This article is about a group fighting sex tourism in Angeles City, Philippines. It gives detail into how children and women become involved in prostitution, and discusses the issues that the Love 146 lecture brought up on February 11. Click here to see the CNN article and some relevant photographs.
Thanks to American Apparel for their participation in Sex Week at Yale. We highly recommend their underwear – whether you’re wearing it for comfort or to have a partner tear it off of you, you will enjoy!!
by George Norberg
Christina identified as a sex worker the day she began escorting. She has since done stripping, phone sex, and even professional domination. She enjoyed sex work and couldn’t see herself doing anything else, but there were issues she didn’t expect. Christina needed specific advice; for example, how do you file taxes on illegal income, and how do you rent a room discreetly?
In addition to all her job-related questions, Christina felt she didn’t have a voice. She couldn’t discuss her feelings with her family or friends and wanted to find others who were also sex workers, people who had experienced the things she was going through. She learned about $pread magazine (www.spreadmagazine.org), an all-volunteer magazine produced by and for people in the sex industry. Christina is now $pread’s Media Whore columnist, covering representations of sex workers in the media.
Christina and Will Rockwell, an editor at both $pread and the Global Network journal, Research for Sex Work, came to Yale to discuss how publications like $pread help to mitigate the stigma around sex work. $pread portrays the circumstances of the sex industry through the eyes of sex workers themselves. Since $pread’s inception almost five years ago by a group of three female sex workers, Will, Christina, and thousands of other sex workers of all genders have taken part in a community of equals, and fought against negative stereotypes of sex workers in the media.
Will also spoke on the Global Network of Sex Work Projects, an international network comprised of projects run by and for people who work in the sex industry. Now, there are many men and women who truly enjoy being sex workers, don’t need a community and wouldn’t trade their jobs for the world. Exact statistics weren’t given, but a sizeable portion of sex workers place themselves in this category. But there are also those who do sex work instrumentally, in order to supplement their income or because of a lack of living wage alternatives for example, who do not enjoy it inherently and who wish to reach out to others for community interaction. $pread magazine and the Global Network exist for both of these groups: to provide a venue for a community that is forced underground because of stigma and criminalization. One example of a successful Global Network member organization is the Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee in Calcutta, where 65,000 male and female sex workers joined voices to fight for legal rights and normative community status. Understand that this is just one small growing piece of the Global Network and you can imagine how powerful the Network is becoming, as member organizations consolidate regionally and also internationally.
Yet on top of finding a safe space to organize, there are numerous legal issues for individual sex workers. Attorney Sienna Baskin of the Urban Justice Center’s Sex Workers Project outlined how she helps sex workers who have been criminalized or discriminated against because of their job history. From police who feel free to harass them to immigration and trafficking issues, Sienna is always busy keeping sex workers free from unreasonable treatment by the justice system and other discriminatory bodies. The underlying problem, she explains, is that society has still not learned to accept that sex work is legitimate work and that sex workers are normal people who make rational decisions and deserve the same treatment as people who work any other job.
$pread magazine, the Urban Justice Center, and the Global Network of Sex Work Projects are working hard and succeeding in their effort to change the discourse around sex work, providing a sense of community, supporting the legitimate choices of individuals, and eradicating harmful stigmas from sex work. In a world where many don’t even think about these sorts of problems, I’m glad that Christina, Will, and Sienna were all able to come to Yale and enlighten us on the human and labor rights of people in the sex industry.
It’s National Condom Week! Read this article by Dr. Logan Levkoff (who just spoke at Sex Week!) about condoms and condom-use that she wrote for the Huffington Post today. Happy Condom Week! Click here for the article.
Watch these videos of Madison Young getting ready for her Saturday class: BDSM 101.
