PAY TO PLAY
THE ETHICS OF PAID SEX WORK IN THE UNITED STATES
T
he United States still continues to question the ethical dilemMa of selling sexual acts for money. Although paid sex work has always been a part of our society, the act is illegal in most parts of the nation. Historically, sex work can be traced as far back as ancient Egypt, where the profession was widely accepted - unlike today. In current times, the profession’s question of legality has caused concern for the workers who fear for their safety because the public often believe workers are coerced into the work and thus need to be “rescued.” As a result, they are not given the same workers rights compared to the rest of the working class and have a lower hierarchical stance in society. It is also a common misconception that most sex workers are victims of sex trafficking. However, a growing amount of consensual sex work is produced through online media platforms such as Twitter or OnlyFans. This growing industry signals a shift of cultural acceptance in sex work. Lack of legislation on sex work can be disproportionally detrimental to specific populations of women who may experince harm from law enforcement. Having a cultural shift to accept consensual sex work will introduce new legislation to protect the safety of the employee.
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by Melissa Holguin | Design: Megan Piller
In 1995, the United Nations hosted a worldwide conference on women’s empowerment with the intent of advancing women’s rights globally. During the conference, officials demanded the word “forced” be prefaced before every mention of prostitution as a form of violence against women. Today, the public continues to confuse sex trafficking with sex work, a field which many women enter by choice. Although, there exists a handful of women who are coerced into sex work, officials missed the opportunity to change societal discourse that bashes sex work and divert discussion to progessive policy change surrounding sex worker safety. While sex workers typically face opposition globally due to cultural stigma and societal taboo, nations such as New Zealand and the Nordic countries have, in contrast, chosen to amplify the voices of sex workers. In New Zealand, sex work was decriminalized in 2003, meaning it became legal for citizens of legal age to sell sexual services. Unlike most countries whose elected officials dictate regulations without proper knowledge about or exposure to those employed in the profession, New Zealand consulted real sex workers to help improve legislation. In three of the five Nordic countries, buying, not selling, sex is considered illegal, thus shifting the responsibility from the demanded
