There are days for everything it seems. There is the National Condom Day which coincidentally falls on Valentines Day. There is Cupcake Day, Pillow Fight Day, the National Hoodie Day and so many more. Some of these days support the awareness of very damaging illnesses or causes, while others the causes are not so noble.

Today is June 2^nd and like nearly every other day on our calendar it too has significance. Because today is International Whores Day. I kid you not (although I wish I was). Today we are meant to cast our thoughts on the hard-working prostitutes and the inequalities they face in their workplace.

Despite claims that prostitution is the “world’s oldest profession” it also is the profession which morally undermines the framework of nearly every country across the globe. But, of course, in this “equality” world we should be doing our part to ensure that sex workers are not being discriminated against.

Now, don’t get me wrong, prostitutes are people and are in need of some rights like anyone else. However, the promotion of an industry that deals in the despicable is hardly the best outcome. Perhaps our energies would be better spent if we endorsed an International Abstinence Day in the hopes of promoting awareness on the positives of abstinence until marriage.

Of course this is not how we roll in this day and age. You see, we all have the right to get our sexual fantasies satisfied in any way we deem. The proviso is that both parties should be consenting and that’s all that matters. So if we wish to look to pornography to satisfy our curiosities, well that’s easy, because we really only need one person to consent to that, “numero uno”.

The same approach really goes for prostitution. The client is consenting because they may not be able to receive sex any other way or because they are horny and just feel like doing something “wrong”. And the employed prostitute is consenting because she is receiving large wads of money for doing something that is just natural to our evolved consciousnesses.

Both parties are short-changing themselves. The client may have a wife who he is cheating on (in which case the wife has not consented to being hurt so deeply) or he may not believe that anyone else would find him sexually attractive. Well, I have unfortunate news for you, the prostitute who is sleeping with you, she doesn’t find you attractive. She’s doing it for the money, even if she doesn’t realise that this is not easy-made money. All the riches made in the sex industry (be it pornography or prostitution) costs the worker emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Sure, you’ll find the occasional worker or porn star (i.e. Jenna Jameson) who will profess to loving their career because they “enjoy sex so much” but the marks and the hurt of these people cannot be hidden behind the layers of make-up.

So, is it really beneficial to merely be promoting rights for sex workers? Well, this really falls short of helping those involved out of these self-destructive lifestyles. Unfortunately, some politicians have other ideas. Stephanie Key, Labor MP for Ashford in South Australia, is calling for reforms to:

“ decriminalise the four main types of sex work in this state. The introduction of the Bill will take place after further consultation with interested parties over June and July this year.

My intention is to amend the Criminal Law Consolidation Act 1935 and the Summary Offences Act 1953 to achieve change. Some of the features of reform should include the following:

• Ensure sex workers have the same industrial rights and responsibilities as other workers.
• Prevent minors under the age of 18 years from being involved or associated with sex work.
• Disallow sex services or such premises to be established within 200 metres of schools, centres for children or places of worship.
• Allow for Local Government to regulate public amenity, noise, signage and location in relation to sex services premises with more than three workers.
• Promote safe sex education and practice by clients and sex workers.
• Enable sex workers to be able to report criminal matters to the police like everyone else in the community.”

The Punch, June 2^nd 2011

Such stupidity is dumbfounding. Of course there are regulation problems with the sex industry and prostitutes are unwilling to go to state police for help because they are practicing an illegal act. But the solution is not to legalise prostitution. In this industry women exist to service men sexually. Surely there is nothing more degrading than that. Isn’t prostitution promoting inequality between the sexes?

Of course I will be attacked for being “archaic” and “old-fashioned” but I believe some people need a good dose of common sense. Does Stephanie Key actually believe she’s helping these sex workers with her amendments? Bah, if we actually cared about these people we would be exhausting our energies trying to bring them out of this self-destructive line of work rather than trying to paint over the sex industry with rose-coloured paint. You can’t try and fix the cracks when you’re missing the giant hole in the wall beside you. Who knows, maybe someday soon we’ll have International Pimp Day.