(no subject)
There is a big fuss going on right now in RI, where the general public has recently become aware of a "loophole" in the state emplyment laws. This loophole allows people aged 16 and over to work as strippers or prostitutes.
This issue became high-profile when a young woman aged 16 was discovered to be working as a stripper, and she was being pimped and coerced by a 40-year-old man. He brought her to RI and became her pimp. He beat her and she wanted to get away.
So now some RI legislators want to "close the loophole" that allows minors to work as sexworkers. Here are some of my thoughts about this:
1- trafficking and coercion and assault and threats are already illegal. Why not just enforce the existing laws instead of making more laws?
2- This may be controversial, but here it is: I wish that when I was 16, I had had the option of working safely and legally as a sexworker. I really, really do. I already knew then that I wanted to be a sexworker, I was somewhat familiar with the strip club industry, and I was a broke, sometimes-homeless teenager working part-time in retail while finishing high school.
I don't think every teenager would do well as a sexworker, but I think that I would have and I really do think that if I had had the opportunity, my life would have been more stable. 16-year-olds are not children; while they aren't fully mature, they are still making adult decisions all over this planet. I was already sexually active.
When I was in high school, I actually had classmates who worked as strippers. Here's what I observed: those who were over 18 worked in better clubs (this was the heyday of the "high class strip club" in my city) with better work environments. They made good money, supported themselves, and for the most part kept their shit together. Those who were under 18 worked in crappy clubs with shitty work environments; the only clubs that would hire them were the seedy clubs. They had to switch clubs often to avoid law enforcement or being fired, and they usually ended up reluctantly giving hand jobs in the back room. And still they made less money than the18-year-olds.
Those under-18 were forced outside the protection of the law, whereas those over-18 had the protection of the law. This made a world of difference in their stripping experience. I don't think that this really helped the under-18s.
In spite of the rise of "hooker chic", I don't think that most 16-year-olds will turn to sexwork. But for those who will, I would rather they had the opportunity to do it in the safest manner possible, and without criminal persecution.
This issue became high-profile when a young woman aged 16 was discovered to be working as a stripper, and she was being pimped and coerced by a 40-year-old man. He brought her to RI and became her pimp. He beat her and she wanted to get away.
So now some RI legislators want to "close the loophole" that allows minors to work as sexworkers. Here are some of my thoughts about this:
1- trafficking and coercion and assault and threats are already illegal. Why not just enforce the existing laws instead of making more laws?
2- This may be controversial, but here it is: I wish that when I was 16, I had had the option of working safely and legally as a sexworker. I really, really do. I already knew then that I wanted to be a sexworker, I was somewhat familiar with the strip club industry, and I was a broke, sometimes-homeless teenager working part-time in retail while finishing high school.
I don't think every teenager would do well as a sexworker, but I think that I would have and I really do think that if I had had the opportunity, my life would have been more stable. 16-year-olds are not children; while they aren't fully mature, they are still making adult decisions all over this planet. I was already sexually active.
When I was in high school, I actually had classmates who worked as strippers. Here's what I observed: those who were over 18 worked in better clubs (this was the heyday of the "high class strip club" in my city) with better work environments. They made good money, supported themselves, and for the most part kept their shit together. Those who were under 18 worked in crappy clubs with shitty work environments; the only clubs that would hire them were the seedy clubs. They had to switch clubs often to avoid law enforcement or being fired, and they usually ended up reluctantly giving hand jobs in the back room. And still they made less money than the18-year-olds.
Those under-18 were forced outside the protection of the law, whereas those over-18 had the protection of the law. This made a world of difference in their stripping experience. I don't think that this really helped the under-18s.
In spite of the rise of "hooker chic", I don't think that most 16-year-olds will turn to sexwork. But for those who will, I would rather they had the opportunity to do it in the safest manner possible, and without criminal persecution.