persuasive speech on why we should decriminalize sex work for Oral/Interpersonal Communications Course at Madison College
Notes:
The scenario and premise of the conflict:
I am involved and engaged in a casual/classroom discussion about feminism, social issues women still face today, and women’s rights.
Sex Work comes up in the discussion
Majority of members of the discussion believe that sex work is a problem for women because
it further sexualizes, objectifies, and commoditize women, directly linked to sex crimes, human trafficking, the violent and dangerous oppression and control over women.
Began discussing ways in which we could address this issue and many proposed ideas surrounding creating more opportunities and resources for women in order to increase education and employment rates among women in typically low income, urban areas where we see more sex work and sex crimes
At this point I have a lot to say and I organize my thoughts and interject with a completely different perspective and proposal:
Speech:
Creating more opportunities and resources for women in areas that lack the adequate means of accessing education and employment is a great idea, but it doesn’t address the root of the issue
Sex Crimes and Violence
rooted in patriarchy: the objectification and oppression of women.
women are: sexualized, objectified, and commoditized and will continue to
Women aren’t given :
the same opportunities and resources as men
Even more so in socioeconomic situation with less opportunities and resources,
& gender roles/ scripts with the consequences of being objectified and monetized
It’s not the sex workers fault, but the social institutions around them
they are either choosing to make money off of the sexualization of their body
or are pushed into a situation and don’t have a choice.
The problem is that sex work, specifically prostitution, is illegal.
Prostitutes can be arrested, jailed, and fined if they are caught.
They are also not the ones causing the crime and violence surrounding sex work, but they are suffering the consequences of this violence and its criminalization
(Side Note: Prostitution is by no means limited to women, but because of the sexualization/objectification of women and feminine
bodies, they make up the majority of prostitutes. )
Sex workers are merely following the gender roles they have been given by men,
We may not like those roles and we are fighting to change those roles, but we shouldn’t try to change the choices of women
We should advocate to change the system surrounding that that oppresses and controls their bodies.
It’s easy to say we are feminists, but if we fail to understand the positions of other women, and try to change these women rather than the institutions that oppress them, we might need to reevaluate ourselves.
Women, BIPOC women, LGBTQ+, women in low income situations, in metropolitan areas especially, lack:
-Equal opportunity,
-equal access to education,
-and necessary resources that have all been proven to improve the socioeconomic and overall quality of life communities,
When these women and individuals become sex workers,
many are merely doing what they were taught is of economic value to them,
They don’t have a choice, or other options
they are not the ones who created this industry, for it would not exist, without its demand.
Sex work is a means of survival.
we all partake in capitalist means of survival
most of us have workers rights and resources to keep us safe physically, ethically, and financially.
Rather than criminalizing them,
let us give them resources to be safe, secure, and financially benefit from their own professional pursuits
let us criminalize the ones who 1.) commit sex crimes and violence, 2.) who control women and their bodies to profit off of them, 3.) who take from them sexually, emotionally, physically, and financially, 4.) and the forces that further exploit and dehumanize them
Let us empower these women to have control over their own bodies in a safe way.
And yes, let us create and work for resources for these women and feminine bodies to 1.) have other options, 2.) to be able to follow their dreams, 3.) open avenues they wish to pursue, that maybe they didn’t feel were possible before
But let us recognize that could even include legalized sex work, that would given sex workers the rights and resources to avoid the 1.) health risks, and the threat of being 2.) raped, 2.) killed, 3.) arrested, or 4.) human trafficked.
By:
1.)decriminalizing sex work AND giving resources to these women
2.) criminalizing the pimps, and men partaking in the control and exploitation of these women,
We will then see a safer, healthier, and more secure society for young girls, women, and all sex workers at risk of human trafficking, sex crimes, and violence.
