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I don't think it's an accident or mistake that so many feminists support the policing of sex work. White feminists, esp, have used hatred for sw's to advance their own class & race interests for centuries. Because under white supremacy, sexual respectability signals superiority.
Class privileged white women base their entire claim to power on their sexuality. They distance themselves from sex workers to appear more intelligent, civilized& principled, because they are not
-so damaged they were forced into sex work
-so shameful that they chose sex work
-so damaged they were forced into sex work
-so shameful that they chose sex work
the purpose of "white feminism" as an institution (not individual white feminists) has been to gain access to white men's political and economic power. Whorephobia is the PERFECT tool for this because they can mask hatred for poor and racialized women as "care" and "equity".
white women love anti-trafficking/criminalizing sex work. It reaffirms them as helpful, caring, principled, not as pro-police racists grasping for power, willing to sacrifice poor and racialized women in the sex industry. they get away with murder-by-policy bc they're white women
that might seem harsh but try listening to WW say they can't help sw's get covid support, or lock their own business doors, or get out of an abusive relationship because "our org has different opinions on pRoStituTioN". Women die so they can look pristine. THAT's what's harsh.
From abolitionists, I learned: the systems are not broken, they are working as designed. Sex work criminalization works out great for leftist & feminists with class aspirations. It provides them w/ the appearance of moral& political superiority through sexual respectability.
this is why I put my faith in sw, trans women's and abolition feminism. These movements don't degrade women who are marked for their sexuality & consistently lift up the leadership of "non-respectable" women. We all rise together when women get to be leaders AND sexual.
