DIANE ABBOTT AND SEX WORK ARTICLE IN THE TIMES

[Mollyollydolly]

Diane tweeted about sex work
'Horrific that Durham University is offering training to students who want to be sex workers part-time. Sex work is degrading, dangerous and exploitative. Uni should have nothing to do with it'.
If you really want to depress yourself look at the responses to her tweet. I really don't understand what went wrong on the left, how is prostitution progressive? I just don't get it, some of the replies from the likes of Femi and blue tick Independent journalists make me feel sick. They sound like pimps.

Saddest of all are the young women who have been gaslight into thinking this is a good career choice. So depressing.

Hmm, maybe Diane shouldn't have thoroughly supported Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell, both of whom were fully paid up "sex work is work" believers -- McConnell even hosted a conference about what he called "civilised" prostitution. (That was the end of my Labour Party membership....)

Both Corbyn and McDonnell thoroughly endorsed this perspective and appointed people who sought to make this an official Labour Party stance and policy. They are directly responsible for this ideology having become the dominant one in the party.

So whilst I thoroughly agree with Diane, she had ample opportunity to oppose this kind of pro-prostitution faux-"feminism" at the very highest levels of the left.

There’s even a comment saying sex work is comparable to working in McDonald’s.

Words fail me.

There’s still a 15% pay gap in the UK. We need to start pushing for female uni students to get a discount on their studies.

@notagain1001

Well she's not wrong on that one. How many other female Labour MPs would be brave enough to agree with the Conservative Universities Minister? Does she also know what a woman is?

she is wrong on that though. It is NOT training how to be a sex worker, but an offer to students to get support if they are.

I had a student who revealed to me they were doing sex work and I would have LOVED to be able to point them to a resource like that.

Sex workers are so vulnerable to male violence, they need to be safeguarded, so I think it's good this is being addressed on campus.

@ClaudiusTheGod

There’s even a comment saying sex work is comparable to working in McDonald’s.

Words fail me.

yes, and 'all work is exploitation'

the utter privilege of these wankers

What kind of 'support' are we talking here? How is the danger and dehumanisation of these women being lowered with this 'support'? How will they be 'supported' not to end up as a 'review' on sites like Punternet?

Surely it's better to support female students to find ways of getting out of the sex industry altogether?

@weverly

Sex workers are so vulnerable to male violence, they need to be safeguarded, so I think it's good this is being addressed on campus.

Does the support include helping and encouraging those who want to stop to do so? Or is it all affirmative "you go girl, sex work is work..."

The correct but unwoke description is not sex work but prostitution. The university is effectively prostituting its female students.
Words matter - as we have learnt the hard way from the appropriation of the word woman.
The term “Sex work”is a clever ploy - by including the word work beardy wokesters can try to defend it as legitimate work. Creeps the lot of them.

I am quite amazed that I agree with Diane Abbot on something. I assumed that she'd be fully signed up to the dogma along with the rest of the Labour party.

@ClaudiusTheGod

There’s even a comment saying sex work is comparable to working in McDonald’s.

Words fail me.

That one infuriates me.

@DdraigGoch

I am quite amazed that I agree with Diane Abbot on something. I assumed that she'd be fully signed up to the dogma along with the rest of the Labour party.

I'm amazed too and that Diane Abbott is on the same side as Michelle Donelan.

I saw the article yesterday in The Times and sent an email to Ms Donelan thanking her for talking this stance.

Good for her. Actually good for Michelle Donelan as well.

Strong women should be able to think for themselves, and think beyond party positions. Corbyn and McDonnell may not understand the danger and damage that is caused by normalising, even romanticising, prostitution, but these two women can. Too often party policies that affect women are written by men, and not challenged by our female politicians. One reason why we are in the mess we are in.

Well said Diane Abbot

I saw a load of materials from a uni- maybe Durham? - a while back.

There was a thread or 2 at the time.

If it's not training for sex work- and I suspect it isn't- then having headlines saying that is really unhelpful. If it's not a fact it gives ammo to those who want everyone to ignore criticism about this sort of stuff.

The stuff I saw had massive issues. Eg

Loads about reducing stigma of sex work
Loads about .. God can't remember. I'll have a look.

Nothing about any orgs or who to contact if want to get out, if attacked etc, if being controlled etc.

Let me see if can find.

Durham uni su
www.durhamsu.com/resources/supporting-student-sex-workers-3b0b

Took me here
www.thestudentsexworkproject.co.uk/

I've not got time but if anyone has might be worth looking at that site

Old thread Brighton

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3381116-To-think-that-grooming-students-into-casual-jobs-as-Sex-Workers-is-wrong

Previous thread Leicester link to 'toolkits'

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4195390-Seeking-other-academics-concerned-by-student-sex-work

@PronounssheRa

I really don't understand what went wrong on the left

Men on the left are every bit as willing to pay to rape women as men on the right.

Its really time to stop putting (men on) the left on a pedestal. They are as misogynistic as the right, they just try to hide it under the banner of progressive.

It isn't just men. Lots of women think this way too.

Generally yes women of course have all sorts of views.

I do think though that in general women are less likely to have the view that prostitution is aok, just a transaction like any other etc. There's generally more empathy. Because in general we are well aware of what men can be like, about the reality of being penetrated, about how much stronger men are etc.

Yes plenty women do the sex work is work and plenty women prefer not to think about it etc. But in general I think women have a different view if have had sex with man/ men.

The article headline is very misleading (possibly on purpose in bad faith), the Uni is not offering "training" for sex workers. It's about offering help and support to students who are sex workers.

@JustcameoutGC

The university has to keep the fees rolling in. Even if they have to pimp out their female students to do it.

That's libel and you know it.

one response says the university is
supporting workers to stay safe and that Diane’s language is degrading and harmful

Others say all work is degrading. You still do safety training.

The general line is that this is just work. The university is being responsible.

It is just so upsetting that this is being normalised as work. What’s odd is that it is going on at the same time as ‘Everyone’s Invited’ and the raping with impunity.

What a twisted version of sexual liberation

I think no judgement can be made without knowing what the actual content was tbh.

I think it's great the Uni is offering help and support to their students involved in the sex industry.

And I think Diane has been taken in by a completely misleading headline and misunderstands what this is about.