Good to see some people using their own critical skills, Romany, Banyo and Yabby, instead of adopting the same old righteous, culturally conditioned, arguments.

Col, saying stuff like 'get out of the business and you won't suffer the stigma' is just moral bullying. Why shouldn't I do it? Because the moral majority say that sex is so precious and so sacred an act that a price can't be placed upon it? I'll decide what's sacred about my own sexual activities, not you, Col.

In response to Banyo's concerns about the rise of STI's, very recent research by Basil Donovan from the National Centre in HIV found that the clinical rate of STI's amongst current sex workers is lower in decriminalised states (like NSW) and higher in criminalised states (like Western Australia). This is a classic case of prohibition creating negative social consequences. Sex workers presenting to clinics have lower rates of STI's than the general population anyway and there is a culture of condom use in the industry. It's also logical to assume that a worker coming into an occupation legally and openly can more easily access health information and services than someone who is on the down-low, don't you think?

*Why shouldn't I do it? Because the moral majority say that sex is so precious and so sacred an act that a price can't be placed upon it? I'll decide what's sacred about my own sexual activities*

Ah Candi, but the same moral majority would most likely be proud and
happy, if their daughter married a rich guy! There are many hypocrites
out there.

Personally I have far more respect for a practical girl, rather then
one who can't remember who she slept with last night, as she was
too drunk, or one who is a pushover after a bit of the required
schmalz and pushing of emotional buttons etc.

So yes, they claim its somehow sacred, when it fact its quite normal
and natural. Many species swap sex for resources, humans are just
one of many.

When it comes to sex, our society is still very much in denial,
yet we understand the fundamentals pretty well, through our
understanding of biology. Yet many humans somehow want to deny all this,
deny that we are simply another species that evolved, our
evolutionary niche being larger brains, deny that we are even
related to other species, as the religious claim.

Pairbonding, sexual urges etc, all evolved for good evolutionary
reasons. We can choose to deny these things as much of society does,
or understand and accept them.

Or we can watch Hollywood movies and kid ourselves that this is the
way the world should be, also pretty common.

Fact is that swapping sex for recources will continue, as it has
for eons of time, not just in our species but in many. Some will
marry a rich guy and be admired for doing so. Others will be
a bit more honest about things and lay their cards on the table.

If a female takes the trouble to give some guy the pleasure he wants,
why should he not return the favour and give her some money to go
shopping or whatever? Surely she is being far more honest, then
the female who married for money.

Candi,
Thanks for the info on STD, now termed STI. I will keep it in mind.

Yabby, You are correct with your comments,

There was a show on SBS recently called "Footy Chicks". It was about girls who chased footballers and some of them had pretty loose morals.If they had a child then he could easily say that his daddy was a football team.

Also I shudder to see those girls that are legless after a night out. Not knowing who or how many they had sex with.

Yet some people look down on professional prostitutes. As you say simply hypocrites.

In all likelihood, authorities have no idea how many foreign prostitutes are working in Australia and nor can they effectively monitor whether they have originated from countries where HIV or other diseases are in endemic proportions.

It is also probable given the inevitable link between prostitution and crime that there are other compelling reasons why authorities are concerned about foreign prostitutes entering the country to work. Yes, decriminalising prostitution in a country could lessen the influence of criminal gangs, but foreign prostitutes are likely to come from undeveloped countries and be bankrolled by criminal gangs.

It strikes that whilst it is all very right to talk about the individual rights of people who falsify documents and abuse the conditions of their approval to visit Australia, there are very troublesome community health and safety issues that arise from their activities and authorities have to do their level best to treat and contain those risks.

Although one report indicated that decriminalising prostitution might help to reduce the incidence of STIs, there is no confirming evidence that the finding is universally true. There is certainly no evidence that it would necessarily work that way in the case of foreign prostitutes. Foreign prostitutes are strongly motivated to maximise their return on their travel (and for the crime boss who probably found them and organised things), so they would be less inclined to undergo health tests on arrival or during their stay. There would be no way of controlling the flood of prostitutes from countries where HIV is prevalent for easy pickings in Oz.

There is nothing to suggest that prostitutes who presently do not declare the correct reason for their visit will be any likely to do so if their prostitution was made legal. It would still be a case of catch me if you can, but this time the penalty would be a smack on the wrist. If that doesn't encourage more to take advantage of perceived leniency in Australia what would? The problems are complex and the solution is no where near as simple as proposed.

Candi, you are not only providing an important service for many people in your work, but your posts continue to edifying and clarify the sex workers' industry. Your understanding of the situation for foreign sex-workers is spot on. If we can agree for men from areas like the South Pacific to work in Australia to help their families back home, why can't women arrive here with a legal work visa which would protect them from predators, enable them to access medical checks (which are vital) and to have the same rights as other workers in Australia?

To the boys-club...

Why is it always women who are judged "immoral" or "loose" if they sleep around; clearly they must do the 'dirty deed' with someone, but somehow men are never mentioned let alone judged for their moral behaviour.

Oh, the great double standard lives on.....

The boys club and the double standard?

Women are the most trenchant critics of the morals of other women. Such criticism is not limited to morals either.

Women's preference for bad boys is one of the most common criticisms one hears from men.

Maybe it is not just men who have double standards.