Susan Davis on Rabble Canada Speaks Out

The article that I posted a couple of days ago about Meghan Murphy and other abolitionists has received A LOT of attention, from both sides. Last night, I noticed that I was getting traffic from Rabble Canada, a site that Murphy blogs for. She also has a podcast on Rabble, so I followed the link and found that the traffic was coming from the sex work message board on Rabble. Susan Davis re-posted my article on the page, which sparked more controversy, also leading Murphy to assert that I have an "unhealthy obsession" with her. This gave me the greatest laugh over the last two days! The egocentric and continually self-obsessed Murphy assumes that anyone who disagrees with her is in fact "obsessed." Another typical effort from the anti-sex work camp to trivialize our voices. Anyways, you can see all of that here: Rabble Message Board

I was touched by one of Susan's comments, and with her permission, have re-posted it here. Well done, Susan! Also, thank you for sharing my writing and spreading our message. xo

"As a sex worker there seems to be some lack of balance here on rabble. i just mean that while this forum is great and honestly i don't mind people reacting here and discussing these issues but for me it is every day, i am a sex worker.

i have never said that all sex work is safe, wonderful and fulfilling or that violence doesn't happen. i have been a full time support worker for free with no back up or infrastructure for years. i have heard of and experienced violence.

my issue is with the constant belittling of my fellow sex workers in the name of saving us. why can't abolitionists as feminists listen to us and hear all sides. why when faced with a different perspective is the reaction to dismiss? why is citing a "researcher" whose credibility is in question deemed ok? it wasn't good enough for the supreme court but its ok for abolitionists?

we are told that there is no war but yet here we are again. why can't sex workers speak for themselves and why is it that only the perspective of those workers whose experiences mirror what people expect to hear is believed?

i don't understand how such a slanted perspective can be the only actual "staff" journalism on this issue. where is the feminist columnist/journalist who is/was a sex worker? where is the balance between the exposure the 2 positions receive?

the terms seem to create an environment where balance and unbiased journalism allow people to decide for themselves which perspective/outcome/appropriate action they support.

the voices of actual sex workers should be at the forefront of this discussion and should include diverse perspectives to ensure Canadians have a clear understanding of the decisions looming on the horizon. if that perspective does not come forward, the right thing to do would be to seek it out to ensure that balance of information is available to people who care about this issue.

already on the prairies municipalities are taking action changing by-laws and creating all kinds of ridiculous and dangerous rules. why? because abolitionists are funded like crazy to spread their message. where is the support for sex workers to do them same?

forced registration, fining for non compliance, arrest and detention during registration, forced information sessions containing all of the usual rhetoric (its like they copied john school) the worst of that session is the "how to save your money" portion put on by the bank, they're not above selling us mutual funds even though we're down trodden, victim's of our own self delusions...oh yeah and human trafficking....is this the desired affect? is this what abolitionists wanted? because here it is. thanks a lot, we really appreciate your enabling of police violence against us....oh, you didn't know that was happening? you didn't mean for that to happen?

the question is will any of you do anything to stop it? will you accept that this is a direct result of only one perspective being heard?

you say i am slanderous, you say you mostly support an abolitionist stance, you say you want balance on issues on rabble....

its a little hard to believe when it seems that the reigning opinion here is against us.

will rabble hire a feminist sex worker journalist? will rabble bring balance to this discussion which affects me and my entire community every single day?

here' a story for you, some contrast to the violence described above...to be clear this is not diminish the experiences described but to try to balance views on our daily lives.

a friend of mine was visiting from Edmonton where she has moved to take care of an aging regular client who can no longer take care of himself. this man had been her friend for a long time prior to his health crisis and so she went ot visit him in the care home where he lived. he wept when he saw her and began to describe the horrible treatment he was receiving from the care givers...not changing his diaper, one bath a week, very little food, no human interaction...

she was moved and totally upset and so removed him immediately....legally...but as immediately as possible... she has since been taking care of him ....for no money.....that's right....no money whatsoever....

she shared pictured of him smiling in a bubble bath with candles all around him....

is this guy a criminal rapist? was he ever?

how can in this day and age our society paint a situation with only one brush? where is the support for sex workers who like their work to be heard? when do we get understand that we need to hear from all sides to ensure we stabilize the safety of people working in the sex industry. when will abolitionists recognize the impact they have on our safety?

will you ever listen to us?"