FOSTA/SESTA, Sex Trafficking, Sex Work and Censorship
I wanted to discuss the passage of FOSTA/SESTA a little bit more. In part because of the flaws that keep them from doing what they allege they will do, but also because of all of the consequences (intended and otherwise) that we can expect.
First a few basics. FOSTA (Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act introduced by Ann Wagner, R) comes from the House of Representatives, SESTA (Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act introduced by Rob Portman, R) comes from the Senate. Combined, they have a very noble and important stated purpose; protecting victims of sex trafficking from being sold online and to allow them legal recourse if a site is proven to have facilitated their trafficking.
Additionally, FOSTA updates the Mann Act to make illegal “using or operating “a means of interstate or foreign commerce with the intent to promote or facilitate the prostitution of another person.”
FOSTA/SESTA targets online platforms like Backpage with the assertion that it and similar sites allow sex trafficking to flourish. However, they make no distinction between sex work and sex trafficking. There are big and important differences and a failure to understand those differences puts lives of both at risk
Advocates for trafficking victims and survivors of sex trafficking have spoken out against FOSTA/SESTA because for all it’s stated purpose, it does little to actually combat sex trafficking. Simply shutting down online platforms does nothing to stop the demand for sex trafficking, nor does it stop traffickers from simply seeking other venues. The laws fail to understand how sex trafficking works and that failure harms everyone.
How Victims/Survivors of Sex Trafficking are hurt by FOSTA/SESTA:
As online platforms close (you can see a running list here that includes Microsoft , Craigslist, Google Play, Instagram, Gmail etc), those who traffick will seek other means to sell their victims, as stated above. These other means are very often harder to identify and track, hampering investigations and allowing sex trafficking to flourish in the shadows.
Sex workers rely on the same online platforms mentioned in FOSTA/SESTA not only to advertise their services , but to screen clients and to communicate lists of dangerous clients with other sex workers. This is VITAL to their livelihoods and safety. In the days since the law passed, I’ve watched my sex worker friends and loved ones scramble- they are wondering how they are going to make rent, how they are going to afford to eat, how they are going to avoid being the next dead sex worker that people will ignore because society views sex workers as disposable and morally repugnant.
Because of its far reach, it leads to internet censorship. If you are fond of #MeToo, if you’ve been pleased to see people being held accountable instead of warned about in whispers via private lists, if you enjoy the fact that public outing of sexual predators is happening en masse right now or if you have told your own story as a survivor (or hope to do so in the future), you should be outraged, because these are the very things that will be censored.
So to summarize: FOSTA/SESTA does NOT stop sex trafficking, nor does it protect victims in any meaningful way. It puts their lives at further risk by forcing trafficking further underground.
FOSTA/SESTA actively endangers consensual sex workers, who make up the vast majority of sex advertising on the sites it attacks. It puts THEIR lives at risk by taking away all of the safety nets they have, forcing their work underground.
It also hurts you by allowing for censorship of the most disenfranchised voices, including yours. And it chips away at basic internet information freedom, which is crucial in fighting rape culture and keeping information available .
Educate yourself as much as you can about FOSTA/SESTA and then share that knowledge with other people. You can listen to those most harmed by FOSTA/SESTA by following Twitter hashtags #LetUsSurvive and #SurvivorsAgainstSESTA, both of which feature sex trafficking survivors and sex workers currently dealing with the fallout.
Sex trafficking is a problem that needs to be addressed, but FOSTA/SESTA is not the way.
