Split Legalized Prostitution split from GOP: The party of idiots

[Elixir]

To single out sex workers as "coerced" for accepting payment is textbook special pleading.

I agree. That’s why I do not condone criminalizing “sex work”. Toni jumped on the anti-coercion bandwagon, presumably thinking that while rape could described in part by the word coercion, coercion must imply or necessitate rape.

 

[Toni]

If money/facsimile/equivalent is exchanged, the minimum age for consent should be 25.

Why 25? And what punishment do you propose to somebody having consensual sex with a 24 year old adult sex worker?
And you mention "facsimile/equivalent"? So dating a 24 year old and buying her dinner or a piece of jewelry is criminalized too?

The reason I suggested 25 is because that is an age which is often the cutoff age for people to re t some types of property, such as vacation re take. Because under 25, there is a much higher risk of renters engaging in dangerous and property damaging behavior. Some never out grow this, true. But I understand WHY huge age limit exists, legally. Also brain science tells us that adolescence dies not end at 18 or 21. Under all circumstances, prostitution is a potentially dangerous, even life threatening line of work. Not to suggest all clients are dangerous. But it is not possible to discern which will and which will not be, or who does/does not have an incurable STI. Or who will/will not be compliant with condom use.

Another reason is that if everyone knows that someone must be at least 25, it will give them far less cover to claim that 14-15 year old looks 18….

Before you ask: I also think that one should have to be at least 25 to enlist in the armed services.

So, I'm not going to argue anything you said here. This is all broadly correct. Still, I would like to offer a thought my husband recently told me.

My husband is a sex worker. He is an artist yes, and in fact works for a pretty big company from time to time on their merch inventory and sales, but that doesn't change the fact that the vast majority of money he makes through private art sales is fundamentally sexual in nature.

And... I also have history as a sex worker. For the longest time, my biggest source of personal income was selling people virtual penises for their virtual bodies in a virtual world.

I would literally spend hours of my day some days constructing for someone a virtual cock.

Other times I would take money to occasionally have cybersex with people.

I did all this long before I was 25, and have continued similar activities, from making adult art to "adult hypnosis."

Many artists from age 18-25 in fact participate in sex work in this way, often drawing/making/depicting degrading acts.

Would you similarly prevent the non-contact sex worker from sex work?

I absolutely do not judge people for engaging in sex work,

I would not consider creating art work or works of art that were sexual in nature, even graphically sexual. I would not consider modeling for artists to be sex work but I do believe that minors should not serve as models for sexually explicit art works, including film. I am still incandescently furious with Brook Shields’ mother—and I know that is extremely minor exposure compared to what many children go through.

 

[Toni]

To single out sex workers as "coerced" for accepting payment is textbook special pleading.

I agree. That’s why I do not condone criminalizing “sex work”. Toni jumped on the anti-coercion bandwagon, presumably thinking that while rape could described in part by the word coercion, coercion must imply or necessitate rape.

Coercion is a component of rape. Full stop. To pretend otherwise se is at best disingenuous.

Coercing someone to engage in sex work even if you pay them for it is immoral, just as coercing someone to work in a factory or meat processing plant or in food service or domestic service is immoral. In fact, it’s slavery. Because of the coercion part, not the sex part.

I realize that some adults willingly engage in sex work without coercion. I don’t see a need to have this criminalized. But using children and minors: yeah? That’s not ok,

 

[Jarhyn]

If money/facsimile/equivalent is exchanged, the minimum age for consent should be 25.

Why 25? And what punishment do you propose to somebody having consensual sex with a 24 year old adult sex worker?
And you mention "facsimile/equivalent"? So dating a 24 year old and buying her dinner or a piece of jewelry is criminalized too?

The reason I suggested 25 is because that is an age which is often the cutoff age for people to re t some types of property, such as vacation re take. Because under 25, there is a much higher risk of renters engaging in dangerous and property damaging behavior. Some never out grow this, true. But I understand WHY huge age limit exists, legally. Also brain science tells us that adolescence dies not end at 18 or 21. Under all circumstances, prostitution is a potentially dangerous, even life threatening line of work. Not to suggest all clients are dangerous. But it is not possible to discern which will and which will not be, or who does/does not have an incurable STI. Or who will/will not be compliant with condom use.

Another reason is that if everyone knows that someone must be at least 25, it will give them far less cover to claim that 14-15 year old looks 18….

Before you ask: I also think that one should have to be at least 25 to enlist in the armed services.

So, I'm not going to argue anything you said here. This is all broadly correct. Still, I would like to offer a thought my husband recently told me.

