Comments on: Sex workers and Violence against Women: Utopic Visions or Battle of the Sexes? http://www.lauraagustin.com/sex-workers-and-violence-against-women-utopic-visions-or-battle-of-the-sexes Dr Laura Agustín on Migration, Trafficking and Sex Mon, 21 May 2012 11:21:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: The Bad Vibrations of Anatomical Fundamentalism: World Gender War | Good Vibrations Blog http://www.lauraagustin.com/sex-workers-and-violence-against-women-utopic-visions-or-battle-of-the-sexes#comment-8432 The Bad Vibrations of Anatomical Fundamentalism: World Gender War | Good Vibrations Blog Wed, 02 May 2012 00:57:31 +0000 http://www.lauraagustin.com/?p=524#comment-8432 [...] vulva’s muscles. Male sexuality is described as a weapon of predation and violence that only criminal law and punishment can solve.This is anatomical fundamentalism, in which an erect penis is said to be capable of doing [...] [...] vulva’s muscles. Male sexuality is described as a weapon of predation and violence that only criminal law and punishment can solve.This is anatomical fundamentalism, in which an erect penis is said to be capable of doing [...]

]]> By: Laura Agustín http://www.lauraagustin.com/sex-workers-and-violence-against-women-utopic-visions-or-battle-of-the-sexes#comment-6671 Laura Agustín Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:16:21 +0000 http://www.lauraagustin.com/?p=524#comment-6671 The 'social construct' theory is certainly not agreed on by all or even, probably, a majority of people on either side of the prostitution argument. The pendulum seems to be swinging back a bit now, maybe, toward a belief in biology. The physiology of men and women is different, and I can see where seekers of the soul might think they have found it in the womb - which the male body has no version of. The ‘social construct’ theory is certainly not agreed on by all or even, probably, a majority of people on either side of the prostitution argument. The pendulum seems to be swinging back a bit now, maybe, toward a belief in biology. The physiology of men and women is different, and I can see where seekers of the soul might think they have found it in the womb – which the male body has no version of.

]]> By: Sergio Meira http://www.lauraagustin.com/sex-workers-and-violence-against-women-utopic-visions-or-battle-of-the-sexes#comment-6669 Sergio Meira Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:44:28 +0000 http://www.lauraagustin.com/?p=524#comment-6669 Which would imply a fundamental difference between men and women there: women <i>are</i> their sex, while men <i>use</i> theirs. So men buying sex from men is not a problem, since they are not their sex, but men buying sex from women would be a problem, since women are their sex. How did this come to be, especially if gender is a social construct? I sometimes wonder if this whole attitude is not just a complicated adult version of the old boys-vs-girls games of my childhood. Which would imply a fundamental difference between men and women there: women are their sex, while men use theirs. So men buying sex from men is not a problem, since they are not their sex, but men buying sex from women would be a problem, since women are their sex. How did this come to be, especially if gender is a social construct?

I sometimes wonder if this whole attitude is not just a complicated adult version of the old boys-vs-girls games of my childhood.

]]> By: Laura Agustín http://www.lauraagustin.com/sex-workers-and-violence-against-women-utopic-visions-or-battle-of-the-sexes#comment-6579 Laura Agustín Sun, 22 Jan 2012 16:11:47 +0000 http://www.lauraagustin.com/?p=524#comment-6579 These ideas about sex and sexuality run throughout abolitionist literature. You could read Andrea Dworkin's Intercourse, a founding text for the modern day, which envisions the penis as an invading weapon. Nearly anything you read by these authors will sooner or later reveal the ideas I refer to, particularly the violence literature, which sees the wrong kind of sex as permanently damaging. No, the same is not believed about men. In this view, prostitution refers to men violating women, and the fact that men sell and buy sex with each other is not a problem unless the males are under 18, in which case they become victims, too. These ideas about sex and sexuality run throughout abolitionist literature. You could read Andrea Dworkin’s Intercourse, a founding text for the modern day, which envisions the penis as an invading weapon. Nearly anything you read by these authors will sooner or later reveal the ideas I refer to, particularly the violence literature, which sees the wrong kind of sex as permanently damaging. No, the same is not believed about men. In this view, prostitution refers to men violating women, and the fact that men sell and buy sex with each other is not a problem unless the males are under 18, in which case they become victims, too.

]]> By: Sergio Meira http://www.lauraagustin.com/sex-workers-and-violence-against-women-utopic-visions-or-battle-of-the-sexes#comment-6578 Sergio Meira Sun, 22 Jan 2012 15:49:08 +0000 http://www.lauraagustin.com/?p=524#comment-6578 Really? It does sound quasi-religious. Is the claim really made in such unambiguous terms -- one's soul resides in one's sexuality, so when I have sex I am being 'truly me' in a way that I couldn't possibly be when I sing or play music, no matter how 'deeply inside my soul' I may feel when I play music? If you happen to have links or references to works that unambiguously make this claim, I would like to know them. Is the claim made for men, as well, by the way -- i.e., that a man's soul resides in his sexuality (perhaps the sex organs) and the use thereof? Really? It does sound quasi-religious. Is the claim really made in such unambiguous terms — one’s soul resides in one’s sexuality, so when I have sex I am being ‘truly me’ in a way that I couldn’t possibly be when I sing or play music, no matter how ‘deeply inside my soul’ I may feel when I play music? If you happen to have links or references to works that unambiguously make this claim, I would like to know them.

