and no I do not want my daughter to become a sex worker when she grows up. It's not a prescription for an easy life by any means, and because of criminalization it is a playground for predators.

Bedelia - I appreciate that you don't want to hurt anyone and admire you for making that clear even though you disagree with some views expressed. I urge you to at least consider some of mine, even if yours subsequently remain unchanged :-)

Really good comments here from all involved! thanks!

Kelly James

P.S. and Antonia - what up beautiful? I enjoyed your writing very, very much. I must say though - as a bisexual woman myself - what in the world is a queer-identified straight woman? xoxo, in any event, do stop by and render my corner of the web a more beautiful place sometime :-)

Then added on the second link...

A couple things:

1) So what if Antonia was writing a blog and publishing on the Rumpus to promote an upcoming book? How would y'all go about promoting an upcoming book? Personally, I would write a blog and publish pieces on whatever publications I could.

I have no idea if she is or is not as I don't know her, but I am sick and tired of the asenine assumption that if someone is writing a book it somehow de-authenticates the experiences one is writing about.

Welcome to capitalism (the unknown ideal). Promoting one's work is a positive thing, not something to be looked down upon for!

2) Nine - I couldn't have said it better. The Swedish Model is awful; detrimental to both sex workers and society as a whole.

3) NEITHER NORMA JEAN ALMODOVAR NOR ROBIN FEW nor their respective organizations, SWOP and COYOTE have anything at all to do with pimps! If anyone would like proof look at my blogroll and ask the individuals you find there.

This wins the "Ignorance Of The Week" award.

Who told you that hookers are afraid of them anyway? Let me guess - your pimp!!! Gee, wonder why that could be....Seems as if you oughta know by now that your pimp was lying to you.

That's all I'm gonna say...I smell trolls and don't wanna be driven to feed on them.

Sarah Palin Gets My Vote For Asshole Of The Month And Hypocrite Of The Year

2011-01-12T11:41:00.001-07:00

From Salon

Sarah Palin Says:

No one should be deterred from speaking up and speaking out in peaceful dissent, and we certainly must not be deterred by those who embrace evil and call it good. And we will not be stopped from celebrating the greatness of our country and our foundational freedoms by those who mock its greatness by being intolerant of differing opinion and seeking to muzzle dissent with shrill cries of imagined insults.

Kelly Says:

So, no one should be deterred from dissent by the fact that our government is torturing people at Guantanamo or the fact that virtually any illegal act can be construed as terrorism.

Cool. I won't let that deter me, thanks.

Sarah Palin Says:

It was a beautiful moment to have the Constitution "our sacred charter of liberty" read by our Congress.

Kelly Says:

Beautiful indeed. Doesn't matter much if they're too stupid to realize that the Constitution is moral only because it supports individual rights, not the other way around.

Sarah Palin Says:

...journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence they purport to condemn. That is reprehensible.

Kelly Says:

Funny, wasn't it just a couple weeks ago that Ms. Palin was participating in incitement for the murder of Julian Assange, saying that we ought to hunt him down like the Taliban????

Or perhaps like the Jews.

Talk about reprehensible. Fucking ignorance personified.

#ihatesarahpalin

Rational thought and "the pc factor"

2011-01-10T18:47:00.001-07:00

Ladies, gentlemen, and trans persons,

The following is of course in regard to recent debate concerning the sex worker rights movement and "the pc factor"; a subject which has been on my mind for awhile but has lately come out of the closet and into the forefront of many conversations.

DISCLAIMER: I have strong opinions and am not afraid to express them, nor will I apologize for them. However, my opinions are never meant to be taken personally. Just because I disagree with someone does not mean that I don't like that person or that I dispute their right to feel differently than I do. As I like to say, intelligent debate is positive and brings about positive change!

That said, first I'll address the conversation from Bound not Gagged, "No Humans Involved:’ Violence Against Queer and Transgender Sex Workers".

I am not surprised that this article was in fact published in the Gay City News. It was very well written and it's author is a very talented writer who could be an asset to any movement. It even brought up some very good points applicable to one of my very favorite topics outside the realm of sex work - the erosion of civil rights in America.

It wasn't the concept of the article that I disagreed with. Yes, queer and transgender sex workers, especially people of color, low-income folks, and homeless persons, have long been targets of cops and serial killers. This is totally unacceptable, an interesting sociological study, and a fact I don't at all deny. Acknowledging this fact does not in and of itself ‘fragment’ the movement nor ‘blame’ or ‘scare off’ anyone . The fact in point has already been widely acknowledged and the victims of said tragedies deserve the same compassion and honor as all of the December 17 victims deserve.

What does fragment the movement is the ridiculous notion that when speaking about sex worker rights we ought to refer to women as "women, including transgendered women" or sex workers as "sex workers, including transgendered sex workers". If I went to a feminist forum and told them that when referring to women they should use the term “women, including women involved with sex work” they would look at me as if I had two heads. How about if I went to a sex worker forum and said that when referring to sex workers everyone ought to say “sex workers, including Jewish sex workers”?

Hell, perhaps we should say "sex workers, including transgendered sex workers, Jewish sex workers, Christian sex workers, Muslim sex workers, Buddhist sex workers, Wiccan sex workers, athiest sex workers, gay sex workers, lesbian sex workers, bisexual sex workers, black sex workers, white sex workers, brown sex workers, sex workers who are blue like Smurfs.......etc, etc, etc".

Sex workers look like this....

"Sex workers" by definition refers to ALL sex workers. Therefore, pointing out one particular subgroup of sex workers when referring to sex workers negates not only it's definition but the entire principle of solidarity. Further 'fragmenting' is the idea that the sex worker community ought to make a special effort to combat the criminalization, police brutality, and social benefits exclusion waged against queer and transgender sex workers. Hello, these are problems that each and every sex worker faces! Nobody here is privileged; no one person's experience any more or less important than that of the next. This is supposed to be a place to share commonalities and offer support, not focus on differences - a safe place for ALL sex workers.

.....and this!

Here's where the detriment to the movement begins. There actually is an invisible majority* made up of lower to middle end independent online providers. They are a quiet group; for the most part they prefer to stay out of the spotlight. Often they lack the confidence to make themselves heard. Add percieved or real hostility towards anyone supposedly more "privileged" than an unknown other for whatever reason, and you get just what we have - a LOT of sex workers who feel excluded from the movement and therefore do not have access to critical information! And that's just the beginning.

(*Amanda Brooks explains her theory much better than I do)

As far as the argument that prostitution is not female dominated; the male serving male 54% of sex workers in NYC spoken of is actually 54% of minor sex workers, those who are under the age of 18. Saying that 54% of young sex workers in NYC are males serving males is misleading and inaccurate. Instead, I suggest visiting the escort section of NYC Backpage to see examples of the otherwise invisible majority.