My husband is a sex worker. He is an artist yes, and in fact works for a pretty big company from time to time on their merch inventory and sales, but that doesn't change the fact that the vast majority of money he makes through private art sales is fundamentally sexual in nature.

And... I also have history as a sex worker. For the longest time, my biggest source of personal income was selling people virtual penises for their virtual bodies in a virtual world.

I would literally spend hours of my day some days constructing for someone a virtual cock.

Other times I would take money to occasionally have cybersex with people.

I did all this long before I was 25, and have continued similar activities, from making adult art to "adult hypnosis."

Many artists from age 18-25 in fact participate in sex work in this way, often drawing/making/depicting degrading acts.

Would you similarly prevent the non-contact sex worker from sex work?

I absolutely do not judge people for engaging in sex work,

I would not consider creating art work or works of art that were sexual in nature, even graphically sexual. I would not consider modeling for artists to be sex work but I do believe that minors should not serve as models for sexually explicit art works, including film. I am still incandescently furious with Brook Shields’ mother—and I know that is extremely minor exposure compared to what many children go through.

Oh, absolutely no to minors being anywhere near sex work.

I'm incandescently furious with tiktok for what happens there. I don't go on the service at all. I would want to murder people on a daily basis.

 

[Toni]

If money/facsimile/equivalent is exchanged, the minimum age for consent should be 25.

Why 25? And what punishment do you propose to somebody having consensual sex with a 24 year old adult sex worker?
And you mention "facsimile/equivalent"? So dating a 24 year old and buying her dinner or a piece of jewelry is criminalized too?

The reason I suggested 25 is because that is an age which is often the cutoff age for people to re t some types of property, such as vacation re take. Because under 25, there is a much higher risk of renters engaging in dangerous and property damaging behavior. Some never out grow this, true. But I understand WHY huge age limit exists, legally. Also brain science tells us that adolescence dies not end at 18 or 21. Under all circumstances, prostitution is a potentially dangerous, even life threatening line of work. Not to suggest all clients are dangerous. But it is not possible to discern which will and which will not be, or who does/does not have an incurable STI. Or who will/will not be compliant with condom use.

Another reason is that if everyone knows that someone must be at least 25, it will give them far less cover to claim that 14-15 year old looks 18….

Before you ask: I also think that one should have to be at least 25 to enlist in the armed services.

So, I'm not going to argue anything you said here. This is all broadly correct. Still, I would like to offer a thought my husband recently told me.

My husband is a sex worker. He is an artist yes, and in fact works for a pretty big company from time to time on their merch inventory and sales, but that doesn't change the fact that the vast majority of money he makes through private art sales is fundamentally sexual in nature.

And... I also have history as a sex worker. For the longest time, my biggest source of personal income was selling people virtual penises for their virtual bodies in a virtual world.

I would literally spend hours of my day some days constructing for someone a virtual cock.

Other times I would take money to occasionally have cybersex with people.

I did all this long before I was 25, and have continued similar activities, from making adult art to "adult hypnosis."

Many artists from age 18-25 in fact participate in sex work in this way, often drawing/making/depicting degrading acts.

Would you similarly prevent the non-contact sex worker from sex work?

I absolutely do not judge people for engaging in sex work,

I would not consider creating art work or works of art that were sexual in nature, even graphically sexual. I would not consider modeling for artists to be sex work but I do believe that minors should not serve as models for sexually explicit art works, including film. I am still incandescently furious with Brook Shields’ mother—and I know that is extremely minor exposure compared to what many children go through.

Oh, absolutely no to minors being anywhere near sex work.

I'm incandescently furious with tiktok for what happens there. I don't go on the service at all. I would want to murder people on a daily basis.

I just realized ( day full of interruptions plus a nasty head cold) that I didn’t finish my sentence above well: I don’t consider working as a model or creating sexually explicit works of art ( including music) to be sex work. A college friend used to make really good —and incredibly well researched and graphic phalluses. Her art professor, no doubt having seen such many many times was less impressed but her work was really good. My assumption/memory was that her then boyfriend was the model.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

And... I also have history as a sex worker. For the longest time, my biggest source of personal income was selling people virtual penises for their virtual bodies in a virtual world.

I would literally spend hours of my day some days constructing for someone a virtual cock.

Where did our jaw-drop smilie go??

I find myself amazed that there is enough demand for this to be a viable source of income.

 

[Derec]

The reason I suggested 25 is because that is an age which is often the cutoff age for people to re t some types of property, such as vacation re take.

