Blue Notes from a Red Zone

Victimless Crime

Until the last few days, Eliot Spitzer was a somewhat vague figure to those of us living outside the New York/ Washington axis. Obviously, he was elected governor on his record of tackling the sacred cows of Wall Street. Crusading against white collar crime is laudable, but not terribly riveting. Attention was not fixed.

Now, of course, soon-to-be former Governor Spitzer is revealed as being as complicated and complex as most of us, and there is a surfeit of information presented 24/7 that with luck will die down as quickly as it flared up.

What is not likely to recede any time soon is the subtext that has accompanied the reports of Mr. Spitzer's rapid fall from the heights. Contained in every on-line news source I rely on is a side-bar on why prostitution should be legal. Yes, the governor knowingly committed a crime, and yes, it is hard to continue to govern once that fact is known, but, after all, prostitution claims no victims, and let's repeal these oppressive laws.

There may be many reasons to make prostitution legal, but claiming that the sex trade does not create victims is not one of them. Prostitution, pornography, strip bars and other industries that offer sex for sale destroy thousands of women's lives every year.

The fashionable idea that the sex trade empowers women, rather than dehumanizes them, cannot be supported. Head down to any police station in the country, and tell the officer that a prostitute has been raped. You are unlikely to note much concern. Pick up a newspaper after a stripper has complained that she was raped by the fraternity/ businessmen/ bachelor party that hired her. I doubt the description of the stripper will be flattering. Even the murder of prostitutes is a non-event, the women barely noticed except in the case of a serial killer, and then only as accessories in a drama focused on the murderer.

Women who have options do not opt for sex trade jobs. Take for example Kristen, the object of Governor Spitzer's lust. At $2000-$3000 a hour, Kristen epitomizes the high-end sex trade. If there is an argument that prostitution is a valid and rewarding career choice, it is based on arrangements like that of the Emperor's Club.

That argument fails, however, the second one moves past the superficial. Kristen's path to prostitution adhered to the usual script. An abused child, she left home at the age of 17. Without a high school degree, without friend or family to support her, she wound up homeless and a drug addict. Her dreams of success as a musician shattered, she turned to survival sex, trading on the one way she knew to be pleasing. She was good at being sexually pleasing, and rose to the top of her profession.

And what did that get her? Luxury apartments, couture clothes, jewels, freedom? No, it provided her employers with a great deal of money, but she was still struggling to maintain a modest standard of living. Although she has remained silent, her colleagues have complained of demands for constant performance, being forced to partake in unsafe sexual practices, and netting only a small fraction of the take. Kristen herself has the pleasure of seeing herself described as the "governor's whore" on TV, news headlines, and posters. It probably doesn't enhance her self-esteem.

What about the women who never make it to the top? The ones who age 5 years for every one they spend as a stripper, the prostitutes who are used up and mocked for being haggard at age 25? Where are their choices? Where is their power?

One of my colleagues was near a church, and noticed a woman who was attempting to hide from men who were cruising by in an expensive pick-up truck. One of them had used her for sex, given her $20, and had come back with his friends for a round of gang-rape. They saw her, pulled over, and started toward her, laughing and making crude remarks. My friend also saw her, and headed in that direction. After a few brief words, the men drove off, and my friend turned to the cowering woman.

The woman thanked my colleague, and started to move away. My friend stopped her, and asked if the woman needed help. No, the woman replied, even as her voice trembled and tears spilled from her eyes. No, I'm fine.

Clearly you are not fine, my friend answered. I'll be glad to get you a meal, or some warm clothes. The woman refused all help, so my friend said, well, at least give me your hand. If nothing else, I can offer you prayer.

The woman burst into tears, and said, "Please don't touch me. I am not clean, and I don't want to get any dirt on your hand. I am not worthy of God's grace. Please, just go away."

We may tell ourselves that prostitution should be legal. But even as we do, we should remember the women and children who are lost in its grip.

posted by Lenore Wilson @ 11:51 PM