'Fragmenting' the movement even more still was one activist's personal attack on another activist simply because she doesn't cater to all this politically correct nonsense and prefers to call the letter A "the letter A", whores "whores", and a douchebag "a douchebag". Apparently she wasn't aware that if a douchebag switch hits for the good ol' bois, calling him a douchebag therefore indicates a hatred of all gay people. I must say I wasn't aware of that rule of conduct either. Not only was this activist accused of being homophobic but also of being whorephobic (she is a retired whore) and insulted as a "cold and selfish egoist" before she was condescendingly asked to "edit her language" on her own blog! I shouldn't even have to point out how this harms the movement but I will anyway, just in case anyone doesn't already get it. You see, if she were a little less sure of herself such unkind behavior may have turned her away from activism (I couldn't possibly imagine why). As this particular activist has a lot of talent to offer, that would have been a great loss to the community as a whole.

When I was 19, I worked at a showclub that offered incall in the form of private room nude dancing as well as outcall escort services. One of the other girls who worked there, I'll call her Claire, would sometimes "work the track" in addition to working at the club. The "track" was Van Buren from about east 32nd street west to about 27th avenue. Claire was a very pretty hispanic girl around my age although I grant she was quite a bit more streetwise. Since we both liked to party we got to know each other pretty well. I even visited the track with her on a couple occasions. As I simply didn't have the nerve to get into a car alone with a stranger and was terrified of law enforcement, it was decidedly not for me but my experience should demonstrate that I am certainly not 'whorephobic'.

Still working the "track"?

My observation when visiting the track was that the more attractive and relatively less desperate workers would stay around the east end of Van Buren while the least fortunate drug addicted ones could be found towards the west end. This was in '99, a drive down Van Buren today would prove that the street is a workplace for much fewer whores. The ones still there are mostly of the least fortunate category. So what happened to the ones like my friend Claire?

They bought laptops and can be found in the much safer venues of the escort sections of Backpage nationwide.

Accusations of 'whorephobic' and 'classist' have been among the most commonly hurled of late. There seems to be great concern for street based workers and making sure they are not excluded from the movement or left behind. What we fail to realize is that many street based workers have already left the street behind, and the ones still there are inarguably unfortunate if only for the simple fact that street work is more dangerous than private sex work.

Public prostitution is not a right of choice, not in our society nor in the ideal one outlined in Objectivist philosophy of which I so often speak. In a truly free society individual rights reign supreme. If man's (or woman or trans) natural purpose is life on earth, the right to live as a rational being is in fact an inalienable right necessitated by man's own nature as a rational being. The fundamental right to life - the moral entitlement to action required to sustain one's own life - is the source of all other rights including the right to liberty - the freedom to engage in whatever self generated action one deems necessary for his own 'pursuit of happiness' as the furtherance, fulfillment, and enjoyment of his own life, and also the right to property - the right to earn, own, and maintain the products of one's efforts.

Each of our rights logically defines the next and our rights only end where the next person's begin. For instance: Prostitution is a right of choice. It is one's right to choose whatever action they deem necessary for the furtherance and enjoyment of their own life. Public prostitution, however, infringes on the rights of the next person unless one is doing so only on one's own property. Now, the morality of 'public property' is a whole other subject but it doesn't really pertain here - what does pertain is that street based sex work by definition takes place on property that does not belong to the street based sex worker. Therefore, supporting street based sex work as a right of choice has no basis in rationality.

Many individuals who believe that efforts to combat private sex work are a ridiculous waste of state and federal money balk at the decriminalization of street based sex work. They may recognize and support many of the valid points made in arguments for the decriminalization of private prostitution but those same supporters are lost over the question of public prostitution. If the movement were able to keep these supporters it could potentially make a huge difference in achieving the overall goal of decriminalization. Theoretically, if private sex work was decriminalized then the only crimes committed by street based sex workers would be vagrancy, disturbing the peace, etc. Instead of supporting street based sex work as a right of choice, perhaps we would be doing our sisters, brothers, and trans siblings on the street a greater service by working towards the decriminalization of private sex work and implementing programs to help get them off the street and therefore able to participate in private sex work if they so choose.

Just sayin'.

In any event, saying this doesn't make me "classist" any more than ridiculing President Obama makes me racist. It is realism; nothing more, nothing less.

Realistically, our goal as activists is the decriminalization of prostitution. All this arguing and hurling of accusations does not help to accomplish our goal, nor does concentrating on our differences. In fact, it is detrimental to the entire movement and to sex workers everywhere.

Solidarity - mutual agreement and support: harmony of interests and responsibilities among individuals in a group, especially as manifested in unanimous support and collective action for something – Encarta World English Dictionary

Kelly Updated

2011-01-04T12:31:00.000-07:00

Happy 2011, may it bring the highest quality of life, greatest liberty, and all the happiness that we each individually pursue.

Why thank you for asking, my holidays were.....well, I survived, as we all did. I did get everything I wanted. Emily (my cat) got me the most beautiful little gray cat pendant iced with black diamonds. Love it and her. I refused to give Sheriff Joe an opportunity to start my year off on a bad note and just stayed home for New Years. I'm gonna turn 31 (!) in two months. I have many goals to accomplish this year, among them are: as far as blogging / activism is concerned, my goal is to write two well written pieces each week, one related to sex work and one related to civil rights (or the erosion of them). The two may intersect. This post does not count. As far as sex work is concerned, my goal has not changed. The keywords are "safe" and "profitable" with a little "fun" tossed in for good measure. I would like to hit the gym at least three days a week. I am reading "Atlas Shrugged" in it's entirety. I am making efforts to be more patient. I am working to strengthen my mind, body, and spirit. I wanna change the world 'n shit.

Ya know, the usual....

Happy New Year to all

Exposed! What Wikileaks Has Really Shown Us All

2010-12-28T22:21:00.004-07:00

"The hardest thing to explain is the glaringly evident which everybody has decided not to see." - Ayn Rand

As the story unfolds, it reads like a work of fictional apocalypse. Classified government documents are exposed via the Internet by Julian Assange, romantic yet controversial protagonist for whom questions of morality blur the distinction between hero and villian. Acting as both judge and jury, the world's powerful elite set out to figuratively and literally crucify Assange. Using the media, they manipulate public opinion into two camps; those who revere him and those who despise him. As everyone clamors to choose sides, they ironically fail to realize that the entire debate has been carefully crafted to deflect attention away from the very issues he's working to expose; most notably the corruption, abuse of power, and crimes against humanity perpetuated by the so called democratic government of the United States of America.