Those are restrictions put in place by private companies, not government. What you want is raise the legal "age of consent" to 25 as long as cash (or facsimile/equivalent) is being exchanged.

Because under 25, there is a much higher risk of renters engaging in dangerous and property damaging behavior. Some never out grow this, true. But I understand WHY huge age limit exists, legally.

I disagree with these limits too, but again, they are imposed by private companies, not governments.

Under all circumstances, prostitution is a potentially dangerous, even life threatening line of work.

Legalizing would certainly make it safer. Pushing it into the underground, even more so with boneheaded laws like FOSTA/SESTA, makes sex work more dangerous.
That said, there are plenty of "potentially dangerous" jobs out there. Would you prohibit young adults from doing any of these:

Not to suggest all clients are dangerous. But it is not possible to discern which will and which will not be, or who does/does not have an incurable STI. Or who will/will not be compliant with condom use.

You also cannot guarantee that a passenger a taxi/Uber driver picks up is not dangerous. Or a person somebody delivers a pizza to. Or any job involving client interaction. But keeping yourself safe is easier when government is not pushing your industry underground. It was safer to solicit custom on Backpage than on street corners. But the federal government shut it down (in a bipartisan fashion I might add) for no good reason.

Another reason is that if everyone knows that someone must be at least 25, it will give them far less cover to claim that 14-15 year old looks 18….

But now you want to punish clients because a 23 year old adult sex worker looked 25.

Before you ask: I also think that one should have to be at least 25 to enlist in the armed services.

That would greatly limit US armed forces recruitment numbers.
But would you also limit employment in other "potentially dangerous" professions? Not only the ones in the graphic above, but most jobs are "potentially dangerous". Even working at McD, you can run into a nut job getting violent over their Big Mac order ...

 

[Derec]

I don't know if Derec would agree that coercing sex in exchange for money is "rape" but IMO it is definitely coercive.

Depending on how you define "coercion". You seem to think persuasion is a kind of coercion, but the definition you posted said "the practice of persuading someone to do something by using force or threats".
That's a very different thing than just plain persuading someone.

 

[Derec]

Maybe it’s just me but I don’t see telling someone that they’re best shot in life is allowing their body to be used by strangers as they will leaving them with the risk of injury and serious incurable infections, not to mention risk of pregnancy and the serious risks to life and health, not to mention legal risk.

Perhaps it should be up to the individual to decide for him or herself what kind of work they want to do, instead of busybodies on both sides of the spectrum. Risk can be mitigated, and no work is without risk. Besides, "legal risk" only exists because the government is keeping sex work illegal.

 

[Derec]

That's my understanding, also, although there was a legislative oops that left it legal for a while in some state back east.

It was Rhode Island.
Prostitution decriminalized: Rhode Island’s experiment
Unfortunately they closed the loophole in 2009 ...

 

[Derec]

So working as a bartender is a whacky political idea?

Did I say it was? It is Swammy who incessantly keeps mentioning her background.

That said, her job tending bar is linked to her wacky political ideas. I think she chose that job, rather than a professional career using her degree, because it gave her more flexibility to engage in political activism. Like driving >2000 miles to North Dakota to protest against oil.

 

[Derec]

I absolutely do not judge people for engaging in sex work,

Perhaps not. But you certainly judge their clients.

I am still incandescently furious with Brook Shields’ mother

Yes, she should have waited until Brook was 25 at least. Or even better 30.

 

[Derec]

I realize that some adults willingly engage in sex work without coercion. I don’t see a need to have this criminalized. But using children and minors: yeah? That’s not ok,

Did you change your mind? Because when we last discussed this, you were in favor of the Prohibitionist position of criminalizing consensual adult sex work.

 

[Jarhyn]

If money/facsimile/equivalent is exchanged, the minimum age for consent should be 25.

Why 25? And what punishment do you propose to somebody having consensual sex with a 24 year old adult sex worker?
And you mention "facsimile/equivalent"? So dating a 24 year old and buying her dinner or a piece of jewelry is criminalized too?

The reason I suggested 25 is because that is an age which is often the cutoff age for people to re t some types of property, such as vacation re take. Because under 25, there is a much higher risk of renters engaging in dangerous and property damaging behavior. Some never out grow this, true. But I understand WHY huge age limit exists, legally. Also brain science tells us that adolescence dies not end at 18 or 21. Under all circumstances, prostitution is a potentially dangerous, even life threatening line of work. Not to suggest all clients are dangerous. But it is not possible to discern which will and which will not be, or who does/does not have an incurable STI. Or who will/will not be compliant with condom use.

