Talk:Sex worker
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"people who support these protections". The meaning is not clear.
S.
[edit] waitstaff in sexually-oriented businesses
So the (clothed) waitress at the strip club is a "sex worker"? Is the bartender? How about the janitor? I'd like to see some usage examples on this. It seems to me that, as the page points out, the term is typically used either in a political context (where it refers mainly to prostitutes) or in the public health field (ditto). --Max power 15:38, 6 May 2004 (UTC)
I don't know what is meant here either. Perhaps the author is refering to Hooters, for example -- a low quality American bar and grill chain that seeks busty waitstaff. But that'd be a stretch, I think -- certainly not what I think of when I hear the term sex worker. When ever I've seen the term in print, it almost always means "prostitute," and rarely "sex therapist" -- which depending on the nature of the services involved, may be essentially the same thing. --66.67.213.96 23:42, 22 April 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Euphemism
In the article, "service provider" is mentioned as a euphemism for sex worker. Isn't the term "sex worker" a euphemism itself for other words like prostitute, stripper, and pornstar?
- No, it is not. Sex worker is used as a non-offensive, non-discriminating alternative and a political statement... it is not used as a euphemism
Sex worker is a euphemism. Prostitution as a form of sexual violence and not work, see below, section NPOV dicussion.
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- What is offensive about the word prostitute? Words like nigger are offensive, because people specifically and intentionally use them (instead of a less offensive word) to be disrespectful. The word prostitute is the original and primarily used word to describe the occupation--unlike, say, nigger, it is not specifically selected instead of another word for the purpose of being disrespectful. People who use sex worker instead of prostitute are trying to escape the reality of what a prostitute is. Worker is simply tacked on for a false sense of legitimacy--farm workers, factory workers, sex workers, et cetera. -216.145.255.2 22:11, 10 January 2007 (UTC)
Human rights activists and feminists usally use the term 'prostituted woman' instead of 'sex worker' or 'prostitute', because prostitution is not something women choose to get into, it's something that's done to them.
- Of course it's a euphemism for a euphemism. Or maybe people say "powder room" instead of "toilet" as "a non-offensive, non-discriminating [...] political statement." In any case, "service provider" is a ridiculous term, stripped (no pun intended) of all meaning. Wulfilia 13:39, 26 March 2006 (UTC)
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- I wouldn't say "sex worker" is an euphemism, it's a vague term, but it's quite explicit... 惑乱 分からん 11:05, 3 December 2006 (UTC)
No, it's not explicit. The term hides the violence and the abuse that prostituted women are subjected to, and that they usually become prostituted as a result of violence and abuse.
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- "The violence and the abuse that prostituted women are subjected to," is a loaded expression. Verbal insistence that violence and abuse are inextricably linked to prostitution does not make it an inevitability, any more than sweat-shop conditions are inevitable in factory work. For an academic or political observer to decide in advance that an entire sector of society are inherent victims strikes me as totalitarian-- it assumes that, rather than self-empowerment, through unions, through a change in consciousness, through better working conditions, that people need to be rescued by outside activists. This mentality of rescue underlies the justification for the United States of America to invade Iraq. I am not claiming that millions are not exploited-- on the contrary, I am claiming that an appeal to an external authority, and the violence implicit in that appeal, will alter the nature of such exploitation, and even change the group of exploiters, but will not liberate those exploited. There are liberated sex workers, some of whom have their own unions, their own health-care plans, and are protected from the violence and abuse that the above commenter mistakenly believes is inherent in the trade. Talk to these women and men, and ask them how they feel about the work they do. Listen to their replies. Don't assume that they deserve your pity, concern, or protection until you understand what they have managed to achieve, and what their concerns (not your concerns) are.--Moly 19:26, 17 March 2007 (UTC)
[edit] NPOV dicussion
quote: In the Netherlands, Germany, New Zealand and some Australian States, sex workers already enjoy recognition by the state. Isn't saying "already enjoy" a bais or POV? Shouldn't the article just say that sex workers are recognized by the state?
- No.. that's perfectly valid NPOV English for 'are already privy to'.
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- No it's not, it's usually implying that it's a positive thing Johannes H.-Larsen 22:27, 18 December 2006 (UTC)
I think the NPOV for this page could be improved by a clear explanation of why some groups prefer the term "sex worker" to "prostitute." The fact that the term is disputed should not be relegated to the Discussion page. If the debate is named in the article itself, then I think the NPOV will be preserved without hiding the contention. There already is some discussion of the human rights movement associated with the word Sex Worker, but perhaps this could be brought out as a debate so that readers don't leave with the "one-sided" impression.
--Mankad 21:45, 15 January 2007 (UTC) Agree, a discussion of the term 'sex worker' should be included. It should be included that human rights activists and feminsts reject the term 'sex work', because they regard prostitution as a form of sexual violence and not work. As mentioned above, the majority of prostituted women have been sexually abused as children and many suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychological problems as a result of their prostitution, which is invariably accompanied by abuse and violence, no matter if prostitution is legal or not.
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- The above comment makes blanket factual statements that mask the debate that is going on in these circles. The term "sex worker" was coined by prostitutes, strippers, and professional dominat(ors|rices) to generalize their labor. Please provide statistics to support your argument, especially if you are going to make such a bald generalization. People have the right to fulfill themselves in the world through their labor. If they choose, as some do, to engage in sex work, of their own free will (which is possible to do, despite blanket statements like those above), then to imply that such people are victims is insulting and dehumanizing. I have a friend who is a prostitute, who considers herself a religious prostitute, and feels that her work has religious significance, both to her, and to her clients. While I may not necessarily agree with her, I respect her attitude towards her labor, and respect her right to fulfill herself through her labor. Temple prostitutes have existed in agriculture-based religions from the Neolithic Revolution onwards, and the religious dimension of sex work should be explored, with dignity and with respect to the worker and to their clients. --Moly 19:57, 17 March 2007 (UTC)
- While relationships exist that have partners with disparate libido levels, there will be sex workers to attend to the needs of the more libidinous partner. It insults everyone involved to suggest that society cannot handle this biological reality without creating victims. The term sex worker was coined to describe the work of female and male professionals who seek to address the issue without creating victims.
The comment "Illegal sex tourism with under-age boys and girls has become a notorious problem in Costa Rica and Thailand." Maybe 10 to 20 years ago under-age sex was a problem in Thailand but anyone who's recently been and lived will say this is completely BS. I will bet almost any amount of money there is more Illegal underage sex going on in Los Angeles CA per capita or per square mile than in Thailand. In many areas of the US there are loads of Child molesters running around, Just check the local list of sex offenders online in your city and you'll be surpise that you'll have 20 within 3 miles of you house. As anyone seen the NBC show, "To catch a Predator". The under-age child exploitation is all over. The source of the child exploitation is from western men. These men by and large live and breath in the USA and Europe. 99 percent of these men never leave the USA. The only really sick child predators are professionals like Doctors and Dentists who can affort and have the time to travel to South East Asia. The Sex Industry in Thailand is open in the sense that it's regulated business. Girls are salaried employees. Hotels check for IDs. The Thai goverment has age rules for employment that the bar owners have to keep. If they hire an underage girl they can go to jail. A Thai jail is 50x worse than the country club jails in the USA.