Senior government officials are so threatened by the exposure of their top secret documents that some have publicly called for the "illegal" assaination of Julian Assange. As if incitement of his murder isn't bad enough, they are racking their little brains trying to come up with a way to charge him under the Espionage Act of 1917, constitutionality of which has been questioned since 1917. Worse yet, the hysteric labeling of Assange as a "terrorist" brings to mind not only McCarthyism but also possible implications concerning the Patriot Act, when in reality a terrorist by definition must conduct violence to achieve a political, religious, or social goal. Since Assange has never perpetrated violence by any stretch of the imagination the motivation behind labeling him a terrorist is highly questionable . The CIA has even formed the Wikileaks Task Force, sole purpose of which is to "investigate" Wikileaks. This task force is appropriately called "WTF" for short. Speaking of WTF, Assange has been accused of "raping" two women in Sweden. Dismissing such accusations would be doing a great disservice to all victims of rape as would trumped up charges of rape being used as a smear campaign. Either way, somebody is insulting rape victims everywhere. To quote my friend Maggie McNeill, "the whole thing stinks on ice". (read Maggie's detailed explanation on this issue here and here)

I am a supporter of Julian Assange because he is working to expose the "glaringly evident which everyone has decided not to see". The leaked documents only confirm what I and other so called extremists have suspected for years. Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please - we do NOT live in a free society. It is only an illusion. Our civil rights have been slowly eroding over time and now - good fucking morning America! Our government started a war under false pretense and used it to take our rights away. Now they are spying on American citizens, committing war crimes in foreign lands, and torturing people in the name of our country. Don't we as a society know that's just plain wrong? We are being conditioned to accept the unacceptable and this is only the beginning. What could be next and where does it end? The possibilities are endless and thoroughly frightening.

Our government's persecution of Assange for blowing the whistle on crimes against humanity goes against all moral standard. When human rights are being violated it is our responsibility to speak out as failure to do so will certainly bear the eventual result of the violation of our own. What about that is so difficult to understand?

"The only proper purpose of a government is to protect man's rights, which means: to protect him from physical violence. A proper government is only a policeman, acting as an agent of man's self-defense, and, as such, may resort to force only against those who start the use of force. The only proper functions of a government are: the police, to protect you from criminals; the army, to protect you from foreign invaders; and the courts, to protect your property and contracts from breaches or fraud by the others, to settle disputes by rational rules, according to objective law. But a government that initiates the employment of force against men who had forced no one, the employment of armed compulsion against disarmed victims, is a nightmare infernal machine designed to annihilate morality: such a government reverses its only moral purpose and switches from the role of protector to the role of man's deadliest enemy, from the role of of policeman to the role of a criminal vested with the right to the wielding of violence against the victims deprived of the right of self-defense. Such a government substitutes for morality the following rule of social conduct: you may do whatever you please to your neighbor, provided your gang is bigger than his."
— Ayn Rand (Atlas Shrugged)

The man who brought America to its knees in terror

And then there's Bradley Manning.

Private Bradley Manning just turned 23 last week. Sadly, he did not have the opportunity to do any of the things a 23 year old kid should on his birthday. He did not go out, get drunk, get laid, hang out with friends, see his family, or even recieve a gift, a hug, or a kiss. He did not even have the opportunity to go outside, much less the opportunity to get a good night's sleep. You see, Bradley Manning lives at a maximum security military prison. He spends 23 hours a day in solitary confinement in a 6x12 foot cell and hasn't seen the light of day in months. Inside his cell, he is not permitted to perform basic physical exercises such as sit ups nor is he allowed to read a newspaper. Access to proper bedding has been denied. Even sleep is a luxury for Bradley Manning, as he must respond affirmativly to "welfare checks" performed by guards every five minutes. What, you ask, is the crime of which he was convicted?

Ah. That is hard to explain, glaringly evident, and you may very well decide not to see it.

Private Bradley Manning has been convicted of no crime. He hasn't even officially been charged with a crime. Then why the fuck has he spent the past seven months imprisoned first in Kuwait then at Quantico Military Prison?

Allegedly, Private Bradley Manning had the nerve to provide proof of war crimes and human rights violations committed by the United States military to Julian Assange, who then exposed it to the world. Circumstance of which has proved quite unfortunate for Manning; fortunate for those who may have been victims of future atrocities such as those already committed in the name of the good ol' US of A that now may not occur due to the heightened scrutiny of the world. Thanks to Manning we will never know.

And so a rosy cheeked 23 year old kid is a political prisoner facing fifty plus years in prison for the alleged crime of espionage. Due to military rules of procedure, he is not entitled to trial by jury. Instead, he will eventually face military court martial. In the interim, the conditions of his imprisonment are certainly brutal and constitute torture by internationally accepted standards. I suspect his treatment on the inside isn't improved by general knowledge of his sexual orientation (Manning is gay).

Aren't you proud to be an American?

The imprisonment of Bradley Manning serves a dual purpose to our dear Big Brother. Primarily, it serves their greater goal of annihilating Wikileaks and Julian Assange. As Glenn Greenwald wrote in his Dec. 18 column on Salon:

"… The Independent yesterday shed further light on one of the motives for the repressive conditions imposed on Manning: namely, that U.S. officials believe it is “crucial” to “persuade” Manning to testify against WikiLeaks if they are to convict Assange, i.e., to “persuade” Manning to say that WikiLeaks did not merely passively receive classified information, but actively provided Manning technical and other assistance in advance to access and disseminate classified information. The more inhumane the conditions are of Manning’s detention, the greater pressure the Government can apply to induce him — “persuade” him — to testify how they need him to testify in order to prosecute Assange."

In short, this is Big Brother's method of persuading Bradley Manning to snitch on Julian Assange.

Secondly, it sets an example for other potential dissenters. Follow the rules - or else! To be honest, it made even me - fearless, tough as nails Kelly James who couldn't care less about rules and has never turned down a dare - think twice before writing this article. I'm sure my government file is growing exponentially as I speak. So why don't I shut my mouth? Simple - because running my mouth is my Constitutional right and believe it or not, I am proud to be an American. Black hearted as I may be; while I don't care much about "rules" I do care deeply about what is right - and I don't believe the two necessarily intersect.

If the allegations prove true then Private Bradley Manning, the unnoticed hero in an unfinished saga, broke the rules.

Thank God somebody did.

"There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil."

-Ayn Rand

Please join me in demanding an end to the crackdown on Wikileaks

Petitions by Change.org|Start a Petition »

And please, please take a moment and, if you are able, donate a few dollars to support Bradley Manning, who is suffering right now because he stood up for what he thought was right.

Sincerely, Kelly James

--------------------------------------------------------------

Update 1/1/11:

I stand corrected on the issue of Bradley Manning's charges. He has been charged with four specific violations under Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice - Failure to Obey Order or Regulation and with eight under Article 134 - General Article. The specifications are available here.

Manning has still not been convicted of any crime. He remains in solitary confinement at Quantico.

An Open Letter to U.S. Government Officials Regarding Free Expression in the Wake of the Wikileaks Controversy

2010-12-22T21:30:00.002-07:00

Reprinted from the American Civil Liberties Union

December 22, 2010

Dear Public Officials:

Last week, the House Judiciary Committee heard testimony from legal and free speech experts about the possible application of the Espionage Act to the recent publication of secret documents by the whistle-blower website Wikileaks, as well as to traditional media outlets, Internet companies, and others who have also distributed and reported on that information. All seven witnesses cautioned against attempts to suppress free speech and criticized the overwhelming secrecy that permeates the United States government. We write to echo these concerns and applaud those who have spoken out against attempts to principles of free expression vital to a democratic society or hamper online freedoms.