1. DEMAND condom use 2. Hold your partners accountable for what happens in the bedroom. None of this “baby I can’t control myself around you” or “I just wanted you so bad” bullshit. 3. Coercion is real and it’s very scary and hard to identify in the moment. Establish a dialogue with your partner. Be clear on what you both want. Be clear on what you don’t want. Your boundaries should ALWAYS be respected. 4. Sex can be really emotionally and physically over-stimulating the first few times; don’t be afraid or ashamed to ask your partner to slow down, take a break, or even stop. 5. Focus less on pleasing your partner and more on exploring your partner. Everyone’s body is different and there are no “tricks” to better sex. Chances are, if you psych yourself out worrying over how well you’re “performing” then nobody’s going to have a good time. 6. Ask questions, offer suggestions. Despite what porn has probably taught you, talking during sex isn’t weird or taboo. Your partner isn’t a mind reader. They don’t know what feels good to you. [Pro-tip, a looot of people without clitorises aren’t fully aware of just HOW sensitive a clitoris is. They can be a little rough with them. Tell them to chill!!!!] 7. Your sex life is YOUR business. Don’t ever feel ashamed of how many or how few sexual partners/experiences you’re having. Do what you want, touch the people who want to touch you back, forget the rest. 8. DON’T FAKE YOUR ORGASMS!! Don’t fake your orgasms!! DON’TFAKEYOURORGAMS!! If your partner isn’t getting you there, let them know! Tell them how!! 9. There is more to sex than orgasms. Sex is a really cool way to establish intimacy and trust, to have a fun time, to relieve stress, to explore a person’s body and bring them pleasure. Don’t get me wrong, orgasms are really cool and good, but your sex life is going to be a lot better if it doesn’t revolve around them. 10. LEARN ABOUT YOUR BODY!! This goes for everyone, but ESPECIALLY if you are a person in possession of a vulva, you have been discouraged and even actively kept from vital knowledge about your anatomy! Do some google searches, buy a human sexuality textbook, masturbate. 11. Virginity is a useless concept. It’s completely okay if your virginity is something important to you and I’m not trying to belittle that idea. Just, for the record, in the grand scheme of things it’s not a big deal. Literally nothing about you changes just because you bumped uglies with someone else.
This has been a public service announcement from your friendly internet poet.
Basically, because I know Mobile is bad with links, the article points out hat the broad, “sfw only, no titties allowed” wave on the internet in recent years is largely due to Apple’s absolute stranglehold on the App Store. Apple has strict guidelines about NSFW content that choke creators right out of mainstream social media, even on sites like Reddit, for users of their products:
But there are fewer and fewer mainstream sites and services that support porn and adult content, and much of that attitude has grown out of Apple’s strict controls over the App Store and the iOS ecosystem. Steve Jobs famously suggested that “folks who want porn can buy an Android phone,” and Apple has repeatedly leveraged its unprecedented power over millions of smartphones to sanitize the apps that are available on iPhones. Apple does not allow apps “that contain user generated content that is frequently pornographic.” In 2016, Apple famously deleted all third-party Reddit apps that allowed users to toggle NSFW posts on and off; even now, it is impossible to access porn on an iOS Reddit app unless you jump through various hoops.
remember though that this anger isn’t about Being Horny On Main, it’s about sex workers, their platforms and followers, NSFW creators and their art, and adult content communities that are continually being shoved out of spaces they created in recent years:
Tumblr’s leadership seems to believe that the community using Tumblr for adult content is the same as any other porn site—showing a serious disconnect with how its users actually interact and connect on its own platform. “We will leave it to them and focus our efforts on creating the most welcoming environment possible for our community,” he wrote.
The value of Tumblr for NSFW creators and fans was in the autonomy to curate something original, and the freedom to express and share what they’re into—something that can’t be replaced by algorithmically-suggested porn on the rest of the internet.
it was mentioned before somewhere else, but 20% of Tumblr’s traffic is brought in by content they’re now flagging as “adult”
This is yet another example of a platform ignoring adult content when it helps the platform flourish, and then leaving those users out to dry when it’s time to crack down for some monetary gain or face-saving. In addition to being a terrible way to treat your user base, banning adult content on Tumblr will stifle a lot of creativity.
The communities that will feel this change the most will be the already-marginalized. “Tumblr banning adult content is a huge loss for the LGBTQ community, especially those with overlapping marginalized identities,” Kitty Stryker, a queer porn performer and consent activist, told Motherboard in an email. “For many, that’s the one place we could find porn that represents us, made by indie performers who created their own content outside of an often racist, transmisogynist, fatphobic industry. Tumblr was where our content could exist without pushing us into the restrictions of a misogynist, male dominated workplace.”
Ok so I was looking for historical slang terms for penis (gotta be era-accurate when writing vintage dick jokes) and I came across….something
some linguist compiled a literal timeline of genitalia slang–a cock compendium, if you will–that dates back all the way to the fucking 13th CENTURY. This motherfucker tracked the evolution of erection etymology through 800+ years, because if he doesn’t do it, who else will? Thank you for your service, Johnathon Green.
