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A letter to my MP about laws on prostitution

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One insideMAN reader, Chris Woodward, shares a letter that he wrote to his MP about proposals to bring the “Nordic model” of policing prostitution to the UK.

—This is article #58 in our series of #100Voices4Men and boys 

Dear Sir

I am writing to you not only as one of your constituents but also in
regards to your membership of the All Party Parliamentary Group on
Prostitution and the Global Sex Trade and the proposals your group is
putting forward, as discussed in the ‘Shifting the Burdon’ report,
which I have read.

Firstly, I wish to say that any group or individual that works to put
an end to all forced prostitution and trafficking, and provides a voice
for voiceless victims of prostitution, deserves credit for such
efforts. Every human being has a right to be treated with dignity and
those who jeopardise an individual’s wellbeing need to be stopped.

However, I am very aware that the proposals your group are advocating
are based upon the Nordic approach to Prostitution, as adopted in
Sweden since 1999. I have great concerns about this model coming into
Britain for a number of different reasons. In fact the more I read
about this model, the more opposed to it I have become. I wish to
explain my issues with the proposals and ask a few questions.

The Nordic model is anti-male

First of all, the Nordic approach is basically anti-male. By
criminalising the male buyer of sex services, and decriminalising the
female seller, it re-enforces the stereotype that men are the bad guys.
I would suspect if this was the other way round, and the female buyer
was the one being criminalised, the well organised feminist lobby would
be up in arms against it.

Secondly, the Nordic approach, whilst seeking to end trafficking and
violence towards prostituted women, imposes a blanket ban upon all
consensual prostitution, and impinges upon the activities of the
regular, law abiding, non-violent clients of sex workers by
criminalising them. The Nordic approach fails to make the distinction
between consensual and non-consensual prostitution, and in doing so
impinges upon the freedoms of individuals who have nothing to do with
trafficking, and should therefore not have the burden placed upon them.

While it may be true that a high percentage of sex workers in this
country are trafficked into it, this is certainly not true of everyone
in prostitution. Some sex workers actually choose to become prostitutes
because for them it is worth the money. Regardless of how repugnant or
disapproving this may be, there is absolutely no reason why the state
should intervene in such cases with the choices of such women and the
men who wish to purchase sex from consenting women.

Men with disabilities hire sex workers 

Indeed some male clients of prostitutes, far from being violent, are
actually men with disabilities who may hire a sex worker because they
otherwise struggle to develop romantic relationships, and are merely
seeking out the human contact that a sex worker can offer. We may not
like their choices, but such men should never have their freedom to
choose to hire a prostitute encroached upon by the state, all because
‘some’ of the other prostitutes out there have been trafficked, and
‘some’ other men are guilty of trafficking, raping and violence towards
prostitutes.

I therefore request that you raise the issues I have discussed here to
the All Party Parliamentary Group, and that instead of trying to combat
trafficking with a blanket ban, that your group discusses proposals
that specifically and only target the perpetrators or trafficking and
violence and NOT every man that hires a prostitute. Such measures among
many could include tighter controls and checks at borders, and
introducing measures such as tougher aggravated trafficking offenses. I
am not suggesting I have all the answers but there is no doubt that the
modern slavery of sex trafficking can be stopped without interfering
with consenting prostitutes and clients.

I have two specific questions I wish to ask regarding your group’s
proposals:

Firstly, if your proposals come into law, will you also make it illegal
for female sex buyers to seek out male prostitutes?

Secondly, and this is a more a why question. In seeking to end
trafficking and violence, why does your group not propose an approach
that specifically targets the traffickers and combats the violent
elements of prostitution, without impacting the freedoms currently
enjoyed by ordinary men who may wish to purchase sex?

I know you may argue, as Lord Morrow did in a TV debate in Northern
Irelandwith figures about how prostitution has decreased in Sweden, and
that what worked in Sweden will work will work in the UK and it’s the ‘best’
way of tackling sex trafficking. It is regrettable that throughout the debate
Lord Morrow would not even acknowledge the effects his proposals in
Northern Ireland would have on consenting adults who wish to exchange
sex for money, and failed at any point to explain why he couldn’t come
up with an alternative approach to target only the traffickers without
interfering with all consensual prostitution.

I look forward to hearing from you, and very much hope you will answer
my questions and reconsider the proposals your group is putting forward
so that it targets only the perpetrators of trafficking and violence
and no one else.

Yours sincerely

Chris Woodward

—Picture credit: Kevin Shine

See also: Why are the Lib Dems supporting men who buy sex

You can find all of the #100Voices4Men articles that will be published in the run up to International Men’s Day 2014 by clicking on this link—#100Voices4Men—and follow the discussion on twitter by searching for #100Voices4Men.

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Why are the Lib Dems supporting men who buy sex?

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What’s large, gold and has wings? According to the former MEP, Chris Davies, it’s the flying golden penis trophy he won for being Politician of the Year at the Erotic Awards 2010.

