For a refreshing change, here's something to applaud: a schoolteacher gave a commentary on National Public Radio in which she described how her experience with one of her students last year taught her that making an issue of how she dressed only had the effect of making that, rather than educational goals, the focus of their relationship.
I've sent NPR a message applauding this insight and encourage others to do likewise. You can read or listen to the commentary at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94288145.
Eric Hamell
Friday, September 5, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Tell the Times: You Don't Prevent Coercion by Practicing It
The Woodhull Freedom Foundation's newslist has forwarded an editorial from the New York Times which makes the Orwellian argument that in order to stop sexual slavery, we should criminalize consensual employment of prostitutes by "traffickers." Here's the letter I just sent them:
Your editorial "Taking On the Traffickers" is represented as being about concern for women and children "smuggled" into the country as "sex slaves." That is, it appeals to our revulsion at coercion. Yet, later you call for coercion to be removed from the definition of trafficking for purposes of the law. What sense does this make? Clearly if the government prosecutes people for a consensual activity, then it is the government itself that is practicing coercion, not preventing it.
As for some traffickers' taking advantage of prostitutes' fear of police, the solution is plain even though you don't mention it: take away the reasons for that fear by abolishing legal restrictions both on prostitution and on immigration.
Eric Hamell
Philadelphia, PA
You can write the Times at letters@nytimes.com.
Your editorial "Taking On the Traffickers" is represented as being about concern for women and children "smuggled" into the country as "sex slaves." That is, it appeals to our revulsion at coercion. Yet, later you call for coercion to be removed from the definition of trafficking for purposes of the law. What sense does this make? Clearly if the government prosecutes people for a consensual activity, then it is the government itself that is practicing coercion, not preventing it.
As for some traffickers' taking advantage of prostitutes' fear of police, the solution is plain even though you don't mention it: take away the reasons for that fear by abolishing legal restrictions both on prostitution and on immigration.
Eric Hamell
Philadelphia, PA
You can write the Times at letters@nytimes.com.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Support Release of Records in the Death of Deborah Jeane Palfrey
Citizens for Legitimate Government has reported that the attorney for the late "DC madam," Deborah Jeane Palfrey, is requesting the release of records relating to her death, which was described as an apparent suicide. Her attorney, Montgomery Blair Sibley, says Palfrey specifically asked that he do so in the event that she were to die of an apparent suicide.
The request is addressed to the police department of Tarpon Springs, Florida. Obtaining fulfillment of this request may be non-trivial because Palfrey's mother has sued to have the records withheld.
Although this may superficially appear not to be a sexual freedom issue, I believe it is related because whoever killed her may have believed they could get away with it because the public would not care about a sex worker's death, or be concerned about respecting her posthumous wishes. A public demonstration of support would prove otherwise and thereby set a beneficial precedent.
The Tarpon Springs police chief is named Mark LeCouris. The address is:
City of Tarpon Springs Police Department
444 S. Huey Ave
Tarpon Springs, FL 34689
The non-emergency number is (727) 938-2849 and the email address is cityclerk1@ci.tarpon-springs.fl.us. (Note: "Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public-records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead contact this office by phone or in writing.")
Eric Hamell
The request is addressed to the police department of Tarpon Springs, Florida. Obtaining fulfillment of this request may be non-trivial because Palfrey's mother has sued to have the records withheld.
Although this may superficially appear not to be a sexual freedom issue, I believe it is related because whoever killed her may have believed they could get away with it because the public would not care about a sex worker's death, or be concerned about respecting her posthumous wishes. A public demonstration of support would prove otherwise and thereby set a beneficial precedent.
The Tarpon Springs police chief is named Mark LeCouris. The address is:
City of Tarpon Springs Police Department
444 S. Huey Ave
Tarpon Springs, FL 34689
The non-emergency number is (727) 938-2849 and the email address is cityclerk1@ci.tarpon-springs.fl.us. (Note: "Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public-records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead contact this office by phone or in writing.")
Eric Hamell
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Tell Spitzer: Do NOT Resign
In light of the current pressures on New York's governor Elliot Spitzer to resign, I just sent him the following message:
Dear Governor Spitzer,
I am troubled by the simultaneously vague and sweeping character of your recent statement -- especially when you said your actions violated "any" sense of right and wrong, without specifying which actions did so.
To make plain what concerns me, let me ask: If you had had an affair with someone who was not a prostitute, would anyone be calling for your resignation? Similarly: if you had blown the same amount of money at a race track, would anyone be calling for your resignation?