Another reason is that if everyone knows that someone must be at least 25, it will give them far less cover to claim that 14-15 year old looks 18….

Before you ask: I also think that one should have to be at least 25 to enlist in the armed services.

So, I'm not going to argue anything you said here. This is all broadly correct. Still, I would like to offer a thought my husband recently told me.

My husband is a sex worker. He is an artist yes, and in fact works for a pretty big company from time to time on their merch inventory and sales, but that doesn't change the fact that the vast majority of money he makes through private art sales is fundamentally sexual in nature.

And... I also have history as a sex worker. For the longest time, my biggest source of personal income was selling people virtual penises for their virtual bodies in a virtual world.

I would literally spend hours of my day some days constructing for someone a virtual cock.

Other times I would take money to occasionally have cybersex with people.

I did all this long before I was 25, and have continued similar activities, from making adult art to "adult hypnosis."

Many artists from age 18-25 in fact participate in sex work in this way, often drawing/making/depicting degrading acts.

Would you similarly prevent the non-contact sex worker from sex work?

I absolutely do not judge people for engaging in sex work,

I would not consider creating art work or works of art that were sexual in nature, even graphically sexual. I would not consider modeling for artists to be sex work but I do believe that minors should not serve as models for sexually explicit art works, including film. I am still incandescently furious with Brook Shields’ mother—and I know that is extremely minor exposure compared to what many children go through.

Oh, absolutely no to minors being anywhere near sex work.

I'm incandescently furious with tiktok for what happens there. I don't go on the service at all. I would want to murder people on a daily basis.

I just realized ( day full of interruptions plus a nasty head cold) that I didn’t finish my sentence above well: I don’t consider working as a model or creating sexually explicit works of art ( including music) to be sex work. A college friend used to make really good —and incredibly well researched and graphic phalluses. Her art professor, no doubt having seen such many many times was less impressed but her work was really good. My assumption/memory was that her then boyfriend was the model.

Well, that's the thing. It doesn't matter what you consider sex work.

Where does the line get drawn? Is reading a script off of a piece of paper sex work?

I would say any paid work with the intent and express purpose of bringing or helping bring another person to erection* and/or orgasm is, in fact, sex work.

Some sex work is fairly more benign and safe than other work, but I don't think that makes it not "sex work".

 

[Jarhyn]

And... I also have history as a sex worker. For the longest time, my biggest source of personal income was selling people virtual penises for their virtual bodies in a virtual world.

I would literally spend hours of my day some days constructing for someone a virtual cock.

Where did our jaw-drop smilie go??

I find myself amazed that there is enough demand for this to be a viable source of income.

30k/yr give or take.

It could have been a LOT more, too, if I had had the opportunity to expand my business model.

This was on the same virtual system I got banned for trolling.

I wasn't even one of the most successful "business people" on SecondLife (the platform I sold dicks on). The more successful/profitable businesses usually revolved around rent-seeking behaviors, unregulated gambling, or direct virtual prostitution.

This environment is actually the setting for most of the events of that story I told in the "Jesus in Our Likeness" thread.

 

[Toni]

If money/facsimile/equivalent is exchanged, the minimum age for consent should be 25.

Why 25? And what punishment do you propose to somebody having consensual sex with a 24 year old adult sex worker?
And you mention "facsimile/equivalent"? So dating a 24 year old and buying her dinner or a piece of jewelry is criminalized too?

The reason I suggested 25 is because that is an age which is often the cutoff age for people to re t some types of property, such as vacation re take. Because under 25, there is a much higher risk of renters engaging in dangerous and property damaging behavior. Some never out grow this, true. But I understand WHY huge age limit exists, legally. Also brain science tells us that adolescence dies not end at 18 or 21. Under all circumstances, prostitution is a potentially dangerous, even life threatening line of work. Not to suggest all clients are dangerous. But it is not possible to discern which will and which will not be, or who does/does not have an incurable STI. Or who will/will not be compliant with condom use.

Another reason is that if everyone knows that someone must be at least 25, it will give them far less cover to claim that 14-15 year old looks 18….

Before you ask: I also think that one should have to be at least 25 to enlist in the armed services.

So, I'm not going to argue anything you said here. This is all broadly correct. Still, I would like to offer a thought my husband recently told me.

My husband is a sex worker. He is an artist yes, and in fact works for a pretty big company from time to time on their merch inventory and sales, but that doesn't change the fact that the vast majority of money he makes through private art sales is fundamentally sexual in nature.