Davies proudly shared this information with his Lib Dem colleagues in Glasgow this week, as the party revisited its policy on decriminalising sex work. True to their promise to fight for a stronger economy and a fairer society, the Lib Dems want women to be free to sell sex (and men to be free to buy it), without fear of prosecution—and who can say fairer than that?

Forget the NHS and Europe and the bedroom tax, this is one area of policy where the Lib Dems have put a “bit of blue” clear water between themselves and the other major parties.

Earlier this year, an All Party Parliamentary Group of mostly Labour and Conservative MPs called for an overhaul of the UK’s laws on prostitution, which would make it legal to sell sex and illegal to buy it.

Do men drive women into sex work?

According to the Labour MEP, Mary Honeyball (yes it’s her real name), the aim of this approach is to target “men who treat women’s bodies as a commodity without criminalising women who are driven into sex work”.

The policy is supported by a bizarre alliance of left-wing, feminist, female MPs, who see prostitution as violence against women and right-wing, male, Christian politicians, who take a hard moral stance on abortion, gay marriage and men who pay for sex.

Meanwhile, in a conference room as empty as a Lib Dem promise on student loans, a few of the party faithful were busy congratulating each other for having the best prostitution policy in the country.

We’ve all heard of punters who visit prostitutes and “just want to talk”, well when the Lib Dems visit sex workers, they just want to listen. The biggest disagreement during the debate came when two delegates argued about being the first politician to invite sex workers to speak at a party conference.

Should consensual sex always be legal?

The conclusion the Lib Dems have arrived at is that the industry isn’t as grim and oppressive as we’re led to believe and we should all be free to buy and sell sex as we please, as long as we’re being kind to each other and not breaking any other laws in the process.  “It is a fundamental liberal value,” said Councillor Matthew Winnington from Portsmouth, “that consensual sex between adults should be legal”.

So why should men care about this? The vast majority of us don’t use sex workers so why should we give a damn about the way male “Johns” are policed?

Some men’s rights campaigners have, not surprisingly, framed the issue as a fight against feminist zealotry. There is some truth to this position. The proposal to decriminalise prostitutes, while simultaneously making it illegal for clients to pay for sex, is known as the Nordic model and is a feminist approach pioneered in Sweden. It’s built on a view that women don’t choose prostitution, but are forced into it by we bad men and our evil patriarchy.

Is this a feminist issue?

However, many of the key people who want to rescue female prostitutes and punish their male customers, are far from feminist. They are in fact traditional conservatives who take a paternalistic view of “sexual transgression” and think that we good men and our benevolent patriarchy should be saving fallen maidens in distress from the few bad guys.

At the same time, the liberals who oppose the Nordic model see themselves as progressive feminists. So the distinction here isn’t between feminists and non-feminists, it’s between authoritarians and libertarians.

As a man, I’m not particularly concerned which side of the authoritarian/libertarian divide you come down on, as long as you treat people equally. It seems only fair that if we make selling sex a crime, we should make buying sex a crime too. Similarly, if we decriminalise prostitution, then surely this should apply to both the buyer and the seller?

The idea that prostitution is predominantly a one-way crime perpetrated by men against women, is absurdly sexist and discriminatory. The suggestion that all prostitution is violence against women and all female sex workers are driven into the oldest profession by evil men, infantilises women and ignores what sex workers are saying about their own experiences.

Sex work is worth £5 billion

Yes there is exploitation, abuse and trafficking and this should be stopped. Yes there are sex workers who are controlled by addiction and they should be helped. But if the Lib Dems, with their flying golden penises have got it right, then Labour and the Conservatives are lying to us about sex work. Whether you like it or not, the sex industry is worth £5.65 billion to the economy and, according to the Lib Dems, the majority of people earning that money are doing so through personal choice and free will.

Is prostitution a social evil caused by men and suffered by women? Not according to Dr Belinda Brooks-Gordon, a lecturer in Psychology who summed up the debate for the Lib Dems saying “any amount of criminalisation, no matter how slight, gives authoritarians the excuse to harass women, men and transgender sex workers”.

She asked conference to spare a thought for the diverse range of punters the Nordic model would criminalise. “Consider the young man with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, paying for the first non-medical touch he’s had in his life,” she said. “Consider the widow or the war veteran, whose life’s been ruined, paying for a bit of company. Consider women in posh spa hotels, paying for a full massage with a happy ending.”

However you vote at next general election, if you want to speak out about the criminalisation of men who pay for sex, at least the Lib Dems have given you a “respectable” argument: “it’s not the male punters I’m most concerned about about, no, it’s the rights of disabled men, war veterans and sexually frustrated posh ladies I’m fighting for!” Nice trick, as sex workers say.

—Picture Credit: Flickr/brh_images

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Article by Glen Poole author of the book Equality For Men

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