Some of my favorites include:
Shaft of Delight (1700s)
Womb Sweeper (1980s)
Master John Goodfellow (1890s)
Nimble-Wimble (1650s)
Corporal Love (1930s)
Staff of Life (1880s)
Spindle (1530s)
As good as ever twanged (1670s)
Gaying Instrument (1810s)
Beef Torpedo (1980s)
and last but not least, the first recorded use of the word Schlong, which was in 1865 CE. Tag yourself, I’m Nimble Wimble
And are the lovely ladies feeling left out? not to worry! Johnathon’s got you covered, gals, because he also made one for vaginas. Highlights:
Mrs. Fubb’s Parlor (1820s)
Poontang (1950s)
Spunk Box (1720s)
Ringerangroo (1930s)
Ineffable (1890s)
Itching Jenny (1890s)
Carnal Mantrap (1890s – a busy decade apparently)
Bookbinder’s Wife (1760s)
Rough Malkin (1530s)
Socket (1460s)
and a personal favorite, crinkum-crankum, circa approximately 1670.
You’ve likely heard the saying, “Prostitution is the world’s oldest profession.” And yet, despite this truth, our society has always looked down on sex workers and many still assume that all sex workers do their jobs out of desperation or because they were forced into it.
Unfortunately, the #MeToo movement is fueling new misconceptions about sex workers. Some uninformed social media users have suggested that the solution to stopping sexual predators is for them to hire a sex worker when they want to abuse.
This so-called solution is not only dehumanizing, it is false; sex workers are not target practices for sexual abusers.
In fact, sex workers are more likely to experience sexual violence on the job than those engaging in other types of work. However, I’ve seen very little in the media about how they are being impacted by #MeToo.
As a survivor, I deeply appreciate how #MeToo has empowered fellow survivors to publicly share their stories. However, the glaring absence of sex workers’ #MeToo narratives in the spotlight troubles me, especially as an on and off burlesque performer.
Burlesque is a type of sex work, which is defined by the Sex Workers Outreach Project-USA(SWOP) as “any type of labor where the explicit goal is to produce a sexual or erotic response in the client.” I don’t consider it my profession, but I’ve unapologetically participated in sex work.
Sex workers use their bodies to make money like any other worker but aren’t afforded the same rights and protections. I believe the first step to ending sexual violence against sex workers is acknowledging their labor as valuable.
Briq House, communications director at SWOP-USA, does sex work because she enjoys it and thinks of her labor as sacred. Based in Seattle, she’s a Black bisexual queer sex worker, intimacy coach, burlesque performer/producer, teacher, and artist.
Sex workers are murdered just for doing their job, yet our society lacks empathy for them. They’re the punchline of vulgar jokes, and “prostitute” is the preferred insult of misogynist men towards women.
Briq House explains that sex workers have boundaries like everybody else. They come to a mutual agreement with patrons about what type of interaction both parties are interested in having.
“Every sex worker has boundaries they operate within and communicate to their client. If a client deliberately tries to or succeeds in going past the boundaries that were set by the provider, that is assault,” she says.
Joking about sex workers and diminishing their humanity makes it less safe for them. Queer and trans women of color doing sex work are more likely to be violated than their white counterparts simply because of their identities.
Our culture requires a drastic shift for queer, trans, and People of Color sex workers to feel safe and respected. I’m personally committed to building a world where sex workers are free from all forms of violence.
We must counter their absence within the #MeToo movement by lifting up their stories and supporting them whenever we can. If you are an aspiring ally to sex workers, here are three ways to be in solidarity with them during the #MeToo era
id like to thank the venom fandom, the true last bastion of nsfw fanart on this hellsite. ive been here for like seven years and its just so fitting that the last explosion of horny art, the last gasp if you will, was lovingly rendered monsterfucking slime tenderly jacking off its host, tom hardy
Since its founding in 2007, Tumblr has always been a place for wide open, creative self-expression at the heart of community and culture. To borrow from our founder David Karp, we’re proud to have inspired a generation of artists, writers, creators, curators, and crusaders to redefine our culture and to help empower individuality.
Over the past several months, and inspired by our storied past, we’ve given serious thought to who we want to be to our community moving forward and have been hard at work laying the foundation for a better Tumblr. We’ve realized that in order to continue to fulfill our promise and place in culture, especially as it evolves, we must change. Some of that change began with fostering more constructive dialogue among our community members. Today, we’re taking another step by no longer allowing adult content, including explicit sexual content and nudity (with some exceptions).
