The Student News Site of Colorado State University

The Rocky Mountain Collegian

The Student News Site of Colorado State University

The Rocky Mountain Collegian

The Student News Site of Colorado State University

The Rocky Mountain Collegian

Print Edition
Letter to the editor submissions
Have a strong opinion about something happening on campus or in Fort Collins? Want to respond to an article written on The Collegian? Write a Letter to the Editor by following the guidelines here.
Follow Us on Twitter
Crypto Exchange Listing: Types of Exchanges and Compliance Requirements
March 25, 2024

The crypto industry continues to evolve, fueled by the increasing institutional adoption of crypto. Today, numerous companies are entering the...

Leibee: Let’s end the stigma around sex workers

Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by The Collegian or its editorial board.

People don’t like to talk about sex. It’s uncomfortable, taboo and regarded as a private subject that shouldn’t be the center of public debate or conversation. My colleague Shay Rego’s series, Fifty Shades of Shay, is not always well received, but the subjects she discusses are nothing out of the ordinary.

Ad

If the subject of sex in general is difficult to discuss, then sex work and the sale of sex is even more difficult. A sex worker is anyone who provides sexual services in exchange for money. Sex workers are also referred to as prostitutes or hookers.

The issue with sex work is that it’s not legal in any place in the United States, except for a few counties in Nevada.

Because sex work is illegal, there’s a large stigma around it — that it’s the same as sex trafficking. However, sex trafficking and sex work are entirely different things, and many people who choose the sex work industry are not forced into it. While it’s important to recognize and help those who are coerced or forced into sex work, there’s also a large population of sex workers that choose their work.

Ending the stigma of sex work and making it a recognized profession would allow for much safer working conditions and a more positive view of sex in general.” 

The problem with the negative view of sex work and its illegality is that most sex workers are not in safe working conditions. Sex workers often work in pimp houses, they have no employment protection or benefits and they have no way to report if they are being abused in their work.

The professionalization, rather than criminalization, of this work would make it safer. Ending the stigma of sex work and making it a recognized profession would allow for much safer working conditions and a more positive view of sex in general. 

A large worry is that the industry is one that many are coerced into. It’s true that children from the foster system, people of color and people of low income are often coerced into sex work. The 2015 young adult novel “Dime” by E.R. Frank was about just that, portraying the life of a teenage girl pressured into this type of work.

Overall, the debate around this is heated. However, decriminalizing this line of work would offer more protections and benefits to the people within it. 

Many don’t want to legalize prostitution and sex work because they don’t view it as legitimate or a type of work to be proud of. However, I would argue that it’s not only legitimate work, but it’s one of the most demanded services out there. Sex workers are shamed, the majority of them being women, but purchasers of sexual services are not, the majority of them being men.

The root of the issue and what the sex worker rights movement aims to do is change who is criminalized in the prostitution industry. Prostitutes that are just doing their job shouldn’t be criminalized — the people that beat, abuse and exploit them, knowing they cannot be reported, should be.

Ad

This isn’t an issue that’s distant from us college students. There are student sex workers on college campuses without enough resources to support them. They are not criminals; they are trying to work their way through school.

Anyone can donate to and connect with the sex worker rights movement. Further, states can choose to legalize sex work, and we can make a change now by petitioning to legalize sex work in Colorado.

Katrina Leibee can be reached at letters@collegian.com or Twitter @KatrinaLeibee.

Leave a Comment
More to Discover
About the Contributor
Katrina Leibee, Editor-in-Chief
Katrina Leibee is serving as The Rocky Mountain Collegian's editor in chief for the 2021-22 academic year. Leibee started at The Collegian during the fall of her freshman year writing for the opinion desk. She then moved up to assistant opinion editor and served as the opinion director for the 2020-21 academic year. Leibee is a journalism and political science double major, but her heart lies in journalism. She enjoys writing, editing and working with a team of people to create the paper more than anything. Ask anyone, Leibee loves her job at The Collegian and believes in the great privilege and opportunity that comes with holding a job like this. The biggest privilege is getting to work with a team of such smart, talented editors, writers, photographers and designers. The most important goal Leibee has for her time as editor in chief is to create change, and she hopes her and her staff will break the status quo for how The Collegian has previously done things and for what a college newspaper can be. From creating a desk dedicated entirely to cannabis coverage to transitioning the paper into an alt-weekly, Leibee hopes she can push the boundaries of The Collegian and make it a better paper for its readers and its staff. Leibee is not one to accept a broken system, sit comfortably inside the limits or repeat the words, "That's the way we've always done things." She is a forward thinker with a knack for leadership, and she has put together the best staff imaginable to bring The Collegian to new heights.

Comments (0)

When commenting on The Collegian’s website, please be respectful of others and their viewpoints. The Collegian reviews all comments and reserves the right to reject comments from the website. Comments including any of the following will not be accepted. 1. No language attacking a protected group, including slurs or other profane language directed at a person’s race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, social class, age, physical or mental disability, ethnicity or nationality. 2. No factually inaccurate information, including misleading statements or incorrect data. 3. No abusive language or harassment of Collegian writers, editors or other commenters. 4. No threatening language that includes but is not limited to language inciting violence against an individual or group of people. 5. No links.
All The Rocky Mountain Collegian Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *