Does anyone know the article about "prostitute", "sex worker" etc not being the correct terminology

[WeDONTneedanotherhero]

It was shared on here years ago, I can't remember who wrote it but it very clearly explain why the terms "prostitute", "sex worker" etc are not acceptable terms to use.

Could someone share the link please, thanks.

"I think (as with other types of terminology) the correct terms to use are the ones preferred by the person-in-that-category. You don't get to define another person against his/her wishes" Absolutely SGB.

I don't see such a huge problem with the term 'sex worker'. Work means doing a particular activity as a commercial exchange of goods or services. Sometimes that work is forced or carried out under duress - think of the terms 'forced labourer' or 'slave labour' or 'bonded worker' - but it's still work. If a person is being compelled to sell sexual services presumably that makes them a forced sex worker. At least the term is not pejorative about the women themselves.
It's certainly better than the word prostitute, which is mired down in a 19th century morality that blames and shames desperate women for their supposed moral failings rather than the clients who actually drive the exploitation forwards.

"Working girl" I see as just euphemistic, a bit like "lady of the night".

Buffy this is right up your street, isn't it? I think you're right about trying to gain positive association with work although it doesn't fit with work as we understand it.

I prefer "women in prostitution". The problem with "women who sell sex" is that it overlooks women who are sold for sex rather than who are positively selling sex.

AF I hate "working girls", possibly worst of all although it does encapsulate how prostitution affects all women.

But "working girl" uses "girl" which is patronising for an adult woman, although I recognise the similarity with "rent boy".

"Women in prostitution" excludes the men and transpeople who also engage in sex work, and are affected by legisation.

Have prostitutes not "reclaimed" the word ?

obviously "women in priostitution" is intended to mean women. Others would be "[x] in prostitution".

There was a brief attempt a few years ago to reclaim the word "whore" (even more pejorative than "prostitute") but I don't think it amounted to much, and it's still routinely used as an insult on boards such as UKP.

UKP ?

I see whore as an insult, but prostitute not necessarily.

As I understand it (and touched on upthread) one of the reasons that the term sex workers can be problematical is that it includes a whole raft of people, from people working on webcam to people working dancing/stripping and so on.

So then when you look at statistics it's looking at all of those people many of whom are not in direct contact with the person buying, or contact is limited in some way, and the stats start to look "less bad" than if you are looking at stats purely for people who actually sell sex ie prostitutes.

This can make the conversation a bit foggy where say a person is trying to talk about rates of something which is a high risk for prostitutes but is asked to refer to sex workers instead where then those risks are less across the group.

Don't know if that makes any sense at all!

UKP = UKPunting.com, started by NIK a few years back when he was finally banned from PN for his hatespeak, misogyny, and personal (online, not physical) assaults on the female mods on PN, particularly BBWClaire.

If you think PN is bad, don't look, that's all I can say.

Like many words I would imagine that whatever word you used for people who sell sex it would become used as a slur, it's not the word that's the problem but that people feel negatively about the people it's applied to.

Same as language around people with disabilities, gay people and so on and so forth.

The words won't become "OK" until mainstream society has accepted that there is nothing wrong with whatever it is, new words to replace the unacceptable ones just get turned into slurs too.

Just my opinion there anyway.

I shan't be looking at UKP then. I value having the top of head attached to the rest of me.

I thought you might have been talking about UKIP, another set of complete twats but no...

I see what you mean, Seven, but one problem is that the word prostitute tends to conjure up images of streetworkers (news articles invariably use models posing in short skirts and high boots, leaning into car windows), and indeed most available research has focussed on that group. However, most prostitution is actually carried out indoors, in brothels or serviced apartments, so stats obtained from streetworkers don't apply, but make prostitution look more dangerous than it actually is, for the majority.

Iyswim.

You see, for me the biggest insult I can think of to apply to someone just at this precise moment is "punter"

"UKP = UKPunting.com, started by NIK a few years back when he was finally banned from PN for his hatespeak, misogyny, and personal (online, not physical) assaults on the female mods on PN, particularly BBWClaire.

If you think PN is bad, don't look, that's all I can say."

Holy crap, that sounds bad.

So we need to address the stigma associated with selling sex?

I have glanced at PN, after some discussions on here a couple of years ago. My blood pressure is just returning to normal.

No, we need to address the stigma associated with buying sex.

But that's for another thread (and has been bashed to fuckery on previous ones ...)

Are we supposed to know who NIK and BBWClaire are?

Might be best to not go up that particular garden path

Yes I'm sure they haven't been on Strictly.

I think it's quite clear from my post who NIK and BBWClaire are. Just thought a bit of background might have been interesting, but hey ho.