But What About the Menz (Pimps Edition)?
So. Pimps. If prostitution's legal, or more specifically, if it's legalized in a non-punitive, non-prejudicial, worker-centric manner** then what role would there be for pimps? Because right now with prostitution pimps totally have it made. They get to pull that "who else is goin' to protect'cha, bayubee" crap because since prostitution's illegal they's *really nobody else.* And social and criminological studies show that pimped prostitutes are actually marginally at lower risk from everyone else including many customers, police shakedowns, and other pimps... but not so much the actual pimp himself. They have it made, too, in the sense that they can dictate terms to their victims, er, prostitutes that the prostitutes have very little recourse to alter because, again, if a prostitute goes to the police they're just as likely to arrest the prostitute, or (worse!) shake her down for a "courtesy" trick, as listen to her. And the pimp's got it made in the sense that if he does anything including murder one of his victims there's not much anyone can do about it because there's no legal space within which prostitutes can associate, assemble, or lobby.
On the other hand I don't see anything a pimp can do if prostitution's legal that a) 911 on a camera-phone speed-dial and b) a competent phone service bureau, booking agency, or (since I think prostitution is outdated anyway) a Society For Creative Anachronism festival scheduler couldn't do for a fraction of the expense and none of the physical or psychological risk.
And yeah, pimps could still go recruiting and/or attempting to traffick and prostitute but... getting back to the 911 on camera-phone speed-dial what possible motivation would any legal, non-pimped, independently licensed prostitute to tolerate the competition from a pimped and/or trafficked sex slave? Or, more to the point (the part I really *really* like) why would a legal, non-pimped, independently licensed prostitute with speed-dial 911 on a camera-phone tolerate a potential *customer* doing business with a prostituted or trafficked competitor?
Because, remember, whereas if prostitute A is already forced to work out of the eye of the law then there's not much payoff and quite a lot of risk involved in turning in an coerced sex worker. If, on the other hand, she's legal, licensed, and a member of a business association (with all the organizational and institutional perquisites that go with that) then even if he or she has zero compassion for another human being she *still* has an economic incentive to make that call.
[** Because why else would you bother? --fl]
Well, if prostitution was legal, but still sometimes dangerous, there might be an advantage of having a lookout/bodyguard who can stop a crime from being committed if it is reasonable or call the cops *immediately* if the prostitute can't get away and interfering could get them both killed. While some pimps probably do this (well, maybe not call the cops), the difference is that a lookout/bodyguard would be the prostitute's employee instead of his/her slavemaster.
So, no, there would be no place for someone who has the many drawbacks of pimps but there might be a place for someone who has the few advantages of pimps, if you get my meaning.
recaptcha: playa Morati
You know, it's things like that which have always made me curious about being someone's employee/ safe keeper. Someone that lets another sexworker make their own appointments, but basically outsource the scanning of them, making sure the worker is safe, etc. But as nightfall said, more with me as their employee than them as mine.
And it's a great point, sex work being licensed would be very useful in turning in a coerced sex worker.
Even strippers need bodyguards and booking agents, and pimps that could get their acts together could transition into this lifestyle.
The rest will probably just regress into other street-level incomes like drugs and gambling.
BB