Unfortunately, some government officials have already attacked newspapers’ rights to report on the releases by Wikileaks. Other government actors have made official and unofficial statements casting doubt on the right of government employees and others to download, read, or even discuss documents published by Wikileaks or news reporting based on those documents. Others have rashly proposed legislation that could limit the free speech of legitimate news reporting agencies well beyond Wikileaks. These actions have created an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty among the general public, leading them to question their rights with regard to the documents posted by Wikileaks. As you continue to discuss these critically important issues, we urge you to do so in a way that respects the constitutional rights of publishers and the public that have been recognized by the Supreme Court. Specifically:

*Publishers have a First Amendment right to print truthful political information free of prior restraint, as established in New York Times v. United States.

* Publishers are strongly protected by the First Amendment against liability for publishing truthful political information that is lawfully obtained, even if the original disclosure of that information to the publisher was unlawful, under Bartnicki v. Vopper

* Internet users have a First Amendment right to receive information, as repeatedly endorsed by a series of Supreme Court cases, including Stanley v. Georgia.

* The public has a First Amendment right to voice opinions about government activities. This is core political speech, which receives the highest protection under the Constitution.

It will be especially critical for members of Congress to keep these rights in mind as they consider any future legislation that may impact freedom of expression. In a free country, the government cannot and does not have unlimited power to determine what publishers can publish and what the public can read. As the robust public debate about Wikileaks continues, please make sure that it includes the rights of all involved.

Sincerely,

American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression
American Civil Liberties Union
American Library Association
Arizona First Amendment Coalition
Association of Research Libraries
Bill of Rights Defense Committee
Bob Barr, Former Congressman and Chairman, Liberty Guard, Inc.
Center for Constitutional Rights
Center for Democracy and Technology
Center for Digital Democracy
Center for Financial Privacy and Human Rights
Communication Is Your Right!
Courage to Resist
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Feminists for Free Expression
First Amendment Coalition
Government Accountability Project
Liberty Coalition
Muslimah Writers Alliance
National Coalition Against Censorship
New America Foundation
New Media Rights
OpenTheGovernment.org
Privacy Activism
Privacy International
Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
Privacy Times
Progressive Librarians Guild
Sunlight Foundation
Tully Center for Free Speech at Syracuse University

_____________________________________________________

As an American citizen, I support that as well.

Sincerely, Kelly James

On Paying To Get Fucked - Prostitution of the Constitution, Part I

2010-12-20T17:16:00.001-07:00

"I feel angry I feel helpless
Wanna change the world, yeah
I feel violent I feel alone
Don't try to change my mind" - Creed

Prostitution \Pros`ti*tu"tion\, n. [L. prostitutio: cf. F. prostitution.]
1. The act or practice of prostituting or offering the body to an indiscriminate intercourse with men; common lewdness of a woman.
2. The act of setting one's self to sale, or of devoting to infamous purposes what is in one's power; as, the prostitution of abilities; the prostitution of the press. "Mental prostitution." --Byron.
Source: The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Although prostitution is illegal in America, our government's prostitution of the Constitution has reached an unprecedented high.

Or low, depending on how you look at it.

Last week, I paid $2000 to get fucked. Circumstances of which I must admit were partially my fault; as it would be partially my fault if I were date raped as a result of taking off all my clothes and masturbating in front of five horny frat boys while drunk and high out of my mind (sarcasm). I didn't do that; but I did (allegedly) commit the crime of false reporting to law enforcement. While I was found guilty, the jury is still out on the moral issue behind it; at least so far as I'm concerned.

The crime was allegedly committed on August 22 of this year when my then boyfriend and I got into our car and drove straight across Scottsdale Road from one parking lot to another; where we were surrounded by four cop cars. In summary; since his driving privileges were unfortunately under suspension, I said that I had been driving. We were both arrested. Among other lies, the reporting officers claimed that we were approached for failing to stop before crossing Scottsdale Road; a very busy six lane road where if we really had failed to stop before crossing it would have most certainly caused a major accident. Obviously it didn't, and no traffic ticket was issued. I suspect that I was simply being harassed.

I went to trial with the knowledge that I was at a huge disadvantage and wasn't surprised when I lost. I was fined $1000 along with "surcharges" for a grand total of $2000.

Yes, prostitution of the Constitution is a thriving industry.

I don't think this is what our founding fathers had in mind when they came to America in search of freedom.

_____________________________________________

"Roughly half of the arrests and court cases in the United States each year involve consensual crimes—actions that are against the law, but directly harm no one's person or property except, possibly, the "criminal's."

More than 750,000 people are in jail right now because of something they did, something that did not physically harm the person or property of another. In addition, more than 3,000,000 people are on parole or probation for consensual crimes. Further, more than 4,000,000 people are arrested each year for doing something that hurts no one but, potentially, themselves."

Peter McWilliams, "Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do"

______________________________________________

"Prostitution of the Constitution", Part II coming soon

December 17th Is International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers

2010-12-16T19:44:00.004-07:00

Sex worker rights are human rights!. Click the red umbrella to learn more.

Criminal

2010-12-12T20:41:00.005-07:00

My very long comment on the blog of Renegade Evolution, whose writings I highly recommend for anyone who thinks or has ever wanted to.

_____________________________________________

RenEv - Fucking brilliant. Without a doubt the best of the sex work-activist-public intellectual writers that I've read and probably of most I have not. Ironically enough considering your nihilist beliefs, I suspect your works may outlive you and that you have the potential to one day be regarded as a great thinker of our time. I added you to my blogroll and liked a particular phrase so much it went on my list of quotes. Awesome, and I'm not one who is easily impressed.

Now, while there may be some truth in it, Berryblade aka "Aileen Wuernos'" post pissed me off. (read post here)

Why? To quote Marshall Mathers.....

"Cause I'm a criminal
Every time I write a rhyme
People think it's a crime
To tell 'em what's on my mind
Yes I'm a criminal
I don't gotta say a word
I just flip 'em the bird
And keep going
I don't take shit from no one...."

Riddle me this: what sort of rationale could possibly allow someone to identify herself with a serial killer yet take such personal issue with strippers and porn?

If X+Y=Z, then that means the author otherwise known as "Aileen Wuernos" must consider consenting sex workers to be the most reprehensible human beings alive; worse than even a serial killer who premeditated the brutal murders of seven people.

Since the people the real Aileen murdered were all vile sexist rapist men who solicited a prostitute with dicks in hand, I suppose they all deserved it. Wait a minute....if they deserved it, then the hooker in this story clearly deserved to be kidnapped, held against her will for ten days, and raped twice a day! Anyone who takes part in the morally devoid crime of prostitution deserves what they get! Cause we all know that ain't cool, damn it!!!!!!!!!!

