I speak with Dr Melissa Farley about her recent article (with M. Akexis Kennedy), Torture and its sequelae among prostituted women (European Journal of Psychotraumatology September 2024)
More and more it seems like Porn-soaked men, men whose brains are dangerously sexually deviant and their co-dependant female enablers are running politics both Left and Right, across the board. Let us not forget that Trump and Bill Clinton, Bill Gates and many other powerful men and women hung out openly with Jefferey Epstein for years. Melania started her life as a high priced call girl. And that is how they met.
And now 3 of Trump's cabinet picks have sexual scandals - RFK, Gaetz and Hegseth all have creepy sex scandals in their past. Thankfully Gaetz the sex trafficker of minors got rejected. But it is plausible that the other two will be appointed. With Trump at the helm - sex scandals are normalized.
One thing I don't hear about much is the Trans Youth to Porn Pipeline. Historically prostitution has been a major part of the Adult Trans Community. Those are where all those stats of Trans people getting killed come from. But since Buck Angel becoming a Trans ID female in porn - more and more Trans ID young women have been getting into porn. Apollo Moon, a popular Tik Tocker and working in porn has died under mysterious circumstances. Venture onto #sissy Reddit or X you will see a disturbing amount of VERY young Trans ID people. MORE needs to be said about this. These are the same kids who used to get kicked out of their homes because they are gay, and go into sexually exploitative work in order to survive. But many parents who gullibly funnel their kids into transition don't realize there are tons of professional sex creeps who are ready to love-bomb their vulnerable children into a very dark world. Why no one is saying this is beyond me.
I think you ask very good questions. I think that one part of the answer to your points is that governments round the world are run off their feet with work. Much of this is very healthy as people struggle to improve their lives and pressure governments to help them , e.g. with health care. But a consequence that governments are so busy that they don't go looking for more things with which to get involved. And sex workers are strongly dependent to even stay alive, when they do that is, so governments can just ignore their plight, just like they used to ignore say domestic violence, and still quite largely do, except rhetorically.
It is not a priority. Women need to start putting together more powerful lobby organizations. Somehow the LGB was captured by Trans Activist interests who are obviously well-monied. How these men are able to be wealthy but ALSO spend so much on porn, fetish gear, operations, wrong-sex drugs, PLUS donate to Lobbies that are Trans Activist I will never know. If all the money that goes to this nonsense was diverted toward solving Climate Chaos, Poverty, curing Cancer - the world would be a much better place!
I had thought that prostitution was an instance of slavery, because in both cases the other person's body is there to be used by the buyer, as they see fit. But torture perhaps is worse than this?
Hi Mad-Catter, Thank you for your response to my response. We may not be that far apart. I said governments ignore the dreadful state of those who practice prostitution partly because they are too busy with too many other things.You say its because there is not enough lobbying. But maybe it requires much more lobbying partly because governments are so busy with so much.
Either way, I wonder what successes there have been in successfully helping any large fraction of the (mainly) women involved to escape this, such as actually enabling them to support themselves in other ways? The data I've seen is that there are 50,000 to 80,000 (mostly) women involved in the UK. After the descriptions Julie and her colleague produced, I can only think that they must very likely be the most discriminated against group in the country.
I wonder why you didn't include Bashar Assad's Saydnaya prison as well? Didn't this also destroy at least as many people as Abu Ghraib? You're very condemnatory in your comment.
The introduction of Abu Ghraib Wikipedia says the abuses included "physical abuse, sexual humiliation, physical and psychological torture, rape and the killing of Manadel al-Jamadi"....
Are you saying these things don't happen to women (and men) in the sex trade? All the freaking time?
More and more it seems like Porn-soaked men, men whose brains are dangerously sexually deviant and their co-dependant female enablers are running politics both Left and Right, across the board. Let us not forget that Trump and Bill Clinton, Bill Gates and many other powerful men and women hung out openly with Jefferey Epstein for years. Melania started her life as a high priced call girl. And that is how they met.
And now 3 of Trump's cabinet picks have sexual scandals - RFK, Gaetz and Hegseth all have creepy sex scandals in their past. Thankfully Gaetz the sex trafficker of minors got rejected. But it is plausible that the other two will be appointed. With Trump at the helm - sex scandals are normalized.
One thing I don't hear about much is the Trans Youth to Porn Pipeline. Historically prostitution has been a major part of the Adult Trans Community. Those are where all those stats of Trans people getting killed come from. But since Buck Angel becoming a Trans ID female in porn - more and more Trans ID young women have been getting into porn. Apollo Moon, a popular Tik Tocker and working in porn has died under mysterious circumstances. Venture onto #sissy Reddit or X you will see a disturbing amount of VERY young Trans ID people. MORE needs to be said about this. These are the same kids who used to get kicked out of their homes because they are gay, and go into sexually exploitative work in order to survive. But many parents who gullibly funnel their kids into transition don't realize there are tons of professional sex creeps who are ready to love-bomb their vulnerable children into a very dark world. Why no one is saying this is beyond me.
I think you ask very good questions. I think that one part of the answer to your points is that governments round the world are run off their feet with work. Much of this is very healthy as people struggle to improve their lives and pressure governments to help them , e.g. with health care. But a consequence that governments are so busy that they don't go looking for more things with which to get involved. And sex workers are strongly dependent to even stay alive, when they do that is, so governments can just ignore their plight, just like they used to ignore say domestic violence, and still quite largely do, except rhetorically.
Ian Mordant
It is not a priority. Women need to start putting together more powerful lobby organizations. Somehow the LGB was captured by Trans Activist interests who are obviously well-monied. How these men are able to be wealthy but ALSO spend so much on porn, fetish gear, operations, wrong-sex drugs, PLUS donate to Lobbies that are Trans Activist I will never know. If all the money that goes to this nonsense was diverted toward solving Climate Chaos, Poverty, curing Cancer - the world would be a much better place!
Not only "interesting", not just "common sense", but a light bulb moment.
I had thought that prostitution was an instance of slavery, because in both cases the other person's body is there to be used by the buyer, as they see fit. But torture perhaps is worse than this?
Ian Mordant
(Link to article not operating)
It works if you copy and paste it. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/20008066.2024.2404307#abstract
Thanks ☺️
Great interview and very timely.
This was fascinating and illuminating. The Abu Graib example brought it home
Hi Mad-Catter, Thank you for your response to my response. We may not be that far apart. I said governments ignore the dreadful state of those who practice prostitution partly because they are too busy with too many other things.You say its because there is not enough lobbying. But maybe it requires much more lobbying partly because governments are so busy with so much.
Either way, I wonder what successes there have been in successfully helping any large fraction of the (mainly) women involved to escape this, such as actually enabling them to support themselves in other ways? The data I've seen is that there are 50,000 to 80,000 (mostly) women involved in the UK. After the descriptions Julie and her colleague produced, I can only think that they must very likely be the most discriminated against group in the country.
Ian Mordant
Omg you did not compare Abu Ghraib… God, you are both so ignorant, hateful, and sick. There is no empathy at all in your performative concern.
I wonder why you didn't include Bashar Assad's Saydnaya prison as well? Didn't this also destroy at least as many people as Abu Ghraib? You're very condemnatory in your comment.
Ian Mordant
Yes, they did.
The introduction of Abu Ghraib Wikipedia says the abuses included "physical abuse, sexual humiliation, physical and psychological torture, rape and the killing of Manadel al-Jamadi"....
Are you saying these things don't happen to women (and men) in the sex trade? All the freaking time?
What are you saying?
Forced nakedness? That’s not prostitution…