Written by a comedian, it nevertheless strikes true.  Heck, if they can legalize pot, they can legalize p4p in more than 1 state!  Or at least stop with the stings already.  While I agree that pimps and traffickers are bad news and should be eradicated, sex as a chosen profession shouldn't bear the stigma it does.  We aren't a theocracy where misplaced morality trumps basic human wants and desires.

Forget Judeo-Christian morality and America's puritanical roots. If/when "cash" is totally done away with and credit/debit cards are the only form of payment THEN the hobby will be legalized. It's all about the money, and the Treasury Department would LOVE to get in on this multi billion dollar industry for reasons of taxation. But as long as there is no paper/cyber trail in which to compute a provider's annual income tax by this hobby will remain illegal as well as a mainstream moral pariah.

The IRS doesn't care what you do for the money as long as you pay.  You can put in any job title you want and they could care less.

There is a comedian who was quoted in a time article that he is a john and not be be ashamed being a john. There are also recent articles about the study of Rhode Island where indoor prostitution was legal and how rape and std rates went down.

I immediately thought of that pervert(his own words). I'm sure it's a good article, however I already agree with the overall premise of legalization. I disagree with your pot is legal, why isn't p4p legal comparison.

 
 

Pimps and traffickers will be vanish their own. Is there a place for pushers when pot is legal

But do they report ALL the cash they make, or do they report only a small portion so that they simply have a paper trail for 'credit' reasons?

No idea but I also doubt they report all of it, too.  Also, many have civvy jobs and probably only report that income.  All I'm saying is, some girls do report their income from this little world.

-- Modified on 8/8/2014 8:53:23 AM

Imaging the lady I'm with files a tax return... No wait I think that is someone else's fantasy.

Just check out how this is regulated in Nevada, and you will see that legalization will bring Big Brother into the picture in ways that are not desirable.  Decriminalization?  Yes.  Legalization with the heavy foot of government regulating everything from where you can play, to what activities can be practiced, with sales and sin taxes being added on in addition?  Not so cool...    

Bad enough that we have to worry about Uncle Leo when hobbying now.  But it would be worse if an army of bureaucrats and the taxman also were involved, and Uncle Leo would still be there to enforce compliance.  The paperwork alone...

Get those facts out of here.

Or maybe event an official TER poll? After all, as with any business, higher expenses will trickle down to the customer.

Law enforcement officers will still find ways to abuse their power.  

More importantly, sexworkers and sexwork in general will always be terribly stigmatized. My professional license would be revoked. My employer would terminate my employment. My friends and family would shun me. Legal or not, I would not out myself as a sexworker.

For me personally, there's nothing that would be gained for legalization. I'd still run the risk of being raped, robbed or murdered with every client I see. I'd still be always be looking over my shoulder. Instead, I suspect legalization would simply lead to more rules and restrictions placed upon my body and my vagina.

Because law enforcement is truly the least of my concerns. If I get arrested, I am going to returned the comfort of my apartment within eight hours. It's a misdemeanor. Jail is relatively safe.  

As I said in another post, I am far more concerned about being raped, robbed or murdered by a client. No amount of screening, and I do mean none, can weed out a sinister client with very bad intentions.

Many businesses still use cash only...or hybrid cash/credit.

I'll let my landscaper know that he's in big fucking trouble now.

Maybe the diner that I frequent should be shut down and have SWAT swoop in?

I'm sure you report all the freebies you have gotten from your employer's as well?

BTW...it's not terribly difficult to perform a compliance audit on any taxpayer.  It's just a "luck of the draw" most of the time...unless some asswipe decided to tip off IRS.  And even then IRS is so backed up it may never even look at that...who knows  

fail to report ALL their income.  Providers are the same as all the other small business owners, except that we risk arrest as well.  I had an HVAC repairman who gave me a discount if I paid in cash.  And do you really believe that all the hair dressers, food truck owners, or small retail shop owners report everything?  If so, I have a bridge to sell you.

It's legal there, the girls are all registered and carry IDs so you can check their age. Many hotels require them to check in at the desk and leave their ID until they're done.  That way both parties are protected from bad actors on both sides of the transaction.
It hasn't eliminated the pimps or the traffickers but they are much less prevalent.
This is not to say there's no stigma involved, which is why most girls use stage names. Still, it's safe enough and lucrative enough so that girls come to Costa Rica from all over the Caribbean, Central and South America.

which means state and local agencies being involved in the regulation of said laws.

Even if there were no other benefit (personally I think it would make it easier to report crimes against you) I think a big benefit of legalization for providers would be an expanded client base.  Although a lot of men use escort services now there's probably a fair number that do not hire escorts because of the legality.

I think once sex work is legal respect would be gained somewhat quickly when people find out how many men from all walks of life hire sex workers.

That is the biggest benefit of legalization/decriminalization of sex work.

I go to many countries where sex work is not against the law, and in all cases it is much safer for both provider and client involved. From the provider stand point, a woman can not only report rape, robbery, physical abuse etc., she can also report rip offs the same as any other small business owner can, and get LE involved when client tries to stiff her.

From the client POV, it almost always eliminates pimps jumping out of the wood work. It allows us to ask things like "what's on the menu?" without fear of either arrest or the woman bolting out the door in fear of being arrested herself, and last but not least, since both parties have one another's real name, "trick rolling" and other theft is reduced dramatically

BTW these are not theoretical, potential, benefits. These are proven, real life benefits, going on right now in many different countries with more enlightened laws than our own.

Even money that is earned by doing something illegal

It is high time that THIS country eliminate the religious rights stronghold in politics. The way that our government treads all over our freedom by trying to dictate morality to us thru archaic, puritanical laws is unconstitutional. The right for adults of legal age to enter into a mutually agreed upon contract ( even if just for an hour) which has not been entered into under duress, is a business transaction just like any other. Legalize it, regulate it (mandatory health screenings of providers etc)and tax it like any other business. It is never going to be eradicated so if you can't beat 'em, join 'em

With legalization, your chances of being raped, robbed or murdered would be significantly reduced. Other sex workers would be much more likely to report crimes when they don't have any legal fears themselves. So, the number of abusive clients would be reduced.  

Also, law enforcement would lose much of the threat they have over sex workers. So, they couldn't extort freebies to avoid arrest.  

As far as rules and restrictions on you vagina are concerned, how could it possibly be worse than it is now, when you can't legally make a penny with your vagina? Nevada is really an anomaly compared to other countries where the hobby is legal. The laws in Nevada were basically written by brothel owners, and they outlaw activity that doesn't enrich brothel owners. But, many other countries have laws that were written with lots of input from sex worker groups. They tend to outlaw BBFS, but the only way this can enforced is if the sex worker complains. So, if you wanted to provide BBFS, you could.

Finally, legalization can significantly reduce the stigmatization. Those of us who indulge in the hobby are aware that there are many sex workers who are intelligent, sophisticated and admirable in many ways, but the general public tends to see sex workers in a very different light - just because they don't know any better. It is not so different from the stigmatization of gays. Now that so many gays are out of the closet, many of the gay stereotypes that worried straight people have been demolished. Something similar has happened in at least some of the countries where prostitution is legal. Much of the stigmatization has been washed away, although of course, the religious nuts remain.