Let’s first be unequivocal about something that should not be confused with today’s policy change: posting anything that is harmful to minors, including child pornography, is abhorrent and has no place in our community. We’ve always had and always will have a zero tolerance policy for this type of content. To this end, we continuously invest in the enforcement of this policy, including industry-standard machine monitoring, a growing team of human moderators, and user tools that make it easy to report abuse. We also closely partner with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Internet Watch Foundation, two invaluable organizations at the forefront of protecting our children from abuse, and through these partnerships we report violations of this policy to law enforcement authorities. We can never prevent all bad actors from attempting to abuse our platform, but we make it our highest priority to keep the community as safe as possible.
So what is changing?
Posts that contain adult content will no longer be allowed on Tumblr, and we’ve updated our Community Guidelines to reflect this policy change. We recognize Tumblr is also a place to speak freely about topics like art, sex positivity, your relationships, your sexuality, and your personal journey. We want to make sure that we continue to foster this type of diversity of expression in the community, so our new policy strives to strike a balance.
Why are we doing this?
It is our continued, humble aspiration that Tumblr be a safe place for creative expression, self-discovery, and a deep sense of community. As Tumblr continues to grow and evolve, and our understanding of our impact on our world becomes clearer, we have a responsibility to consider that impact across different age groups, demographics, cultures, and mindsets. We spent considerable time weighing the pros and cons of expression in the community that includes adult content. In doing so, it became clear that without this content we have the opportunity to create a place where more people feel comfortable expressing themselves.
Bottom line: There are no shortage of sites on the internet that feature adult content. We will leave it to them and focus our efforts on creating the most welcoming environment possible for our community.
So what’s next?
Starting December 17, 2018, we will begin enforcing this new policy. Community members with content that is no longer permitted on Tumblr will get a heads up from us in advance and steps they can take to appeal or preserve their content outside the community if they so choose. All changes won’t happen overnight as something of this complexity takes time.
Another thing, filtering this type of content versus say, a political protest with nudity or the statue of David, is not simple at scale. We’re relying on automated tools to identify adult content and humans to help train and keep our systems in check. We know there will be mistakes, but we’ve done our best to create and enforce a policy that acknowledges the breadth of expression we see in the community.
Most importantly, we’re going to be as transparent as possible with you about the decisions we’re making and resources available to you, including more detailed information, product enhancements, and more content moderators to interface directly with the community and content.
Like you, we love Tumblr and what it’s come to mean for millions of people around the world. Our actions are out of love and hope for our community. We won’t always get this right, especially in the beginning, but we are determined to make your experience a positive one.
Jeff D’Onofrio CEO
Here’s the problem with this, and it is a problem
This is aimed at most NSFW instead of the actual problem which is the bots, pedophilia and other mental/political issues that could be dealt with.
Trying to remove most positive and other wise ok NSFW because YOU lacked the ability and time frame to remove bots and viruses from YOUR platform is YOUR problem and lead to it being our problem and now YOU are punishing the people on here for it.
And the “no shortage of adult sites” statement is absolutely abhorrent that you view it that way. Some people don’t wanna go to those sites. Some people don’t like videos. Some people may want to explore privately or express themselves in ways that they don;’t want to do fully and publicly.
Certain tags and things i can understand removing but reducing it to just talking about sex positivity …isn’t positive. You are TAKING away peoples right to freely express themselves.
Ya know what i also remember from years ago when you yahoos took over the site? There was a big outcry about the possibly blocking of NSFW content, i laughed honestly because some of it was over dramatic.
The weren’t wrong. You are.
Don;t punish people because you and your company didn’t handle and issue that the people on this damn site pointed out for months on end and you didn’t do a damn thing about it.
Have you ever seen a twitter thread (or, in this case, two!) that so perfectly expressed everything you’d felt over months and months of harassment persistent? With all credit to @blackblobyellowcone, who is clearly amazing and completely gets it– not just why us women write and read the erotica that we do, but the history behind the censorship we, as a gender, have experienced. Bravo.
It is very responsible! Condoms have a 98% success rate in preventing pregnancy when used correctly*, and are the single most effective way to prevent STIs. There’s nothing “only” about that.
*”Correctly” mostly just means using them every time. When you see the statistic that they’re 82% effective with “typical use,” this doesn’t mean that people are making some subtle mistake in application, it means that they’re only using them some of the time.
Am I remembering correctly that the percentage numbers for preventing pregnancy are “over one year of use?” Because that’s the sort of thing that’s pretty important when determining relative risk.
Yes, it’s over one year. It’s not per sex act! We’d be up to our asses in babies.
Queer Fiction Writer 