Post-Home Depot Purchases with Madison Young
by Alex Steele
When I arrived at the Silliman dining hall last Wednesday, dozens of nervous but smiling students lined the tables which now donned bunches of chocolates and pink décor. YCC members dressed as cupids in pink togas and garb directed people around with their bows and arrows. Because I arrived late, there were only a couple spots left at the lesbian tables, so I took my place and waited for the head cupid to explain the rules:
All speed daters have a slip of paper on which to write the emails of their dates. Each speed date was to last five minutes, after which members of one side of the table would shift. Then, another date would commence. After seven dates, we were to mark up the “yes or no” column of our papers to indicate the success of the particular dates. Lastly, we turned the papers in to the cupids.
With a dimming of the lights and a blessing from the head cupid, the speed dating started. The roar of simultaneous salutations and exchange of basic information made my first date a bit awkward, since we could not really hear each other. The dates got better however, as we grew comfortable enough to lean across the table and shout across our basic information. What college are you in? What’s your major? What are your interests?
While much of the dates reminded me of the frantic and excited acquaintances during my first few days at Yale, I managed to have some good conversations and meet some interesting people. The “Camp Yale” feel of the evening was broken up when cupids dashed across the hall, tossing condoms at the tables and onto the laps of daters. When my date motioned to put one in his pocket and then proceeded to replace it on the table, I jokingly inquired if it was too big, as in, to fit into his pocket. (The condoms the cupids passed out were in rather bulky packages.) This incited a bashfully indignant refute from my date, which was thankfully the most awkward of the night.
Four dates later, the event came to a quick end, and everyone rushed to the cupids, passing off their preference sheets. If both you and one of your dates thought your date was successful, YCC would set up a “crush” on Good Crush, one of the event sponsors. There was also a table of holiday treats as we exited where people picked up candy, bras, panties, boxers, fliers, and condoms – I suppose some of the dates were successful.`
On Friday, February 12, Elayne Angel taught me about a whole new type of piercing that I always assumed was just for show, perhaps only used for those “crazy punks” who will do anything to mutilate their bodies. Erotic piercing, however, is not like this, as Angel explained during the lecture. While erotic piercing is not something that I would consider at this time in my life or in the near future, I gained an understanding as to why people may be interested in something that seems downright painful.
Elayne is not just any piercer, but one of the best in the country and a pioneer in her field. She has been piercing since the 1980s, and created the tongue piercing. She is also the Medical Liason for Professional Piercers, the recipient of the APP President’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and the author of The Piercing Bible. Elayne is so influential in her field that she had to give a disclaimer at the beginning of her talk that told the audience that their attendance does not mean that they apprenticed under her.
Before she went through the different piercings, Elayne explained that the act of piercing is a primal act that can remind a person of a sex act. “People get pierced to get sensation, inspire sexual focus, different forms of play. With erotic piercing you can contact nerve endings that can’t be accessed otherwise.” Then, she went through all of the piercings: oral, nipple, and genital. According to Elayne, genital piercings can cause “confidence in the bedroom” and can help people feel like they can make choices about how their body looks. “It can inspire harmony with the body.”
Within the realm of genital piercings, we saw pictures of some botched piercings (trust me, it was painful to look at). Then, she went into the main two piercings: clitoral hood piercing/ vertical clitoral hood (VCH) and the Prince Albert (PA). The Clitoral hood piercing, according The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, has a positive relationships to desire, frequency of intercourse and arousal. The PA passes through a small amount of tissue, heals in 4-6 weeks, and goes into the urethra. After explaining the two most popular piercings, Elayne went into other piercings: the triangle, frenum, outer labia, pubic, inner labia, scrotum, lorum, fourchette (which Elayne invented), guiche, horizontal clitoral hood, foreskin, clitoris, ampallang, apadravya, reverse Prince Albert, Princess Diana, and dydoes
There were a lot of piercings, and according to Elayne, most do not prohibit condom use or safe sex. For a partner or for oneself, piercings can be pleasurable. While this is not something I took seriously before, I now find it fascinating and really understand why people may be interested in such a procedure. And for those of you who think that the demographic that receive these piercings are people who have piercings all over their body, you are mistaken. One of Elayne’s biggest group of clients are housewives and mostly older people (from thirty to eighty years old!)
