And with the “it is only theft” comments (from the rapist), it is theft if you engage a prostitute, have consensual sex with hir under hir terms and without threatening hir in any way, and then refuse to pay. And this is still not a good thing.

“Eighty-two percent of these respondents reported having been physically assaulted since entering prostitution. Of those who had been physically assaulted, 55% had been assaulted by customers. Eighty-eight percent had been physically threatened while in prostitution, and 83% had been physically threatened with a weapon….Sixty-eight percent…reported having been raped since entering prostitution. Forty-eight percent had been raped more than five times. Forty-six percent of those who reported rapes stated that they had been raped by customers”.

This may be considered part of the job accoring to some people, but in most cases the reason these women are on the street in the first place is becuase tyhey suffered abuse (physical and sexual) as children. These women started their lives as innocent victims, and as a result of their abuse thier chances of developing healthy boundaries and self esteem was taken away. They may be adults now, and able to make thier own decisions, including the one to engange in risky behaviour such as prostitution, but are they really making their own decisions? Or are they simply doing what they know best, and that is revictimizing themselves?

“Fifty-seven percent reported a history of childhood sexual abuse, by an average of 3 perpetrators. Forty-nine percent of those who responded reported that as children, they had been hit or beaten by a caregiver until they had bruises or were injured in some way…Many seemed profoundly uncertain as to just what “abuse” is”.

Just because a woman chooses to work in the sex trade does not mean that she has given up authority over her body. Any woman, at any time has this right to say no. Whether the woman is not known to her attacker, married to her attacker, in a relationship with her attacker, an acquaintance of her attacker, or a prostitute. Every woman deserves to be treated equally as well as she reserves the right to say no. Just as you and I have the right to pick out an item to buy at the store, carry it to the counter, and then change our minda as to whether or not we are going to purchase the item halfway through the checkout process. This of course also applies to sex trade workers. Just the fact that prostitution exists, alone in itself, shows that our society is still allowing violence against women to be an acceptable part of our lives. Sure some might argue that some women enjoy it. But in reality selling ones body is a woman’s only option in a world where they are sexualized and made into nothing more than sex objects. In a way these women are forced to sell thier bodies, and many to support children and drug habits. Until we as a society wake up and realize that these women are victimized repeatedly because we allow it. We simply say its a mere part of the job that they chose. When in reality we failed them in the first place when they were left to fend for themselves as innocent children. So why not help them now?

“Prostituted women have long been considered “fair game” for sexual harassment, rape, gang-rape, “kinky” sex, robbery, and beatings….A 1991 study by the Council for Prostitution Alternatives, in Portland, Oregon, documented that 78 percent of 55 prostituted women reported being raped an average of 16 times annually by their pimps and 33 times a year by johns. Twelve rape complaints were made in the criminal justice system and neither pimps nor johns were ever convicted. These prostitutes also reported being “horribly beaten” by their pimps an average of 58 times a year. The frequency of beatings…by johns ranged from I to 400 times a year. Legal action was pursued in 13 cases, resulting in 2 convictions for “aggravated assault.”

Let’s not let statistics like this stay as the norm!

Quotes taken from: http://womensissues.about.com/od/rapesexualassault/a/Wuornos.htm

How does he expect people to buy this crap?

This guy was guilty of not only rape, but of endangering a life (leaving her naked on the street).

and prostitutes were “a far cry from the innocent rape victim” that lawmakers envisioned when deciding the severe penalties for the crime.

The implication being that selling sex illegally means that one can’t really be raped. Which is like saying that gambling illegally means one can’t be robbed. Only worse, for all kinds of reasons that have to do with power and who we tend to prosecute.

In its ruling Monday, the appeals court called the judge’s reasoning behind the sentencing “a reflection of his personal opinion and subjective belief that raping a prostitute is not as brutal as raping a woman who ‘did not willingly start off ready to perform a sex act.’”

And that all rape is only a form of robbery, but it’s a really bad form of robbery if the victim is still a virgin/her body belong to one man, like it should. If, however, one is already willing to sell it, well then they only stole a tiny bit of your merchandise, not all your precious family heirlooms. So it’s not that bad.

But as he sentenced McKee, according to the appeals court ruling, McBroom said the sex acts were against the victims’ will only because they didn’t get paid, and prostitutes were “a far cry from the innocent rape victim” that lawmakers envisioned when deciding the severe penalties for the crime.

What the fuckity fucking fuck fuck? Since when are people supposed to get off easy just because they hurt the “right” person? Oh wait, I keep forgetting, if you’re not innocent and virginal, it doesn’t fucking matter if someone violates your bodily integrity.

Asshole.