The idea that I have for my final project is a mini documentary that will explore the fine line between empowerment and exploitation in the field of sex work. I have two different friends that are sex workers and I want to interview them about their experiences and issues with stigmas thrown on to them by society. I am interested in giving this marginalized group of people a voice in the media. Also I aim to uncover how certain forces of the law effect these people in their field, such as the FOSTA and SESTA. FOSTA
For those who are unfamiliar SESTA stands for Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act and FOSTA stands for Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act, both of which were passed in 2017. Although these acts are completely valid to try and put an end to sex trafficking, they also impede certain rights that consenting sex workers should have. For instance, FOSTA makes it a federal crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison to operate “an interactive computer service” with “the intent to promote or facilitate the prostitution of another person.” This is a good thing for victims of sex trafficking, but harmful to the sex worker. Instead of being able to screen clients through the internet before meeting with them for a session, they are now forced back out on the streets to look for their clients. This could put these people into very dangerous situations that could potentially lead to rape and other physical abuse. Huffington Post on FOSTA/SESTA
Another point that I want to make is to address the stigma of the line of work in general, and advocate that sex workers have rights as well. In our society this line of work is is frowned upon and slid under the rug, but in reality it is still a job. A lot of sex workers do not feel safe being publicly out about their career choice, and this is due to the stigma attached to it. These people deserve to have their stories heard and to be taken seriously. Over the summer activists gathered in Washington Square Park to celebrate National Whoresday and I intend to find some archival footage to include in the mini doc. With my research and intimate interviews I hope to develop the story further. National Whoresday
I was super intrigued when you brought up this topic in class, and I really appreciate the idea and topic. It's interesting to me that the stigma follows sex workers, but not necessarily the people who are keeping them in business. As you said, it is a job just like anything else, though I suppose there are more grey areas of what is deemed "appropriate" or "legal". I'm not sure if you are concentrating solely on America and its views towards sex work, but I saw this mini doc from BBC a while ago that is about sex work in Liverpool that I thought was really interesting!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mHTNmRpysg They highlight a volunteer service that they have in place in order to protect the sex workers. I'm excited to see your final project!
Hi! I like this as a topic because sex work is similar to abortion in that, regardless of legality, people are going to do it, so there might as well be laws that allow it to be conducted safely. I had never heard of FOSTA or SESTA, and was wondering if the doc would go into depth exploring the laws. Also, my friend studied abroad in Amsterdam and wrote his term project on sex work regulation there, I could always send it to you if you wanted to explore the topic more widely.
ReplyDeleteHi! I like this as a topic because sex work is similar to abortion in that, regardless of legality, people are going to do it, so there might as well be laws that allow it to be conducted safely. I had never heard of FOSTA or SESTA, and was wondering if the doc would go into depth exploring the laws. Also, my friend studied abroad in Amsterdam and wrote his term project on sex work regulation there, I could always send it to you if you wanted to explore the topic more widely
ReplyDeleteI love this topic and am excited to hear about it from a first person perspective, I feel like it is something I always viewed in TV shows and movies but never thought further about it. So if you maybe wanted to add the topic of how sex work is viewed and portrayed in certain media’s and how those portrayals add to the negative view people often have about people involved in this job.
ReplyDelete