It was my first night in Phnom Penh, Cambodia when I entered the hostel I was supposed to stay in for the next two weeks. I was tired, overwhelmed, and sixteen. I got out of the van with thirteen other students to check in, and I was exhausted and sore from the long plane ride. As we walked in, I noticed an unusually large amount of women standing outside of this hostel, checking out each of us as we walked in. In my naïveté, I thought maybe they were just women who liked to hang out near the hostel lobby, which served alcohol and food. After finally checking in, we got into our rooms. I had two roommates, but before we could say anything, we heard loud squeaking from not just the room above us, but the room next to us. Everything suddenly made sense. Those women were sex workers, and we were staying at a brothel.
Our group leaders realized this the next day, and we moved out of the hostel immediately. Our next hostel was in a better area of town, surrounded by restaurants and nicer bars to cater to tourists. But just down the alley next to our hotel, I saw an even more horrifying sight. Young girls and boys hanging out together with one adult lurching over them, approaching white, male tourists to offer drugs, weapons, and sex. When I first realized this, all I wanted to do was tell the police, tell the government, tell anyone who might help the kids. I learned that there was nothing I could do. Where would the police put them? Back on the street so a pimp could take them again? The government is too corrupt to create a real plan, other than a paper campaign against sex tourism. I worked with organizations that helped and tried to save young men and women who were forced into sex slavery and exploitation, but there were so few organizations that there was no way all of these children could be helped. The situation seemed hopeless.
On Februrary 11, Lamont Hiebert of Love 146 led a discussion about child trafficking, slavery, and exploitation. Listening to the passion he had for his work gave me some hope, and hope that more people would get involved. Lamont explained that Love 146 fought child trafficking and sex slavery through “prevention and aftercare: defending the rights of the vulnerable, restoring hope to survivors, multiplying safe homes, empowering survivors through education.” The philosophy of Love 146 is “love restores, love inspires.” After sharing some moving stories about the children Love 146 has worked with and rescued, Hiebert played the group a song he wrote called “Fragile.” The song was even more moving when Hiebert explained plans for a music video and website photo gallery that would have children who went through exploitation to write down “It’s not my fault” and show their picture. Hiebert explained that his work for Love 146 is part of his love for making music, and has managed to intertwine the two through the Love 146 his website, videos, and other creative outlets. Hiebert used a school of rock quote to explain his work, “Social justice is the ultimate form of sticking it to the man.”
Hiebert’s presentation also included some frightening facts about slavery and trafficking: it is estimated that 27 million people in the world are enslaved, $32 billion is made off of human trafficking each year, 1.2 million people are trafficked annually, and the average cost of a slave is $150. The numbers are scary, but it is good to know that there are growing organizations that are building safe homes that will help more and more children get out of this dire situation. Sex trafficking is a huge problem abroad, whether of children or adults, and something many people are unaware of. One thing that even more people are unaware of, however, are the issues going on right here in the United States.
Hiebert shared information about trafficking in the United States: 30,000 children are at risk, 1 in 3 runaways is approached by a pimp or trafficker, 12-14 is the average age in which people enter into prostitution, and children are usually exploited through a false friendship/romance. I had never really thought about sex slavery as an issue in the United States, as I had always associated it with extremely corrupt police and a failed government, and was completely shocked to hear this more than anything else. It’s so easy to get caught up in what is going on abroad, which is often glamorized, when there are so many problems at home.
So, what can you do? Hiebert gave many ideas. For U.S. Prevention, there is the Safe HS, FairFund, Barbara Institute, and Love 146 who are involved and have websites that everyone could look into. There’s a national hotline for trafficking (1-888-373-7888), a text-messaging donation service for Love 146 (Texting to 85944: “LOVE” is a $5 donation, “LOVE146” is a $10 donation), and many ways to get involved with advocacy (pressuring child safe policies at hotels, pushing for hotels that have more respect for women, etc.). Visiting Love146’s website (www.love146.org) also has more information.
