Ever notice how when a man or woman who happens to be a sex worker makes headlines, s/he is immediately referred to as a hooker or prostitute BEFORE mentioning s/he was also a parent, a church member, a social worker, etc..?

I am copying the below directly from the website of Shawn King's posterous.  I am linking directly to it below.  I urge you to read it and view the very powerful sex worker public-awareness campaign they and Stepping Stone have launched.
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Copied from http://sking.posterous.com/is-your-mother-a-prostitute Feb 2, 2011:
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I thought that might get your attention. Isn't it funny how that works? How a topic so controversial and sensitive practically begs us to pay attention. In his book "Hey Whipple, Squeeze This", Luke Sullivan wrote a line that sums this social theory up perfectly: "People don't slow down to look at traffic, they slow down to look at traffic accidents". It's true. It's the fundamental business model of every tabloid magazine and news channel in existence. And sometimes it's even an effective tool for making people pay attention to advertising.

Recently, along with our client Stepping Stone http://www.steppingstonens.ca we launched a campaign designed to help the public see sex workers as people first. Part of the goal was to raise awareness of the issue while specifically, we wanted to get the media to identify victimized sex workers as a "mother of three" instead of "prostitute". Our goal was not to try and stop what was going on or take a stance on sex workers or the industry. Stepping Stone is a not for profit organization that offers support programs and outreach for those who are a part of, or where a part of it. We are trying to help them achieve their goals...

Reminds me of similar campaigns on behalf of gays.  The "we are your friends and family" message can be an eye-opener and a catalyst to new ways of thinking for many people.

People sometimes forget that sex workers are more then their job and they are not all burt out druggies or victims of human trafficking. Many are mothers, girlfriends, wives, sisters, daughters, boyfriends, fathers, sons and friends to people that love them. Many are students or work other jobs. I think it is good someone is trying to wake people to this fact. Good for them. Thank you for showing me this ad campaign.

-- Modified on 2/3/2011 6:18:08 AM

problem as I see it is that the sex industry is rarely shown as we know it through TER and other internet sites.  Too many times the street walker who has her pimp around the corner is portrayed rather than the college age student trying to work her way thru school or the lady in her 20's or 30's who is a single mom trying to provide for her children.  Also missed is the lady who does this part-time for extra income (and fun) while holding down a 9-5 office job.  

I think I can speak for the majority of TER hobbyists and say that we are looking to patronize a woman who is being forced into the adult industry.

"Extreme, which crafted the campaign for free, couldn’t find local actors willing to volunteer their faces for the ads.

"They didn’t want to face a lot of the stigma," said Rene Ross, the executive director of Stepping Stone.

Her own grandmother, Doris Lees, is the woman in the ad who looks like she’s about to dispense cookies. "I knew right away that she would be the perfect fit for the campaign," Ross said.

Extreme employees James Rothenburg and Julie Lawrence are the other two faces in the ads."

this part makes me sad. but it is heartening that employees of the firm so badly wanted to make this a reality, and are so passionate about making sex workers human to society at large, that they volunteered their own images.

thank you, Doris, James, and Julie.

-- Modified on 2/3/2011 6:18:26 AM

This is a wonderful set of ads, connecting sex workers with a powerful set of humanizing warmth devoid of social stigma.

Some words are specifically meant to dehumanize people for purposes of destroying their credibility without recourse, so that nothing else they say shall be heard. You can rest assured that when such tactics are employed, it is because those employing them have no valid arguments against those they are dehumanizing.

This approach to advertising is so powerful because it attacks the enemy at the source of his ability to shut up and marginalize sex workers by giving them back the full range of their human role in the public mind.

It is often taken for granted that the clients of sex workers are, outside of that socially unacceptable portion of their lives, otherwise productive and worthwhile contributors to society. The value of this campaign lies partially, then, in establishing the same mindset with regard to sex workers as now pertains to their clients.

This is still suboptimal, but anything that we wish to normalize has to be done a little at a time. So kudos to them!

Some I've seen, some I continue to see, and some I will see in the future. Lynette is one of them.

Hearing her talk, and the passion that comes out of her about many subjects, her being an activist, college educated, a fitness freak, and she's cute as hell!

Not trying to trivialize her thread, or shill for her seeing as how we never 'did the deed' in the firstplace, even though we did meet and had a very interesting Halloween night. lol!

Just sayin'.

Talked and/or been with ladies that have SOs, or kids, or both. Some of them their loved ones know what they do, probably most don't.

I can speak from experience that most of the people in my life know what I do. Yes, family, friends, co-workers, even clients. The way I see it is, it's none of their fucking business what I do with my life. I'm brutally honest MOST of the time, and if someone doesn't like it, that's their problem.

So, I can appreciate this campaign on many levels.

I might not be the ideal person to speak up at a rally or anything, especially if I had a few in me! But, Lynette has a certain style and grace, not to mention an eloquency, that made MY hardass listen.

But like I said, she is soooo easy on the eyes, that I would've bought the Brooklyn Bridge if she was selling it!

Exactly what I was thinking.  The men and women who partake of this alternate lifestyle ARE HUMAN.  I feel we aren't criminals.... we utilize our free will.  There are religious and perhaps moral arguments at hand but before we can take down a huge mountain there are a few steps needed to be taken on that mountain to realize the effort needed.


Personally I have a career.... I am a very sharp business woman managing large volume stores and a full time single mom with a deadbeat ex.  My salary sucks but the benefits for my little ones are what keep me there.

I love people and hell I love sex...... I also love being human with a very free and strong will.

Yes, oftentimes the advocates and allies are the main contributors to campaigns and activities that aim on destigmatizing  the groups of people who are being judged.  

Thank you for sharing that additional tidbit.  

If you are trying to get prostitution legalized, that is one thing.  Not sure what kind of progress will be made to get people to see a "ring of mother's or three" were arrested tonight.  Story at 10.  In most jurisdictions in this country (USA) someone selling sex is a law breaker.  Just as the man that embezzles from his company, he may have been many things but one uh-oh outweighs ten attaboys.  Same for the drug dealer, market inside trader, the list could go on.
Again, as stated, working toward legalization is a noble task, but until then I applaud steppingstone for attempting to get help for sex workers in the areas of drug counseling, alcohol counseling and personal family counseling.
I dont see this campaign going very far in the "dominant society"