Paris Lees on “What makes us human” R2 Jeremy Vine

[NoSquirrels]

Coming up later, apparently.

Hello - I just said it was based on male cyclists I know. People I actually know. I'm not picking up anything 'from society' because I barely drive and when I do I always give way to cyclists because they're so vulnerable. Yes, I would even give way to the misogynist male cyclists I know.

That's ok. Women in cycling suffer outrageous misogyny from what I can see, and shocking abuse from male drivers.

And I'm sorry to for upsetting you.

Big hugs @Pratchet xx

Same! And stay safe 🚲

Ageism is my favourite ism. Because ageists will all get old (if they're lucky) .

Same NoSquirrels. It took being slapped with the biological reality of pregnancy, birth, umpteen years of breastfeeding, necessity of maternity leave and the physical after effects to see the patriarchy in action.

Listen now to Woman's Hour and the discussion about the attempts to close advertising on websites,
'the more significant enabler of sex-slave trafficking'

There is an important event in Westminster today.

Is protecting this advertsising/websites the other cause that Paris Lees is focussed on?

Yes.

PL is fighting for the rights of sex workers to advertise online and in papers.

Forgetting, of course, that it's often not the prostitutes but the pimps who place the ads....

All of those who are fighting for this whether within the NUS or through their positions of public platform should be challenged.

WEP have made a very clear stand on this matter:
Sophie Walker in The Guardian today:

(extract)
"The Women’s Equality party is currently the only UK political party that wants to end demand by criminalising the purchase of sex and to help women leave the industry by decriminalising the selling of sex. The WEP is very pleased therefore to see these recommendations at the top of this APPG report, and we pledge to work with MPs from all parties to make this a reality.

The APPG report also makes other important points that I, as leader of the WEP, have argued time and time again: the sex trade is overwhelmingly driven by men for men, and the vast majority of women do not work in it of their free will. In 2017 there were 1,185 referrals of potential victims of sexual exploitation to the national referral mechanism; 94% were female. Those women, the report says, have often experienced childhood and adult trauma including abuse and known homelessness, and have learning disabilities. Those women are not choosing this as a job. The report found organised crime groups recruit those women using coercive control – deception, debt bondage, sexual and physical violence, threats, surveillance and isolation. The same tactics stop women from telling anyone what is happening to them" (continues)
amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/may/21/british-sex-trade-women

Womans Hour:

"As sex work moves online, are prostitution websites enabling a growth in exploitation and trafficking? Sarah Champion MP tells us why she believes UK legislation needs to be radically overhauled to keep pace with the changing face of prostitution"

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b85m8r

Context:

(extract)
"Calls for "prostitution websites" to be banned in England and Wales will be made at a House of Commons debate.

A cross-party group of MPs says the owners of such sites "directly and knowingly" profit from sex-trafficking and wants the Home Office to intervene.

The group adds that a small number of sites "dominate the marketplace" and have named two in particular: Vivastreet and Adultwork.

But sex-worker-rights campaigners say the proposal would be "a disaster".

Three organisations - the Sex Worker Advocacy and Resistance Movement (Swarm), the English Collective of Prostitutes (ECP), and the xTalk collective - are planning a demonstration outside Parliament at the time of this Wednesday's debate to protest against the suggested law change."

www.bbc.com/news/technology-44685056

Doesn't supporting the sex industry bring into question quite how deeply PL has learned to be empathetic as per their essay on JV?

There is a considerable overlap of active TRAs who are opposed to the legislative proposals. The trans / lgbt+/ women's officers in the NUS have been very active. Not sure of the name but there has been a footballer who has hosted tweets from SWARM & then Helen Webberley etc.

thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3296808-Important-debate-in-Westminster-this-afternoon-about-sexual-exploitation-and-prostitution-websites-and