Sound ridiculous? Of course it does. There is a serious problem with this rationale. In fact, it is THE reason why sex work is such a dangerous profession. You see, the perpetrators of violence against sex workers realize society's prejudices and so target sex workers as a marginalized group who have very little recourse for violations of their individual or collective rights. Yet the fucking advocates, joined by certain former sex workers who are so completely lacking in pride or honor because society has convinced them that they are scum of the earth, who are and will be ashamed of themselves till the day they die, who would rather be labeled victims than criminals, still insist on promoting the very stigma that causes the violence, the stigma that sex workers are victims. Victim my ass. I'll take criminal over victim any day. Give me my fucking gun and lemme make it worth it first. I'll start with "Wild Bill" Manis...oh wait, I almost forgot to bring duct tape, a carving knife, and a great big black dildo.

Who the hell died and made Berryblade/"Aileen Wuernos", fucking feminist extraodinaire who has never been a stripper, an escort, a hooker, a Domme, a PSO, or made a porn, an expert on what it's like? Who the hell is she? At the age of 30 and after nearly thirteen years in the industry (I started on my eighteenth birthday cause I wanted to leave home), why yes I do consider myself an expert and while it's sure as hell not wine and roses it also does not merit repulsion. Sex workers are real people. We live our lives, we laugh, we cry, we have good times as well as bad. I also firmly believe the grim realities should never be glossed, it is certainly not for everyone, and no I do not want my daughter to grow up to be a sex worker.

That said, to address Berry and her questions: 1) I have worked a "regular job", at a law firm as a matter of fact. The people I met through that job were of much lesser moral standards then I've seen in most sex workers. 2) In thirteen years, I have known a total of two girls working under the age of 18, a total of three who had a pimp, and a total of zero who were doing it against their will. And yeah, I'm sure I know. 3) Yes, I am sexy, damn it! 4) Believe it or not, there is a demand in the industry for both intellect and conversation, and most gentlemen prefer a lady who can at the very least carry a short conversation. 5) At the age of 21, you seem to know exactly what sexuality is not. Do you even know what it is? 6) At least here in Arizona, many women wear very high heels daily, not only strippers. 7) Many people work under an unfair pay structure. Is $6.50/hr fair pay for anyone? That is why I work for myself. 8) Being a sex worker can certainly fuck many career goals straight to hell as Ren so succinctly put it. Do you think that's right or fair? And since you're so concerned about saving women, do you think that by publishing an article on the Internet that makes sex work out to be disgusting you're doing anything to help the plight of a sex worker trying to get out of the industry? Maybe the time you have to spend on activism would be better spent thinking of ways to actually help. 9) The lady at AT&T's customer service center sure as shit won't tell you her real name either. 10) Let me get this straight - you're saying that if I consider sex work to be fun, liberating, or empowering then I do not have a shred of intelligence, compassion, or good traits. Right? Hey, you said it. Read your own article.

Still laughing?

My middle finger is up and it is pointing straight at you.

Momma's Girl

2010-12-10T20:46:00.003-07:00

Notice the resemblance? LOL

You may also notice the new look of this blog; I like it a lot and think I'll be keeping this one!!

"S" is for Sex Worker

2010-12-07T09:00:00.004-07:00

Modern day Hestor Prynne?
The scarlet letter "S" is for "sex worker".

Hestor Prynne had to wear the scarlet letter "A" for "adultress".

What letter should we make Melissa Petro wear? "S" for "sex worker"?

Melissa Petro had just been granted tenure for her position as an elementary school art teacher at Bronx Public School 70 when Mayor Bloomberg of New York City personally had her "yanked" from her classroom and summarily suspended from her educational duties in late September of this year after learning about her past as a sex worker.

"We're just not going to have this woman in front of a class" the Mayor was quoted as saying.

Ironically enough, it was Petro who outed herself. An activist and writer as well as an academic, much of her published work centers around her experiences as a sex worker and is published under her real name. As far as I'm concerned this gives her a certain level of both credibility and my respect, but unfortunately for Petro, the NYC Board of Education doesn't share my viewpoints.

Until September, Petro had limited public discussion of her personal experiences with sex work to her work as a stripper. As we are all well aware, it was around that time when Craig Newmark caved in to...er, made the decision to cooperate with authorities, shutting down Craigslist's adult services section for good. Personally, Craigslist meant more to me as an example of censorship in action then it ever meant as an advertising forum and I, along with every other sex worker in America, felt that the allegations of trafficking were being overly exaggerated and used to persecute consenting adults simply for exercising their right to enjoy themselves as they like in private. Although Petro had been retired from sex work for several years, she expressed similar sentiments in an article on The Huffington Post, confessing that she too had once been an advertiser on Craigslist's infamous adult services section.

According to the article, Petro accepted money for providing sexual services to men she met online from October of '06 to January of '07 as a graduate student looking for a bit of a thrill while making a little extra cash. In case you didn't know, it's not exactly uncommon for college girls to moonlight in various forms of sex work to make extra cash while attending school and many people experiment with many things in college that they wouldn't even consider out in the "real world". I'm pretty damn sure Melissa Petro's sexual experimentation during her college years is not unique. She described her brief experience with online advertising as "physically demanding, emotionally taxing and spiritually bankrupting" and stated "I hope to never again make the choice to trade sex for cash even as I risk my current job and social standing to speak out for an individual's right to do so".

One has to wonder why she felt it so important to speak out. Tenured at the age of 30 for being an exceptional teacher, she is now villified as being a danger to children because of her involvement with sex work. Of course, that ain't cool at all, but she must have been aware of the potential consequences of her actions. Much of the mainstream media has dismissed her choice to speak out as a publicity stunt, which in my opinion is narrowminded, ignorant, and fails to present the public with the real issue. It is apparent however that for whatever reason she felt it more important to speak out then to keep silent, regardless of the consequences. Perhaps she is as sick and tired as I am of society forcing sex workers to live in fear and shame and hopes that her public lack of these characteristics will help to free others of their own. Perhaps she values her right to free speech enough to fight for it and realizes that if not exercised it will soon be completely lost. Perhaps she simply doesn't like being told what to think.

I can relate.

But what the hell do I know; perhaps it is a media stunt to promote her upcoming book. Questions of authenticity don't really matter as they're irrelevant to the bigger picture.

I want to see Melissa Petro lawyer up and take every possible legal recourse all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary. I see this as an issue of free speech, privacy, and equal rights that has the potential to set legal precedence concerning the rights of all sex workers.

I haven't yet decided what I want to be when I grow up. I very possibly might eventually further my formal education and my interests lean pretty strongly towards sociology, philosophy, and law. I've always been very open about my involvement with sex work and have become even more vocal as an activist. Although I use a pseudonym, my photos are clearly me and my persona easily traceable. Over the years I have found that my presented persona has become more and more of my actual self to the point where Kelly James is all me. Yes, there is more to me than Kelly James, there are things about myself that I do not choose to share because not everyone needs to know everything about me. Some things are none of anybody's business, as there are certain things every individual reveals only to certain people regardless of how they choose to earn a living.

That aside, if possible for the Board of Education to fire Melissa Petro for "conduct unbecoming of a professional", isn't it possible that one day I could be rejected by the bar association or turned down for employment at a university for the same? What if I decide to go to cosmetology school? Can I get turned down by the Board of Cosmetology for past conduct unbecoming of a hair stylist? How about if I want to get a job at Wal Mart and they run a background check? Is there a standard of conduct for Wal Mart employees as well?

