BTI #362: Sex Sells Part 3 - Decriminalizing Sex Work with Ariela Moscowitz

Today, we’re going to be talking about sex. Specifically, we will be unpacking the act of having sex as a means of labor. If you’re thinking, I don’t have sex for money, nor do I want to have sex for money and I don’t know anyone who does have sex for money. Why would I continue listening to this episode? You’re right to ask that question - and what you will discover is that even if you are not in the sex work industry, there is still a lot you can do to both end human trafficking as well as promote health and safety for all those who are involved.

To give this episode some further context - earlier this year, I had an unpleasant interaction with a man who was under the full belief that because a woman was doing a photoshoot in a public setting, that she had given up her own rights to the agency of her body and could be leered at and gawked at by anyone who chose to.

This is the exact same rhetoric that leads to statements like, she would not have been sexually assaulted had she not worn that outfit. What this did was create an ongoing conversation around the idea “sex sells.” I was asking the question, who is profiting? It seemed to be okay if a man was profiting but raised a lot of concerns when it was a woman who was profiting. 

I’ve talked to my dear friend and sex therapist, Dr. Jordan Wiggins about what consent is and is not. I also had a conversation with Nikole Mitchell, a top OnlyFans worker, about the misconceptions of sex workers and why there are such stigmas around those who choose to sell images of themselves if they are profiting.

Today, we’re going to zoom out and take a look at sex work from a broader context. My intention is to provide an economic exploration into the world’s oldest profession and efforts to decriminalize sex work.

My guest is Ariela Moscowitz who is the Director of Communications for Decriminalize Sex Work, a national organization pursuing a state-by-state strategy to end the prohibition of consensual adult prostitution in the United States.

“If you really hate it so much and you don’t want people to do it, the best thing you can do is to decriminalize it.”

IN THIS EPISODE

• The true definition of sex work.
• What makes sex work illegal by the definition of the law.
• The difference between consensual sex work and human trafficking.
• The historical context of sex work.
• The 3 major objections to the trade.
• Why sex work needs to be decriminalized.
• Discrimination in the field.
• Selling a service versus selling their bodies.
• How the legal system punishes sex workers.
• The currently role that police play.
• Legalization versus decriminalization. 
• Steps we can take to improve the safety of those involved.

Connect with James 

Website: jamespatrick.com

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Text me marketing questions @: 480-605-3254 

Connect with Ariela Moscowitz

Website: decriminalizesex.work

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