I must suspect that in both cases the answer is no. What the public reaction -- including yours -- to this news reeks of is sexual puritanism.
For you to resign without further explanation would reinforce public intolerance toward prostitutes and their clients -- even those who aren't in sexually exclusive relationships. For this reason, I urge you not to do so.
His web form and other contact info can be found at http://www.ny.gov/governor/contact/index.html.
Dear Governor Spitzer,
I am troubled by the simultaneously vague and sweeping character of your recent statement -- especially when you said your actions violated "any" sense of right and wrong, without specifying which actions did so.
To make plain what concerns me, let me ask: If you had had an affair with someone who was not a prostitute, would anyone be calling for your resignation? Similarly: if you had blown the same amount of money at a race track, would anyone be calling for your resignation?
I must suspect that in both cases the answer is no. What the public reaction -- including yours -- to this news reeks of is sexual puritanism.
For you to resign without further explanation would reinforce public intolerance toward prostitutes and their clients -- even those who aren't in sexually exclusive relationships. For this reason, I urge you not to do so.
His web form and other contact info can be found at http://www.ny.gov/governor/contact/index.html.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Petition the FDA for Emergency Contraception
Advocates for Youth and Choice USA are campaigning to get the FDA to support access to emergency contraception (EC). The decision is expected 7 March. You can download petitions here.
NCSF Action Alert: The Task Force Under Attack
NCSF Action Alert
Religious political extremists attack The Task Force for "Leather Leadership Award"
February 13, 2008 - The American Family News Network posted an inflammatory article condemning the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force for honoring Guy Baldwin with their Leather Leadership Award at the 20th National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change, on February 6-10, 2008 (www.thetaskforce.
According to the February 7th article:
Peter LaBarbera, executive director of Americans for Truth commented that he is not sure if he is more surprised by one of the sponsors of the event or by one of the activists who will be honored. "It's incredible to me," he continues. "But the Democratic Party is endorsing an event where they're actually presenting an award for sadomasochism.
A sponsorship acknowledgement notes that the Democratic National Committee gave at least $2,500 to help pay for the event. The recipient of the "Leather Leadership Award" is Guy Baldwin, a psychotherapist who has successfully lobbied against treating sadomasochism as a mental health problem.
To see the entire article, go to: http://www.onenewsn
In point of fact, the Democratic National Committee did not sponsor Creating Change or the Leather Leadership Award.
The Task Force does have a strong history of supporting the BDSM-leather-
"Those who persecute our communities know that The Task Force and the BDSM-leather-
From Guy Balwin's acceptance speech for the Leather Leadership Award at Creating Change:
"One of the many reasons it is important for The Task Force to be sending these signals of acknowledgement and legitimacy out to the LGBTIQQ world is that when our enemies in the struggle for self-determination look in our direction, they can't see the amazing diversity represented in a room like this one. No, to our enemies, we all look the same. They make none of the distinctions that we, ourselves, have made. To our enemies, garbage is garbage, no matter what color we are.....how old we are.....how we smell, or how we play. And that's just one reason it's important that we build bridges between our diverse communities and that's why this award to me today matters to all our communities. But the effort to build these bridges will be wasted unless they are vigilantly maintained from both sides."
We ask you to send a short note of appreciation to the Task Force:
Roberta Sklar, Communications Director
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
rsklar@thetaskforce
Dear Ms. Sklar,
Thank you for your recognition and inclusion of the BDSM-leather-
I congratulate you on choosing to give your Leather Leadership Award this year to Guy Baldwin for his activist efforts on behalf of the leather community. I proudly support The Task Force and am glad to join together on our common and shared goals of equality for all Americans.
Sincerely,
(your name)
###
Guy Baldwin is a Los Angeles-based psychotherapist, author and activist on behalf of "erotically uncommon people." Baldwin may be best known for his monthly essays which appeared in Drummer Magazine and were collected in his 1993 book, Ties That Bind. Baldwin is a former titleholder, having served in 1989 as Mister National Leather Association and also as the 11th International Mr. Leather. In 1987, Baldwin launched the DSM Project to mobilize mental health professionals worldwide to press for changes to the official clinical definitions that had long been used to label leather people, gay and otherwise, as pathological. The DSM Project succeeded with the publication of new and substantially improved language in 1993 in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).
The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom is a national organization committed to creating a political, legal, and social environment in the United States that advances equal rights of consenting adults who practice forms of alternative sexual expression. NCSF is primarily focused on the rights of consenting adults in the SM-leather-fetish, swing, and polyamory communities, who often face discrimination because of their sexual expression.