For how long must a sex worker wear the scarlet letter "S"?

I'll end this with a link to a piece authored by Melissa Petro and the following slightly edited version of my own comment that I made regarding it.

"Speaking for myself, I have spent twelve years of my life as a sex worker. My feeling is that now, at 30, I would like to make my time count for something besides the fact that I’ve had a hell of a good time. A person is not defined by their past; they are defined by what they choose to do with it." -Kelly James

Feeding on Trolls

2010-11-27T18:18:00.007-07:00

I don't feed trolls, instead I chop them up and eat them for dinner.

The lovely Miss DeMilo directed me to this article by Monica Shores on the Guardian, where I've been feeding on trolls.

Says I:

As a sex worker, in fact let me be so presumptuous to say; as an Executive Sex Worker, I can't possibly imagine why this particular individual would "dignify" me by reading this article, much less my response, or by taking time out of his day to comment on such. Of course, as a sex worker I am clearly so drunk and high that I don't even know what I'm saying. My pimp just beat me for spending too much time on the computer when I have a drug habit to feed so I guess I should just hang my head, shut my mouth, and not disillusion this particular individual by reminding him that at the root of respectability is respect, and by declaring it "wrong" to dignify an entire group of people - "dignify" coming from the Latin "dignus" which translates to "worthy" - he is declaring other human beings unworthy of respect.

Respectability is measured by the respect one offers others, my friend, and I mean it in the most respectful manner when I suggest you reevaluate what it personally means to you.

Have a beautiful day,

Sincerely, Kelly James

________________________________________________

Deception is integral in all walks of life.

"No honey, that dress doesn't make you look fat"

"You know I love your meatloaf, Mom"

"Don't be silly (insert name of your boss/co worker), I thought the presentation you gave this morning was very insightful"

"Argyle socks!!! Just what I wanted!"

Saying that deception is integral to prostitution makes it sound like prostitutes somehow have less integrity (forgive the play on words integral and integrity as they're unrelated) than salesmen, lawyers, politicians, or cosmetics companies who test their products on animals....just to name a few.

Of course I am simply a companion who provides fully legal services and not a prostitute. Regardless, I can honestly say that I make people happy and bring a smile to their faces. Isn't that what life is supposed to be about?

So how do I have less integrity than anyone else? Go ahead guys...I just left myself wide open...I realize I may regret that :-)

________________________________________________

It has been somewhat of a long week for me personally so I guess feeding on trolls is acting as an outlet for my frustrations LOL.

Can someone please pass the A1 sauce? Yum yum

This Side UP ↑

2010-11-25T01:10:00.001-07:00

This Side UP ↑

Moving boxes are not the only thing that should prominently display this cautionary statement.

Condoms ought to indicate which is the proper side up as well.

*Condom companies please take note and don't forget to send my royalty checks :-)

LOL

KJ

Backpage Bitches

2010-11-24T14:41:00.003-07:00

This was likely in vain and a total waste of thirty minutes but hell, it made me feel a little better!!! LOL

To whom it may concern,

I have advertised on Backpage for years.

I fully understand the brevity of the issues you are facing at Village Voice Media, and I personally believe your rights are being violated.

I understand the need for new posting policies including the ban on sexually suggestive pictures and I thank you for the rule concerning posting for services no less than one hour long, although at least in Phoenix both need to be more closely monitored. I saw a girl put her prices for 15, 30, and 60 minutes IN HER PICTURE!

However, I take issue with the rule concerning allowed length of posting (500 characters or less) as this restricts my ability to convey necessary information concerning the fully legal services that I provide.

Furthermore, I take serious issue with the fact that while browsing through other ads in the Phoenix escort section, I see many, many ads which do not comply with this rule! For instance, I came across these within ten minutes of scrolling through Phoenix ads:

http://phoenix.backpage.com/FemaleEscorts/hot-blonde-pink-and-tight-sweet-and-

yummy-23/11163671

http://phoenix.backpage.com/FemaleEscorts/get-it-while-its-hot-sexxxy-blonde-

bombshell-_-25/11632996

http://phoenix.backpage.com/FemaleEscorts/goddess-astrid-she-is-of-great-beauty-

and-strength-new-pics-32/11539392

http://phoenix.backpage.com/FemaleEscorts/c-_l_a_-s-_-s-_y-s_e_x_y-b_-r_u_-n-

_e_t_t_e-v_-i-_-x-_-e_-n-24/6639055

http://phoenix.backpage.com/FemaleEscorts/recommended-by-9-out-of-10-dentists-

33/11372481

http://phoenix.backpage.com/FemaleEscorts/x-summer-arizonas-best-kept-secret-

and-the-real-reason-phoenix-is-so-hot-x-22/11088608

http://phoenix.backpage.com/FemaleEscorts/70pecial-hott-yummy-treat-ebony70-

pecial-23/11678675

http://phoenix.backpage.com/FemaleEscorts/i-am-looking-for-a-very-special-man-

24/11848625

I could go on but I'll spare you :-)

I don't mean to give you guys a hard time as I understand you have a huge job on your hands in monitoring all these postings, nor do I mean to criticize the providers to whom these particular postings belong. However, this has become quite frustrating; as I said , the 500 character cutoff on posting is making things very difficult on me and other legitimate providers who are professional, discreet, fully consenting adults who simply wish to earn a living in a totally legal fashion of course.

I even understand that this rule may be imposed to make it easier for those of you who have the job of reviewing postings. I would be happy to help by compiling lists of postings which violate the guidelines for no compensation except perhaps some free advertisment and that you consider revision of this particular rule.

Sincerely,

Kelly James

sincerelykelly.com

Cause we all know that ain't cool

2010-11-20T05:45:00.011-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen,

Just because it's sex work does NOT give anyone the right to conduct themselves as anything other than a decent human being.

We all know that just ain't cool.

Apparently, some do it anyway. Of recent occurrence:

A lady stole a gentleman's credit cards and charged thousands to his account.

A longtime sex worker and activist was brutally raped by a client (click here to read Jill Brenneman's compelling story on Bound Not Gagged).

In both instances the victim was stripped of their right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Now we all know damn well that ain't cool. But that's not all the two crimes have in common.

Crimes against humanity happen every day. Statistically speaking, it is certain that some will occur within our world. Not because it's sex work, but simply due to the laws of probability.

What's unique to crimes within the world of sex work however is the fact that their perpetrators figure that, because it's sex work, they will get away with it.

Jill, quite understandably, did not feel that law enforcement would be particularly sympathetic to her situation and has instead bravely chosen to share her story in hopes of raising awareness concerning violence towards sex workers. I would assume that the gentleman who had his credit cards stolen must have reported the incident to law enforcement, but really how much could he have felt comfortable saying?