And... I also have history as a sex worker. For the longest time, my biggest source of personal income was selling people virtual penises for their virtual bodies in a virtual world.

I would literally spend hours of my day some days constructing for someone a virtual cock.

Other times I would take money to occasionally have cybersex with people.

I did all this long before I was 25, and have continued similar activities, from making adult art to "adult hypnosis."

Many artists from age 18-25 in fact participate in sex work in this way, often drawing/making/depicting degrading acts.

Would you similarly prevent the non-contact sex worker from sex work?

I absolutely do not judge people for engaging in sex work,

I would not consider creating art work or works of art that were sexual in nature, even graphically sexual. I would not consider modeling for artists to be sex work but I do believe that minors should not serve as models for sexually explicit art works, including film. I am still incandescently furious with Brook Shields’ mother—and I know that is extremely minor exposure compared to what many children go through.

Oh, absolutely no to minors being anywhere near sex work.

I'm incandescently furious with tiktok for what happens there. I don't go on the service at all. I would want to murder people on a daily basis.

I just realized ( day full of interruptions plus a nasty head cold) that I didn’t finish my sentence above well: I don’t consider working as a model or creating sexually explicit works of art ( including music) to be sex work. A college friend used to make really good —and incredibly well researched and graphic phalluses. Her art professor, no doubt having seen such many many times was less impressed but her work was really good. My assumption/memory was that her then boyfriend was the model.

Well, that's the thing. It doesn't matter what you consider sex work.

Where does the line get drawn? Is reading a script off of a piece of paper sex work?

I would say any paid work with the intent and express purpose of bringing or helping bring another person to erection* and/or orgasm is, in fact, sex work.

Some sex work is fairly more benign and safe than other work, but I don't think that makes it not "sex work".

Well, that's the thing: drawing the line IS exactly what is/is not considered sex work. Whoever it is that draws the line.

I may have not completely understood exactly what it was you were describing in your previous post--dealing with a nasty head cold. No offense was intended in any way, shape or form. Doubtless there are plenty of forms of sex work that haven't occurred to me or haven't occurred to me as sex work. It never occurred to me that artists who create what are essentially pinup art of female superheros with bulging boobs and very, very, very tight superhero costumes are engaging in sex work. Maybe they are? I don't think the ones I know believe that they are but?? Subject never came up.

In any case, I never meant to offend you in any way.

 

[Toni]

I realize that some adults willingly engage in sex work without coercion. I don’t see a need to have this criminalized. But using children and minors: yeah? That’s not ok,

Did you change your mind? Because when we last discussed this, you were in favor of the Prohibitionist position of criminalizing consensual adult sex work.

Not entirely accurate: I do NOT want to have consensual adult sex workers charged with crimes related to sex work. I also do not want to have sex work legalized because of the following:
1. The issue of consent.
2. The issue of adult--who is and is not considered 'adult.'
3. Legalized brothels/districts often attract not legal sex workers who are in fact under age and coerced.
4. Lack of sufficient protection against violence and disease inherent in the work. No, I do not think sex is inherently violent but for some people, it is indeed, a way to express violence. No, I do not associate sex with disease but I know that it is an extremely good way to spread some nasty infections, just as passing around a cup of (whatever) on a bus full of school athletes is a good way to spread whatever virus anybody is harboring. Yeah, yeah, condoms but they break sometimes and we all know that some clients will refuse to use them or will pay extra to not use them. Don't @ me with tests. I am well aware of latency periods and the fact that one is most infectious before producing sufficient antibodies to whatever they are infected with. Shorter period with antigens but still, a latency period.

 

[Toni]

I absolutely do not judge people for engaging in sex work,

Perhaps not. But you certainly judge their clients.

I am still incandescently furious with Brook Shields’ mother

Yes, she should have waited until Brook was 25 at least. Or even better 30.

I realize that you think that throwing enough money at something, any something makes it ok. I can tell you from experience that it is extremely upsetting and damaging to be a real girl and in a situation where someone thinks of you in sexual ways that you are not at all equipped to handle or understand or fend off. I think both of us are aware that child actors are too often sexually exploited by adults who supposedly have their best interests at heart.

 

[Elixir]

Legalized brothels/districts often attract not legal sex workers who are in fact under age and coerced.

True? I thought they were heavily regulated, registered, inspected etc.
How do you “know” that, anyway?
I’m not contradicting you, I really was told those things.

That aside though, the rest of the issues you mention ARE vastly problematic.

