Today's Boston Globe has an editorial by Lawrence Harmon puportedly about Hobbyists and how the Hobby needs to be stamped out and why. After reading it I wondered, if LE are reading these pages on TER, do they really think that busts of men paying $$$ and up an hour to the l;adies here are part of their great mission? Have Demand Abolition and the rest of the alphabet soup talked to the regular providers on this board and determined they need the kind of rescue the new Mayor intends for them? I'd say the hobbyists here, even the fuzziest phalli among them, are not Johns, they are closer to Elliots (upscale clients), with a few notable exceptions.

Where does this columnist get his information? As for me, I wouldn't hobby to get around safety considerations in sexual activity, I would hobby to find a specialist who knows my kinks (yes, Grace, including coriaphilia in particular) and is in the business of gratifying them. When Abyss Creations puts that sort of capability into one of their Real Dolls, that's when I'll finally stop wishing for it in human interaction

I think there are a ton of misconceptions about the hobbying world. As you've pointed out, a lot of people do actually do it for the "right reasons".

That said, it's not as if what Harmon says is completely false. There certainly are girls in this world that probably do need rescuing, and there are plenty of johns out there prone to violence.

It's not 100% true in all cases, like most people just assume it is, but it's certainly still something that is an issue and deserves to be stamped out. Violence or exploitation of women shouldn't be tolerated and I fully support LE in stamping out those such cases.  

I just wish there were clearer lines and a better way for LE to distinguish between when that is happening and when it isn't. A couple seeking an upscale provider to spice up their love life, a man wanting to explore a fantasy of his, etc. these are examples that are inherently innocent. Should someone go to jail for wanting to spice up his love life (assuming its something reasonable)? Probably not high on the list of egregious acts.

Unfortunately, there are bad eggs on both sides of the line, both client and provider, that really make things more difficult for the rest of us.

is there a link to this editorial? thank you, J

is too decriminalize sex for pay.

That way the victim can contact LE without them being victimized twice, once by their trafficker, and the second time by LE.

Here is th elink
http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2014/05/30/curb-prostitution-concentrate-johns/MZcgXTN3INN1jEg4A2Ow8K/story.htm

I think there is a huge range in the hobby. On the low end you have streetwalkers and girls forced into basically sex slaves. On the high end you have well educated and articulate woman who choose this line of work. Unfortunitly in this country the law makes no distinction between the two and it would be political suicide to try and change the laws. I don't think any responsible person would advocate human trafficking lets hope the powers that be focus on that end of the spectrum.

He expects that there are a lot of abusive folks in the background of every provider.. Of course, that's not at all true... I will say that sometimes I feel as though I'm playing in a room full of broken toys... Providers seem to have quirks that may explain why they are doing what they do.. some quirks are very harmless and not at all unusual.. things like Narcissim.. or lack of confidence.. or simple necessity because of life situations..  

I have become close to a very sweet & wonderful provider.. I know her real name.. a google search reveals a history of arrests for selling narcotics along with an arrest for an assualt with a knife against a step father who , it was shown, was raping her.. so behind the sweet and "normal" exterior lies a lot of pain... another has a history of DWI , enough to cost a liscense & so on..  

So his story assumes there is, of course, a lot of explotation in the trade.. If it were de-criminalized.. I suspect a lot of that might dissappear.. He over states the issue as a premise for his story.. If he were truthful, he would have no column..

-- Modified on 5/31/2014 4:58:12 PM

Abyss is behind the curve on doll making. You should check out the dolls that Sinthetic's makes.

Just sayin'

Dollguru

END OF MESSAGE

He sounds like he really doesn't know anything about this.  Yes of course sex trafficking and any kind of abuse of anyone underage should have zero tolerance and the highest punishments possible.  But he lumps in the average hobbyist with kidnappers, pedophiles and wife beaters. He writes that most hobbyists are also felons. Really?  He doesn't give any kind of source for his claims. He sounds like a religious fundamentalist in a pulpit. Does he really think that you can realistyiclly eradicate the world's oldest profession? The focus should be on sex trafficking and saving underage women from being abused. Going after willing adults on either side seems like an incredible waste of what limited resources there are to fight serious crime.  If you have a 15 year old girl being pimped out - yes that is serious a very crime and should be a major focus for law enforcement. But if you have a 30 year old escort working with a 45 year old businessman does that really warrant the time and expense of a sting operation?

[Lumping together escorting and trafficking]...creates a multitude of reasons creating more venues for Human Trafficking to hide and thrive.  
   
 The world's oldest profession is not going away.  It is crowded with sophisticated people who will establish webpages and networks out of the eyes of entrapment scumbags.  Unfortunately for the human race, Human Traffickers follow along and hide/thrive in these same networks and hiding places.  
   
 If prostitution were legal, Traffickers would need to find their own places to hide.  They are not welcome in the world of "working mom" escorting/prostitution.  But due to entrapment scumbags, these places have only become more discreet with ladies and gentlemen not asking questions.

I hate when you ignore me   JUST SAYIN' lol

For those who think that there are any consensual providers that need to be rescued GET A GRIP.  

What erotic service providers need is to be decriminalized, they need a right to agency, their labor rights and discrimination and hate crime legislation.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE stop conflating sex work with trafficking, as we already have tons of laws against forcing someone into the industry. It is not up to any of us, to determine who should be a provider.

We have a list almost 700 cops that have been convicted of raping children, and many of them get probation or just 3 years in jail,  Providers all over the US are regularly being exploited and raped by corrupt cops.

Lets look at the how Rhode Island was decriminalized from 1979 until 2009, they did not have even 1 trafficking case,.  We even caught the craigslist killer because after her killed the girl in Boston he came to RI and robbed a escort and she was able to dial 911 because she had protection under the law.

We have no doubt this is not about rescuing anyone, this is about trying to abolish the adult industry, and they do not seem to care how many victims and providers are harmed due to their misguided narrative.

Lets examine some of our stupid polices, condoms as evidence.  hmm if I am a trafficker and I know the cops use condoms for evidence, wouldn't that mean that I would not allow those I am exploiting to have access to condoms.  How does confiscating condoms from street based workers in the best interest of PUBLIC HEALTH + SAFETY.

So many people have opinions and yet even most of our clients have NO CLUE what it is like to have to hide who + what you are from the rest of the world.  They have NO CLUE the amount of stigma, hatred and discrimination we face. Let's face it a provider takes a RISK   every-time she meets a new client.

I have no doubt that the "end the demand" campaign has arrived to the US.  In CA they are pushing more bad legislation called "SB 1388" which will require all clients to do a mandatory 48 hours in jail and they can be fined up to 10 grand.  That money is then spent on doing more stings, and for the FAKE services they claim to provide victims of trafficking.  Right now the US spends 300,000 to 400,000 for every victim they rescue, and keep in mind that all illegal immigrants and minors are classified as victims.

Its amazing how badly informed  the providers and clients are on these topics that directly effect us.

Now hobbyists will be hounded to the ends of the earth. That kid bitter about his luck with women had a point. Had he only blown away S. Hunt and those other crusaders instead of innocents