Jill's attacker, may he burn in Hell, obviously felt pretty damn sure of himself considering that he called the service he met her through the very next day praising her performance and requesting to book some more of her time. I'd be willing to bet money that the lady thief felt similarly confident as appropriate to her crime. And why? Because of society's widely held view that since it had to do with sex work the victims somehow brought it on themselves.

This applies more obviously in Jill's case; although most likely apparent to anyone here reading this, there are many others out there who ask how it is possible for a prostitute to be raped. While I get into this a little further into this post, Jill explains it better than I possibly can:

"When did it become rape rather than sex work. When he forced me to do something I hadn’t agreed to. People have argued with me that prostitutes can’t be raped, and that this kind of thing is an occupational hazard. I say that's totally wrong. I don’t give blanket permission by virtue of being paid. Certainly I didn’t agree to the trashbag, to the 10 plus blows to the head, or the anal sex which was never supposed to be part of the deal. Without a doubt, swallowing the condom wasn’t." -Jill Brenneman, "When does sex work become rape?" from Bound Not Gagged.

One might think the gentleman who had his credit cards stolen wouldn't encounter such prejudice.

Perhaps he wouldn't, not on the same level; but prejudice is prejudice nonetheless. Keep in mind that by withholding information from authorities he gives up the chance to bring to justice the person who violated his rights, and that by sharing information he opens himself up to questions of a sort which no discreet gentleman wants to answer.

So it happens that two citizens of this country had no reasonable legal recourse for the fact of two other citizens robbing them of their inalienable rights. Don't we all know by now that ain't cool?

Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness are inalienable rights necessitated by man’s nature as a rational being. . The purpose of government in a free society is to protect those rights. These rights include the right to engage in self generated action (free will) as well as the right to property. A man's free will is violated when made to act against his individual, personal, and voluntary will by the means of physical force. His right to property is the right to gain, keep, use, and dispose of material values without physical compulsion, coercion, or interference by other men. (Principles of a Free Society, principlesofafreesociety.com)

So why did our government fail to do their job of protecting the rights of these two individuals?

Simply put; because it's sex work, and sex work is illegal.

That, my friends, does not point to a free society.

And we all know that ain't cool at all.

Kelly Updated

2010-11-18T22:18:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I took the day off from my full time job of selling my time and running my mouth. If you're not earning your living in the same way, believe me it takes more energy then one would think. On the positive side of things, this website has had over a thousand unique page views since I posted "Turning Trick - TER Infiltrated" just a couple days ago, thanks to support of industry members throughout the country linking to me, especially Jenny DeMilo (jennydemilo.com), extremely charismatic self proclaimed message board hooker for whose own mouthing off has earned a serious following. Over the past couple of days I have purchased two new domains, sincerelykelly.com and sincerelykelly.net through Go Daddy whose own tech support team doesn't even understand DNS and name servers. sincerelykelly.com is the new domain to this site but the sincerelykellyjames.blogspot.com address still works as well. sincerelykelly.net will be my escort site address as soon as I figure out how to transfer it. This was motivated in part by a wonderful member of our community in Phoenix (phxlist.com, sexwork.com) who brought it to my attention that I was putting myself at risk with my escort website's domain and tagline of Your AZ GFE (yourazgfe.com). I highly recommend visiting his websites to anyone and everyone who is or has ever met a sex worker. I signed up for a Twitter account, you can follow me at twitter.com/_KellyJames_

Will have some more insightful things to say later, off to sell some time...

Turning Trick: TER Infiltrated

2010-11-14T07:05:00.016-07:00

Industry news taking place in Washington D.C.:

Since I've never been a supporter of the website, I have no clue as to the handle of it's most published reviewer but from what I understand he has, well, turned trick.

No pun intended, of course.

The key that allegedly opened the door for the Montgomery County Police Vice Section to infiltrate The Erotic Review; unconfirmed rumor has it that this particular gentleman was not only using his influence within the community to trade reviews for services but was actually profiting off of his reviews by running the ladies. Yet another unconfirmed rumor suggests he was caught dealing with an underage girl. I wouldn't find any of this to be a surprise, as he obviously had deep affiliations with TER itself; an institution of the escort world inexplicably tied to it's creator Dave Elms who is currently serving time here in Arizona for various offenses including threatening physical harm to people I consider friends and who was also well known for the blatant review blackmail of a number of providers. Although Elms is in prison, TER continues to maintain a derogatory approach in their dealings with the providers who made them what they are today; the most referenced website of it's genre that gets up to a half million unique visitors per month, but I digress.

The bottom line is that the gentleman in question got nailed hard for something and, in true punk form, turned police informant to save his own ass.

There is nothing on earth I hate more than a snitch. Man up and stand for yourself, cause if you don't who will? To quote Tony Montana, all I have in this world are my balls and my word...and I don't break them for nobody. If you cannot keep your shit real you have nothing. Without loyalty you have no honor...which, essentially, means you are left with nothing at all. Always carry yourself with honor, and with pride. Unfortunately, the interrogation techniques used by police are designed to strip us of both.

Back to Whorefucker1, as the story goes, he also provided LE with full access to all of his personal profiles including but not limited to TER, Preferred 411, Date Check, and his membership to private gentlemen only websites. He has rendered our standard screening processes unreliable. Potentially, this could affect sex workers throughout the entire country.

Nice job Whorefucker1. This is just what we legitimate sex workers needed on top of the current issues surrounding Craigslist, Backpage, and trafficking. Thanks. Oh and I really hope you get thrown in prison soon right along with your friend Mr. Elms, as you know the cops are just chomping at the bit to catch you in the midst of another royal fuckup and since you already spilled the beans about everything you think you know you won't again have the recourse of snitching out people you call friends. My advice? Get your asshole prepped for prison with a large butt plug.

Of course there has already been considerable propaganda concerning this issue promoted by the Montgomery County PD including the following, which was posted last week on Washington D.C. Backpage.com:

Montgomery County Police Seeking Information – 99
posted: November 5, 2010, 12:39 PM

The Montgomery County, Department of Police, Vice Section, is tasked with investigating those involved in Human Trafficking and Prostitution. In doing so, the Vice Section has obtained information through informants and other investigative means on individuals that have frequented an internet site known as www.theeroticreview.com (TER), Date Check, Preferred 411 and Back Channel. The Vice Section has compiled a list of individuals, along with email addresses, home and work phone numbers, home and business addresses and the handles associated with these sites. In an effort to further our investigation the Vice Section is seeking the assistance of others who have information on the following individuals on TER:

the-mailman – *************
mpduration – *************
bertlancaster – *************
Nuvela Man – *************
Geojohn – *************
Bill Nilla – *************
Tophervette – *************
Biggered – *************

Please contact the Vice Section at [their email address] with any information on these individuals.

I just love how the police are targeting sex workers who don't know any better to gain information on their clients. They're doing their damnedest to play everyone against each other. If you were actually considering cooperating with these efforts please refer to the earlier paragraph in this post concerning honor.

