Sex Work Is Not Sex Trafficking

Amazing that Bernie Sanders would admit to having trouble distinguishing between sex work and sex trafficking, and would have to think about it before answering. Is it that difficult for him? That’s like saying you’re having trouble distinguishing between adult entertainment and child porn. What’s the matter with you that you don’t understand adult porn is legal and child porn is illegal? And, oh yeah, it’s about children.

Now, there are a lot of people who do seem to have trouble making the adult/child distinction, but that’s because either (a) they’re disingenuous, or (b) not very bright.

It’s similarly with sex work and sex trafficking. Sex work is something you do voluntarily because, at the high end, you can make a lot of money and completely control your working conditions. Trafficking, is by definition, involuntary. Someone has lured you to the U.S. on false pretenses, taken your passport away, and said you have to work for a long time to repay the enormous amounts of money they’ve spent on you. Trafficking is an involuntary form of servitude, and it’s illegal.

What Are You Thinking About, Bernie?

Now, Bernie, what part of this don’t you understand? What is it you have to reflect about so long and hard?

Is it possible that, in Bernie — despite his fierce demeanor and manifest intelligence — there is something just a bit unworldly about him? So caught up in denouncing the evils of capitalism that he understands very little about how sex works? So he’s postponing his answer until he can button-hole one of his assistants and ask, “What is this all about, anyway?”

Hope that’s the reason. It would be preferable to have a president who was sexually just a bit inexperienced and naive than . . . the one we’ve got now.