Working together, Y Couture, Sex Week at Yale, and AIDS Walk New Haven raised over $750 for . services to individuals and families infected and affected by HIV/AIDS in the greater New Haven community
If you want to help register for AIDS Walk New Haven 2010, on April 11 at www.firstgiving.com/aidswalknewhaven .
AIDS Walk New Haven is a 5K walk to raise money to provide support services to individuals and families infected and affected by HIV/AIDS in the greater New Haven community. Our goals are to raise money, increase public awareness, promote prevention through advocacy, and unite the Yale-New Haven community against stigma, apathy and infection. As a volunteer organization, we are able to commit all of the funds raised to the fight against HIV/AIDS in New Haven.
by Alex Steele
I know a boy who makes my heart race, brightens my day, and inspires me to sing. Maybe one day, I’ll tell him that I love him with all my brain – maybe not. After Helen Fisher’s talk on Lust, Romance, and Attraction: The Drive to Love, I seriously considered it, though.
On Wednesday, Dr. Fisher discussed her research and hypotheses on our amorous experiences in relation to the unique aspects of our brains and a variety of hormones. She freely moved between the audience’s questions and her own entertaining presentation, stressing three main points:
1. Her research indicates there are three prongs to what we call “love” each with hormonal associations. There is a sex drive (testosterone), romantic attraction (dopamine norepinephrine), and emotional attachment (oxytocin, vasopressin).
2. Men and women are equally romantic. When in love, they exhibit the same signs (heightened energy, focused attention, craving for emotional union, etc.) regardless of how they fall in love. “Some people have sex first, then fall in love. Some fall head over heels, then climb into bed. Some feel deeply attached to someone they have known for months or years, then circumstances change. They fall madly in love and have sex.”
3. The reason why someone chooses to be with one person over another is more complicated than simple factors like good timing, proximity, similar backgrounds, and such. People usually look for people who compliment them in term of personality traits Dr. Fisher broke down into four main personalities that she deemed “adventurers,” “builders/guardians,” “directors,” and “negotiators.”
Adventurers are typically more, well, adventurous. These people are more spontaneous, sexual, energetic, and have lots of interests. Examples: President Obama and Angelina Jolie
Builders (or guardians) are conventional, orderly, calm, and display numeric creativity. Examples: Collin Powel and Tiger Woods
Directors are analytical, tough minded, pragmatic, self disciplined, and musically inclined. Examples: John McCain and Hillary Clinton
Negotiators are socially skilled, nurturing, imaginative, mentally flexible, and see the big picture. Examples: Oprah Winfrey and Bill Clinton
Through her research, Dr. Fisher has concluded that adventurers go well with adventurers, builders with builders, directors with negotiators, and negotiators with directors.
Despite her excellent credentials and assuring years of experience, I was disappointed by this explanation of compatibility. Her theory made sense and was an obvious success when implemented for match-making on Chemistry.com, but I prefer to believe that people are more individual to be so neatly categorized and paired.
As if to address my concern, Helen Fisher concluded her talk with further exploration her four personality system. “None of us are any one personality,” she clarified, “but we are all unique mixtures of these qualities. By identifying the strongest personality trait, we can help connect people seeking love.”
Whether or not Dr. Fisher has discovered a way to match anyone with a true love, I enjoyed her talk and I am glad that people are pushing the frontiers of science in an area that affects us all.
Sex Week at Yale is a campus-wide interdisciplinary sex education program designed to pique students’ interest and spark dialogue through creative, interactive, and innovative programming. SWAY is at the cutting-edge of college-aged Sex Education. We aim to push students to think about sex, love, intimacy, and relationships in ways they never have before with a week full of guest lectures, panel discussions, hands on workshops, parties, presentations, and student productions.
This is a completely student-organized event. We’d be nowhere without the enthusiasm of our guests and the generosity of our sponsors.