Whorefucker1, Dave Elms, and the like have been making everyone in the industry look very bad for a very long time. Ironically, The Erotic Review has so far managed to avoid being specifically targeted by the anti trafficking activists who have been merciless in their efforts against Craigslist and Backpage. As far as I'm concerned the cries of trafficking are simply a thinly veiled attempt to further criminalize sex work. It is my opinion however that the manipulation of sex workers via the review process by certain key TER members comes closer to the true definition of trafficking then Craigslist or Backpage ever has.

Fuck it. Throw 'em to the wolves.

I would like to clarify that although I despise TER as a general institution, those feelings absolutely do not extend to their hobbyist members. Yes, I despise Whorefucker1 and I certainly despise review blackmailers who, posing as hobbyists, use their status and reviews on escort boards to manipulate, control, and take advantage of escort ladies. These individuals are assholes. There are assholes amongst hobbyists but hobbyists are not assholes. Hobbyists are a huge part of our community and I greatly appreciate all of you. The betrayal of one of our own will surely hit hard throughout the community with ladies and gentlemen alike.

A Petition: End Human Trafficking - Support Sex Worker Self Efficacy

2010-11-12T07:56:00.002-07:00

Finally, a petition on humantrafficking.change.org that I actually wanted to sign! I ask you to do the same.

http://humantrafficking.change.org/petitions/view/end_human_trafficking-_support_sexworker_self-efficacy_2

TER IMHO

2010-11-12T07:42:00.004-07:00

As I recently wrote on The Provider Report.

This is an issue I feel pretty strongly about and will elaborate more upon in future posts.

"You and I both know damn well that in a dispute between client and provider TER will side with the client every time. Remember the xxxxxxxx affair. It really makes me sick. As I said in my long rant on that post, TER treats the ladies who made them what they are like total crap. Their entire system over there is skewed beyond belief. I don't have a good relationship with TER due to a threat of a letter of cease and desist I had to send them last year. Like you have mentioned it has been very nice not to have to worry about waking up to some jacked up bullshit review about my flat nipples the cellulite on my ass and the exact circumference measurements of my pussy and asshole. Reviews are awesome; they are often very flattering, they help us promote our business and help protect the gentlemen who see us (some of whom are wonderful people) from getting ripped off. However, TER has taken it too far. As an institution they have become derogatory towards providers and women in general. Of course, they had half a million unique visitors over the past month. Comparatively, Escorts.com had 175,000 and Eros had 8,700 (stats from compete.com)."

How NOT To Approach An Escort

2010-11-12T06:06:00.012-07:00

This is a recent conversation from my personal email that I am sharing for purposes of entertainment.

I normally ignore these types of ingrates but just couldn't resist. What makes it even funnier is that at the end of the following correspondence in which I handed him his cock on a platter, he emailed me back and asked me out to dinner (uncompensated I assumed). I ignored it.

Let me preface this by stating that I do not under any circumstances accept money for sex. I do on occasion engage in casual sex for personal enjoyment with gentlemen I meet via the Internet. Of course this occurs on the basis of friendship and is totally free of charge.

That said...
How NOT To Approach An Escort by Kelly James

I received this in response to a recent Backpage posting.

"Kelly, I must say your are such a beautiful little s*** and I want to have my way with you and make you a n*** liitle s***. I really would look forward to doing *** *** *** and I want to do it bareback so I can spill my *** *** *** inside of your sweet *** *** ***. Let me know if you like to do any playing bareback. Thank you babygirl.

I responded:

are you someone I know personally trying to see what i'll say to that or are you just some dumbass jerking off?

His reply:

Nope you don't know me and not sitting here jerking off as you say. I am as I said an ultra clean white male and I would like to know as I said if you would let me play with you bareback. A simple yes or no would do just fine. Thanks Love, Jay

My (annoyed) reply:

I'm not your love or your babygirl and in this day and age gentlemen who meet ladies online and fuck them bareback are asking either for AIDS or for their dick to fall off.

if a girl agrees to fuck you bareback when she's never even met you how many other guys is she doing the same thing for?"

He said:

Gosh, You are a pretty angry person for sure. As I said it is a very simple yes or no, not a Im not your love or im not your babygirl.. I can appreciate your care and concern about playing bareback and I am sorry to have asked you again. I hope you do not ever get any of the things you mentioned to me and I hope one day maybe before all of your selfesteem is gone and any connection you may have had to real emotional love has vanished maybe you will be able to find a man you can stay with instead of having to degrade yourself in such a way that it leaves you without even the smallest fraction of self dignity. Good luck, Jay

I said:

Wow. Your condescending attitude and arrogant, misplaced self assurance have actually managed to offend me, and I am not one who is easily offended.

I have been an escort since '98 and am quite happy. I choose to be in this line of work because it is easy, the money is good, and, for the most part, I enjoy it. When I want to do something else with my life, I am quite confident in my ability to accomplish whatever it is that may be.

I do not find my line of work to be degrading in any way except maybe for when arrogant, self righteous individuals such as yourself make stupid assumptions about me based upon said line of work.

Lack of self dignity is better demonstrated by a willingness to engage in unprotected sex with a stranger upon first meeting, regardless of if you met them on Backpage, Match.com, or at a bar/club. Especially when the stranger has openly referred to herself as a "slut".

Although a lady may openly admit to enjoying sex in many ways with various partners, that does not mean she wants to be approached rudely, as was the way you initially approached me. She, of course, wants to be treated with respect, as all ladies do. Escorts want to be treated as any other lady wants to be treated when being approached for a first date with a gentleman they are meeting for the first time. As a lady with a fair amount of self esteem, I insist on it. As an escort, this offers me the added benefit of legal protection.

You are right about one thing; ignorant people such as yourself certainly do make me angry. Instead of letting it affect my life, I figured I would just take it out on you in the form of this email.

Thank you and have a beautiful day. Oh, and good luck, Kelly.

What a jerk, right? DEFINITELY how not to approach an escort as you just may come across a particularly opinionated one with a bit of a big mouth.

My intention here was not to start a debate on the subject of unprotected sex BUT I will say that I find the amount of men willing to fully enjoy sex unprotected (on a first date nevertheless) to be extremely alarming. Play as you like and enjoy whatever you like...just please enjoy playing safely! IMHO

Federal crackdown on child prostitution results in 884 arrests

2010-11-10T03:22:00.011-07:00

As reported by CNN (click here for article)

Riddle me this...how many people does it take to traffick 69 children? Answer: 785...plus 99 pimps!

884 arrested. 69 children. These must be the worst pimps and traffickers ever.

Or, what we have here is a very bad case of selective reporting.

Selective reporting has become a major problem in this country. When there are facts A, B, C, and D about any given issue and the public is only made aware of facts A and B, they emerge with a very distorted viewpoint of the issue. Selective reporting. Not sure if that's an actual term but if not I just coined it. Unfortunately it probably happens more than anyone realizes.

And how about this: "At least 25 percent of adult prostitutes were enticed into the illegal activity as juveniles." That's worse than selective reporting, it's blatant misinformation. Where did that number come from? Did they take a poll? Why wasn't I nor any other sex workers I know included?

If anyone can explain this to me I would appreciate it greatly.