Login / RegisterB.C. NDP leadership hopeful Dana Larsen backs decriminalization of sex work
B.C. NDPleadership candidate Dana Larsen has pledged to work toward the decriminalization of sex work if he becomes premier.
The former B.C. Marijuana Party leader announced in a press release today (February 14) that he would allow sex workers to unionize and form co-operatives.
"As Premier, I would defund the police enforcement, prosecution and incarceration of offences related to the sex trade in an effort to increase safety for street sex workers," Larsen said in the release.
“We know from the evidence that only a small minority of sex workers in Canada work on the street, the rest operate in what amounts to a legal environment as 'escorts'. We have a set of laws here that only target the most impoverished, marginalized few percent of sex workers, preventing them from unionizing, hiring security, or otherwise trying to increase their safety."
Larsen noted that an Ontario court ruled in the fall that Canada's prostitution laws were unconstitutional.
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Vancouver and other cities all license "escorts" and charge them exorbitant business license fees. And then on the other hand, police will enforce laws that force the most impoverished se trade workers onto the street where they become easy victims.
The only effective way to improve safety conditions for women is to use part of the money Dana Larsen intends to draw from law enforcement-related programs to fund women's shelters, affordable housing, affordable child-care, access to free legal support, exiting opportunities and programming etc.
I personally hope he will also reconsider his position on the full-decriminalization of prostitution and research the Nordic model of prostitution law, first introduced in Sweden in 1999. This system decriminalizes those sold for sex and criminalizes those who buy sex and those who profit from the sale of others - pimps, traffickers, and brothel owners.
I would encourage those who intend to support Larsen politically to take a look at the pros and cons of prostitution law in countries like New Zealand (fully decriminalization), Germany (legalization), and Sweden (partial decriminalization).
www.globalwinnipeg.com/Prostitution+laws+ruled+unconstitutional+Ontario+...
Since the federal laws are invalid, this means that the regulation of sex workers and their industry is now up to the provinces.
Dana is correct that BC should take control and regulate this industry to protect women and encourage safety and public health.
Laws an regulation need to come into place to protect those that choose to join the sex trade.
Mainstream rather not talk about it, or miss label it.
Bravo Dana for talking about a topic most politicians are to scared and immature to discuss.
If we want to save lives, protect public health and reduce public disorder, then allowing sex workers to unionize and form co-ops is a huge step forward.
Congratulations Dana for being brave, smart and truthful.
http://www.straight.com/article-341746/vancouver/new-brothel-penalty-ril...
Canada's prostitution laws are an abomination which result in the victimization of the most poor and vulnerable women.
It is the prostitution laws which make women easy pickings for Pickton and other women-hating murderous scum.
It seems likely that most people would favour an approach that has the best outcome for the highest number of people, and street sex workers in particular. If the Swedish model is followed, going after the buyers, then the most desperate women will continue to move ever further into the shadows, so their clients will avoid the police. As they do that they make themselves more vulnerable.
If, however, the act of buying sex from an adult - in most cases men doing the buying and women doing the selling - was not only decriminalized but also destigmatized, then even the most desperate women could sell sex indoors and thus avoid the worst outcome of all - violence against them and even murder.
The snag is that a large number of activists cannot condone the act of men buying sex from women, it is just too much for their feminist sensibilities to cope with. So their purist position continues to put women in danger.
Sex trafficking is in a different category - it is obviously coercive. But although everything should be done to give street sex workers other options, there will always be those who resort to selling sex, and so there will be buyers. So harm reduction demands making it okay for that to happen, just as it is okay for people to inject themselves with drugs.
And until drugs are also decriminalized it should be okay to sell drugs - somebody has to do it no, or how would addicts get the stuff? This continued vilification of sex buyers and drug sellers is immature and annoying and the real world consequences are profound.
Ad hominen attacks do not affect the argument. There is good reason to support many of the causes that Dana has forwarded. I could care less if he as a douche bag when it comes to his causes. However, Dana want to lead a political party and be Premier of this province. There are too many good reason as to why Dana is a poor leader that I hope he loses on the first ballot. We do not need any more snake oil salesmen leading us.
As for the decriminalization of sex work, I agree 100% that the sex workers safety must be first and foremost. We spend too much time worrying about the what if? The old policies has lead to too many deaths. It is time to act first and deal with any negative outcomes. How could this postion be any worse that the old way?
There is a video of him taking LSD and then filming himself as walked around the beach explaining how he was feeling.
In another, separate video, he is shown with an unlit joint in his hand as he gets into a car to drive him at the end of the video.
I've seen Dana speak about the videos, and he always says he regrets the video which shows him with the unlit joint while driving, but that he is not ashamed of having taken psychedelics and feels that he benefitted from his use of LSD.
Keep in mind that the videos are from the late 1990s. Adrian Dix says that his backdating of a memo in the 90's was "an error" and that he "paid a significant price and learned from it." Dana says essentially the same thing about the video showing him with an unlit joint while behind the wheel.
I don't understand how you can support him on legalizing marijuana, on warning labels for sugary drinks and on decriminalization of sex work, but you also hope he loses on the first ballot?
If the ideas Dana is bringing forward are ever to gain traction in the party, then Dana has to do reasonably well in this race. If he loses on the first ballot then it will guarantee that the BC NDP will never talk about legalization of marijuana, warning labels on sugary drinks or decrim of prostitution ever again.
Dana is being brave for putting himself out there for the issues he believes in. The videos that you are so worried about are about 15 years old. Maybe it's time to focus on policies and ideas instead of on worn-out scandals that aren't very scandalous.
Even if you believe the media spin, what Dana did 15 years ago wasn't dishonest, he didn't scam anyone, didn't hurt anyone, didn't do anything for personal gain, didn't backdate any memos, didn't get charged by police, and he's not lying about it now.
So yes, maybe he showed a lack of judgement when he made that silly video back in the 90s, but he's also shown integrity, bravery and idealism by standing up for what he believes.
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