Is the claim made for men, as well, by the way — i.e., that a man’s soul resides in his sexuality (perhaps the sex organs) and the use thereof?

]]> By: Laura Agustín http://www.lauraagustin.com/sex-workers-and-violence-against-women-utopic-visions-or-battle-of-the-sexes#comment-6576 Laura Agustín Sun, 22 Jan 2012 13:37:05 +0000 http://www.lauraagustin.com/?p=524#comment-6576 From the anti-prostitutionists point of view, singing is what you do and sex is what you are. One either agrees with this or not, the idea that sexuality constitutes identity and cannot ever be separated from it. It's a quasi-religious argument, that the soul of women resides in their sexuality or perhaps in the reproductive system - the organs themselves. That somehow if these are 'misused' the soul is damaged. From the anti-prostitutionists point of view, singing is what you do and sex is what you are. One either agrees with this or not, the idea that sexuality constitutes identity and cannot ever be separated from it. It’s a quasi-religious argument, that the soul of women resides in their sexuality or perhaps in the reproductive system – the organs themselves. That somehow if these are ‘misused’ the soul is damaged.

]]> By: Sergio Meira http://www.lauraagustin.com/sex-workers-and-violence-against-women-utopic-visions-or-battle-of-the-sexes#comment-6574 Sergio Meira Sun, 22 Jan 2012 04:00:38 +0000 http://www.lauraagustin.com/?p=524#comment-6574 I wished people would indeed stop considering legitimate options as "necessarily wrong" simply because they happen to be choices the majority wouldn't make. I never understood why people can believe that a woman who sings for money is not necessarily "selling herself," whereas one who is selling sex for money is. This opinion always seemed to me to imply a sexist bias: a woman's essence is her capacity for sex, so if she sells it she is selling what makes her who she is; but not if she sells her talent for singing (and that, even if she feels her singing talent is more important to her own feeling of self, to 'who she is', than her capacity to have sex as a woman). Likewise, if paying for a woman to sing at an event (say, one's birthday party) is not offensive or degrading to her, why would it be to pay her to have sex -- unless again sex is seen as so "essential" to a woman that giving it away for money leaves nothing in her, as if her soul had been removed, thus degrading her to a mere soulless body?... I wished people would indeed stop considering legitimate options as “necessarily wrong” simply because they happen to be choices the majority wouldn’t make.

I never understood why people can believe that a woman who sings for money is not necessarily “selling herself,” whereas one who is selling sex for money is. This opinion always seemed to me to imply a sexist bias: a woman’s essence is her capacity for sex, so if she sells it she is selling what makes her who she is; but not if she sells her talent for singing (and that, even if she feels her singing talent is more important to her own feeling of self, to ‘who she is’, than her capacity to have sex as a woman).

Likewise, if paying for a woman to sing at an event (say, one’s birthday party) is not offensive or degrading to her, why would it be to pay her to have sex — unless again sex is seen as so “essential” to a woman that giving it away for money leaves nothing in her, as if her soul had been removed, thus degrading her to a mere soulless body?…

]]> By: Laura Agustín http://www.lauraagustin.com/sex-workers-and-violence-against-women-utopic-visions-or-battle-of-the-sexes#comment-6569 Laura Agustín Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:54:02 +0000 http://www.lauraagustin.com/?p=524#comment-6569 Self-determination is the key. The assumption that people cannot know for themselves what they prefer to do at any given moment in life is offensive paternalism (or maternalism). Self-determination is the key. The assumption that people cannot know for themselves what they prefer to do at any given moment in life is offensive paternalism (or maternalism).

]]> By: Laura Agustín http://www.lauraagustin.com/sex-workers-and-violence-against-women-utopic-visions-or-battle-of-the-sexes#comment-6568 Laura Agustín Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:52:06 +0000 http://www.lauraagustin.com/?p=524#comment-6568 This is a silly attack. You do not know me or my personal history, you do not know whether I have sold sex or not or whether my partner has or buys sex. You don't have any authority to decide whether I have solidary feelings for anyone, either. Keep personal attacks to yourself, please. This is a silly attack. You do not know me or my personal history, you do not know whether I have sold sex or not or whether my partner has or buys sex. You don’t have any authority to decide whether I have solidary feelings for anyone, either. Keep personal attacks to yourself, please.

]]> By: norskgoy http://www.lauraagustin.com/sex-workers-and-violence-against-women-utopic-visions-or-battle-of-the-sexes#comment-6567 norskgoy Fri, 20 Jan 2012 09:15:39 +0000 http://www.lauraagustin.com/?p=524#comment-6567 @yume Women, men and transsexuals who sell sex are as diverse as anyone else. And adults as they are, the society should treat them as such. And not deprive people of responsibility and self determination, and reason that in care or "we know what is good for you and your life". @yume

Women, men and transsexuals who sell sex are as diverse as anyone else. And adults as they are, the society should treat them as such. And not deprive people of responsibility and self determination, and reason that in care or “we know what is good for you and your life”.

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