Sex workers want Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper to "beat it"

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      People who sell sex have a message for the prime minister in this marathon election campaign.

      “Sex workers are going to tell Stephen Harper to beat it,” Andrew Sorfleet told the Straight in a phone interview.

      Sorfleet is the president of Triple-X Workers’ Solidarity Association of B.C., a group that opposed the passage of Bill C-36, a Conservative measure that criminalized for the first time in Canadian history the purchase of sexual services.

      On June 13, sex workers and their supporters voiced displeasure over the country’s version of the Nordic model for prostitution in the annual Red Umbrella March held in downtown Vancouver. They believe that the legislation puts sex workers in harm's way.

      As Sorfleet recalled from that event, the protesters came “with the FU sign for Harper”.

      “We intend to build on that energy,” he said about how sex workers will make their voices heard in the campaign leading up to the October 19 federal election.

       According to the advocate, they’re looking at coming up with an online campaign like the #heavesteve2015.

      “People don’t realize that many sex workers are also political people,” Sorfleet said. “And they’re not just political about sex work. They have lots of issues like the environment or Bill-C51. There are many ways that Harper has put off Canadians, and sex workers are among them.”

      “I mean there are sex workers who would normally be Conservative,” Sorfleet continued. “They won’t be voting Conservative in this election.”

      Comments

      5 Comments

      Claude Gravel

      Aug 5, 2015 at 2:30pm

      Everybody dislikes Harper. I don't know why he is not getting the message.

      Oh yes, I do know why. He only talks. He does not listen and less hears.

      Hermesacat

      Aug 5, 2015 at 3:28pm

      At one point, some Ottawa area sex workers were mulling the idea of "outing" Harper's ministers who used Ottawa sex workers' services but voted for this unjust law. I wish they'd followed through. It would be delicious just deserts for a bunch among Harper's gang of hypocrites to be exposed, publicly, as johns.

      Anna Smith

      Aug 5, 2015 at 5:01pm

      True, everybody dislikes Harper, and who doesn't LOVE Andrew Sorfleet !

      Cons Criminalize Sex

      Aug 5, 2015 at 7:09pm

      The Cons...

      - Anti-Canadian (C-51)
      - Anti-Free Trade (Corporate Welfare)
      - Now Anti Sex!

      One more reason to vote anyone but Cons.

      Mullah Kintyre

      Aug 6, 2015 at 5:11am

      The attack ads with the "has some growing up to do" comment make me laugh. What exactly is mature or grown up about irrationally refusing to change ridiculous, outdated, and unenforced criminal laws about marijuana and sex work, instead of allowing for reasonable systems of regulation? New Zealand and much of Australia have already been through changing their outdated sex business laws and provide examples to follow.
      The fear mongering is absolutely clownish.