 

[Jarhyn]

If money/facsimile/equivalent is exchanged, the minimum age for consent should be 25.

Why 25? And what punishment do you propose to somebody having consensual sex with a 24 year old adult sex worker?
And you mention "facsimile/equivalent"? So dating a 24 year old and buying her dinner or a piece of jewelry is criminalized too?

The reason I suggested 25 is because that is an age which is often the cutoff age for people to re t some types of property, such as vacation re take. Because under 25, there is a much higher risk of renters engaging in dangerous and property damaging behavior. Some never out grow this, true. But I understand WHY huge age limit exists, legally. Also brain science tells us that adolescence dies not end at 18 or 21. Under all circumstances, prostitution is a potentially dangerous, even life threatening line of work. Not to suggest all clients are dangerous. But it is not possible to discern which will and which will not be, or who does/does not have an incurable STI. Or who will/will not be compliant with condom use.

Another reason is that if everyone knows that someone must be at least 25, it will give them far less cover to claim that 14-15 year old looks 18….

Before you ask: I also think that one should have to be at least 25 to enlist in the armed services.

So, I'm not going to argue anything you said here. This is all broadly correct. Still, I would like to offer a thought my husband recently told me.

My husband is a sex worker. He is an artist yes, and in fact works for a pretty big company from time to time on their merch inventory and sales, but that doesn't change the fact that the vast majority of money he makes through private art sales is fundamentally sexual in nature.

And... I also have history as a sex worker. For the longest time, my biggest source of personal income was selling people virtual penises for their virtual bodies in a virtual world.

I would literally spend hours of my day some days constructing for someone a virtual cock.

Other times I would take money to occasionally have cybersex with people.

I did all this long before I was 25, and have continued similar activities, from making adult art to "adult hypnosis."

Many artists from age 18-25 in fact participate in sex work in this way, often drawing/making/depicting degrading acts.

Would you similarly prevent the non-contact sex worker from sex work?

I absolutely do not judge people for engaging in sex work,

I would not consider creating art work or works of art that were sexual in nature, even graphically sexual. I would not consider modeling for artists to be sex work but I do believe that minors should not serve as models for sexually explicit art works, including film. I am still incandescently furious with Brook Shields’ mother—and I know that is extremely minor exposure compared to what many children go through.

Oh, absolutely no to minors being anywhere near sex work.

I'm incandescently furious with tiktok for what happens there. I don't go on the service at all. I would want to murder people on a daily basis.

I just realized ( day full of interruptions plus a nasty head cold) that I didn’t finish my sentence above well: I don’t consider working as a model or creating sexually explicit works of art ( including music) to be sex work. A college friend used to make really good —and incredibly well researched and graphic phalluses. Her art professor, no doubt having seen such many many times was less impressed but her work was really good. My assumption/memory was that her then boyfriend was the model.

Well, that's the thing. It doesn't matter what you consider sex work.

Where does the line get drawn? Is reading a script off of a piece of paper sex work?

I would say any paid work with the intent and express purpose of bringing or helping bring another person to erection* and/or orgasm is, in fact, sex work.

Some sex work is fairly more benign and safe than other work, but I don't think that makes it not "sex work".

Well, that's the thing: drawing the line IS exactly what is/is not considered sex work. Whoever it is that draws the line.

I may have not completely understood exactly what it was you were describing in your previous post--dealing with a nasty head cold. No offense was intended in any way, shape or form. Doubtless there are plenty of forms of sex work that haven't occurred to me or haven't occurred to me as sex work. It never occurred to me that artists who create what are essentially pinup art of female superheros with bulging boobs and very, very, very tight superhero costumes are engaging in sex work. Maybe they are? I don't think the ones I know believe that they are but?? Subject never came up.

In any case, I never meant to offend you in any way.

Well, I think a lot of people are in denial that they are engaging in sex work.

You didn't offend me at all. I was using bold, and I apologize for the misunderstanding, not to imply SHOUTING, but to make my own definition easy to find in my post.

I think people for some reason find it distasteful that there is even work and economic activity relating to it (see also: the people who read Handmaid's Tale and still don't understand who the villains were).

Then, these days, my own sex work is completely pro-bono (lol, "bono"... Yes, I'm totally mature), but my husband admits burnout and frustration and even loss of joy from his own work, despite its profitability.

He wants to be able to do whatever pornographic and otherwise "kink" art as a hobby, not a job.

I do also find it a little ridiculous that we single out "sex feelings", of all the feelings, as ones that are taboo to trade on economically.