“They think of themselves as free speech warriors, and I think sex workers think of themselves as in a fight for survival.”
Right now, Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin are in a fight for survival as well. They're in their 70s and could easily die in prison given the amount of time they could get if found guilty.
"The article does note that the founders on trial, Jim Larkin and Michael Lacey, could be highlighting the harm to sex workers that came from taking down Backpage, but instead they've focused specifically on the 'free speech' arguments."
The free speech they are fighting for happens to be the free speech of sex workers, though it is broader than that. An entire class of speech that was once so common (escorts, sensual massage, etc.) you could find it in the Yellow Pages is now outlawed on U.S. platforms.
Have they spoken up for sex workers rights? They have and now that will be used against them by prosecutors. When they owned Village Voice Media, their papers fought harmful sex trafficking myths: the Superbowl trafficking hoax, the lie of 300,000 kids "at risk" for trafficking, and on and on. The website they started in 2017, Front Page Confidential, has done a number of stories on the harmful effects of FOSTA/SESTA, the takedown of Backpage and the welcome rise of a new pro-sex worker movement.
If we do not make common cause with each other when it comes to sexual expression and freedom of speech, the NCOSEs, NCMECs and NAAGs of the world will surely prevail. They have a singular agenda, and they don't care if sex workers have no right to advertise or if PornHub goes kaput or if OnlyFans can't survive or if the Backpage defendants rot in prison.
I would encourage anyone with an interest in this case to watch the recent Reason documentary on Lacey, Larkin and Backpage, "The War on Backpage.com Is a War on Sex Workers." About 40 minutes long, but well worth your time. (https://reason.com/video/war-on-backpage-com-is-a-war-on-sex-workers/)Backpage apparently was doing the same thing as Craigslist, but Backpage refused to genuflect to the politicians and that was its downfall. Now all of Silicon Valley it seems wants to roll over for the feds. The proper stance is the one Lacey and Larkin have taken -- the extended middle finger. Who are the feds to tell people what they can and cannot read or publish? And why are there so many in the tech world (techdirt excepted, natch) who are willing to allow the government such power? If Lacey and Larkin lose, there is no one, no matter how wealthy, who will be exempt from this sort of bullying. They are courageous men who are fighting for their lives right now. And if they win, we all win.
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The Importance of Being Earnest
“They think of themselves as free speech warriors, and I think sex workers think of themselves as in a fight for survival.”
Right now, Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin are in a fight for survival as well. They're in their 70s and could easily die in prison given the amount of time they could get if found guilty.
"The article does note that the founders on trial, Jim Larkin and Michael Lacey, could be highlighting the harm to sex workers that came from taking down Backpage, but instead they've focused specifically on the 'free speech' arguments."
The free speech they are fighting for happens to be the free speech of sex workers, though it is broader than that. An entire class of speech that was once so common (escorts, sensual massage, etc.) you could find it in the Yellow Pages is now outlawed on U.S. platforms.
Have they spoken up for sex workers rights? They have and now that will be used against them by prosecutors. When they owned Village Voice Media, their papers fought harmful sex trafficking myths: the Superbowl trafficking hoax, the lie of 300,000 kids "at risk" for trafficking, and on and on. The website they started in 2017, Front Page Confidential, has done a number of stories on the harmful effects of FOSTA/SESTA, the takedown of Backpage and the welcome rise of a new pro-sex worker movement.
If we do not make common cause with each other when it comes to sexual expression and freedom of speech, the NCOSEs, NCMECs and NAAGs of the world will surely prevail. They have a singular agenda, and they don't care if sex workers have no right to advertise or if PornHub goes kaput or if OnlyFans can't survive or if the Backpage defendants rot in prison.
Winds of War
I would encourage anyone with an interest in this case to watch the recent Reason documentary on Lacey, Larkin and Backpage, "The War on Backpage.com Is a War on Sex Workers." About 40 minutes long, but well worth your time. (https://reason.com/video/war-on-backpage-com-is-a-war-on-sex-workers/)Backpage apparently was doing the same thing as Craigslist, but Backpage refused to genuflect to the politicians and that was its downfall. Now all of Silicon Valley it seems wants to roll over for the feds. The proper stance is the one Lacey and Larkin have taken -- the extended middle finger. Who are the feds to tell people what they can and cannot read or publish? And why are there so many in the tech world (techdirt excepted, natch) who are willing to allow the government such power? If Lacey and Larkin lose, there is no one, no matter how wealthy, who will be exempt from this sort of bullying. They are courageous men who are fighting for their lives right now. And if they win, we all win.
Techdirt has not posted any stories submitted by Beefheart666.
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