National Coalition for Sexual Freedom
822 Guilford Avenue, Box 127
Baltimore, MD 21202-3707
410-539-4824
media@ncsfreedom.
www.ncsfreedom.org
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Protest Degrading Treatment of Goth Couple
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=509713&in_page_id=1770
Given that she describes herself as a human pet – and is happy to walk around on a lead – Tasha Maltby is used to odd looks and even odder remarks.
But nothing had prepared her for the reaction of the bus driver who allegedly told the self-styled Goth and her boyfriend: "We don't let freaks and dogs like you on."
Miss Maltby and her fiance Dani Graves were so angered they have complained to the bus company of being "victimised". "It is definitely discrimination, almost like a hate crime," 19-year-old Miss Maltby said yesterday.
The music technology student had this defence of her lifestyle.
"I am a pet, I generally act animal like and I lead a really easy life," she said.
"I don't cook or clean and I don't go anywhere without Dani. It might seem strange but it makes us both happy. It's my culture and my choice. It isn't hurting anyone."
The bus driver, however, has obviously not been listening.
He has repeatedly refused to allow Mr Graves, 25, and his "pet" on to his bus in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.
Last month, with Miss Maltby on a leash as usual, the couple tried to board a bus at the bus station.
The driver, who was off duty, was standing near the door.
Mr Graves alleged: "He shoved me off the bus. He called us freaks and he called Tasha a dog.
"He said, 'We don't let freaks and dogs like you on'.
"He basically grabbed my T-shirt and slammed me backwards.
"I got a bit angry and called him a fascist pig."
In a separate incident, police were called when the driver, who has not been named, refused to allow other passengers on board after the couple ignored his orders and sat down.
The couple, who live on benefits in a council house and plan to start a family, have been friends for years.
They started going out together in July and became engaged in November.
Paul Adcock, of bus company Arriva Yorkshire, said: "We take any allegations of discrimination seriously.
"Mr Graves has already contacted us directly and as soon as our investigation has concluded we will inform him of the outcome."
In response to this outrage, I just wrote the bus company via their webform and urged them to take the strongest possible disciplinary measures against the bus driver concerned. (I'll follow up with a postal letter.) I encourage everyone reading this to do likewise.
Arriva Yorkshire's postal address is:
Arriva Customer Services
FREEPOST NEA 4591
Wakefield
WF1 4BR
(If writing from outside the UK, don't forget to apply international postage.)
Eric Hamell
Given that she describes herself as a human pet – and is happy to walk around on a lead – Tasha Maltby is used to odd looks and even odder remarks.
But nothing had prepared her for the reaction of the bus driver who allegedly told the self-styled Goth and her boyfriend: "We don't let freaks and dogs like you on."
Miss Maltby and her fiance Dani Graves were so angered they have complained to the bus company of being "victimised". "It is definitely discrimination, almost like a hate crime," 19-year-old Miss Maltby said yesterday.
The music technology student had this defence of her lifestyle.
"I am a pet, I generally act animal like and I lead a really easy life," she said.
"I don't cook or clean and I don't go anywhere without Dani. It might seem strange but it makes us both happy. It's my culture and my choice. It isn't hurting anyone."
The bus driver, however, has obviously not been listening.
He has repeatedly refused to allow Mr Graves, 25, and his "pet" on to his bus in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.
Last month, with Miss Maltby on a leash as usual, the couple tried to board a bus at the bus station.
The driver, who was off duty, was standing near the door.
Mr Graves alleged: "He shoved me off the bus. He called us freaks and he called Tasha a dog.
"He said, 'We don't let freaks and dogs like you on'.
"He basically grabbed my T-shirt and slammed me backwards.
"I got a bit angry and called him a fascist pig."
In a separate incident, police were called when the driver, who has not been named, refused to allow other passengers on board after the couple ignored his orders and sat down.
The couple, who live on benefits in a council house and plan to start a family, have been friends for years.
They started going out together in July and became engaged in November.
Paul Adcock, of bus company Arriva Yorkshire, said: "We take any allegations of discrimination seriously.
"Mr Graves has already contacted us directly and as soon as our investigation has concluded we will inform him of the outcome."
In response to this outrage, I just wrote the bus company via their webform and urged them to take the strongest possible disciplinary measures against the bus driver concerned. (I'll follow up with a postal letter.) I encourage everyone reading this to do likewise.
Arriva Yorkshire's postal address is:
Arriva Customer Services
FREEPOST NEA 4591
Wakefield
WF1 4BR
(If writing from outside the UK, don't forget to apply international postage.)
Eric Hamell
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