Should Arizona legalize prostitution? (Phoenix, Prescott: 2014, construction, live in)

[87112]

Ever time there is a big prostitution sting here in Seattle its not just " bad" types that are caught by the cops. In the news its always tech leaders from Amazon, Microsoft, etc. that are involved also. Its its men's DNA to touch different women ( for the most part). Common sense have been stolen to not make it legal. I my view red light districts have prevented rapes in the areas that have them, not that I have numbers to prove it.

[musicfamly5]

Personally I've never gotten why people even pay for sex in the first place. In today's world you can go on an app or look up someone in a chat room who probably would be willing to hook up no questions asked as long as a safe meeting place was available and both parties had a way to get there.

I guess it's nice for the women and their pimps....but at this point in history if people are still willing to risk jail time, disease, theft, and pay money to have sex with a someone when they could do it for free in a more secure setting then I don't think anything is going to stop illegal prostitution or pushing the envelope for sexual gratification. Even in Europe and places where it's legalized people still go out of their way look for the forbidden or illegally set up brothels and it's sure not slowing down the amount of sex slavery and child prostitution that's rampant in areas that decriminalize "normal" prostitution. So go ahead...I just don't think it'll end any part of the crime element and it's still ridicules considering how many folks have sex for free anytime they want.

[Hschlick84]

Legalization can only do so much to dissolve the black market for prostitutes without hindering business profit. There will always be a black market, even for marijuana, tobacco, alcohol, there's no completely eradicating it. The purpose is to give men an alternative hobby and let women do what they want with their bodies, its a job. Even if the religious right sees it as breaking up families or the left wing feminists think it degrades women, its impossible to satisfy everybody.

Personally, I'd like to see it legalized in AZ. Can you imagine how much business and tax revenue the state would get from tourists and locals? Golden Valley and Kingman especially would get so much business from Las Vegas, its unimaginable. Who wouldn't want a nostalgic 1950s Pin Up woman that serves you a nice diner meal and a little fun on the side afterwards?

People are afraid of freedom and would rather have the government tell them how to live their lives accordingly.

[infocyde]

I've got 99 problems, but legalizing prostitution isn't one...

When I lived in Phoenix, there was pretty much open prostitution going on. You could drive down Van Burean (spelling?) and see prostitutes all over the place. I couldn't understand at the time how the police could let it go on so blatantly.

From what some of my sleazier friends told me is that if you wanted a prostitute, you could find one. Massage parlors where big for that, at least back in the 2000's.

Should it be legal? I don't know...I think I'd rather have people in healthy relationships that aren't based on monetary transactions. That should be a societal goal anyways. Yet this type of transaction is as old as mankind, so fighting it or rolling with it is a debate. I'd rather keep it illegal as I don't think either party in the transactions over time benefits. Short term, yeah you get your rocks off, a prostitute gets money, all good right? Long term Johns get more and more sex addicted, spiritual price of being a prostitute seems to weigh on sex workers after a time. In the end long term I don't think it is a good thing at all. Yet adults are going to do what they want to do. But as others have pointed out in this day and age if you want to get laid it shouldn't be all that hard to accomplish. If your the type that has problems there robot sex dolls are pretty much here. I don't really approve of that either but who cares what I think.

So the debate is kinda this stuff is going to happen no matter what, so why not make it legal so it is controlled and slightly better outcomes come of it? I don't know.

I do know that there are at least 99 other policy problems that I would put precedence on in solving over this...though the human trafficking aspect of this needs to be addressed and prioritized.

[usayit]

Originally Posted by breakingbad

Of all the ex-prostitutes I met as a therapist, I can't think of one who thought it enhanced their lives. Their kids suffered the consequences too. So from a women's perspective no.

Have you met ex-prostitutes outside of being a therapist? Your view is framed by a selected group and doesn't necessarily reflect the whole.

I know many sex workers in my life. many are fine... just regular people working unconventional jobs. These are people you would never know if you met them. Others not so fine.... drug abuse etc. Sex work is relatively lucrative with a low bar to enter which makes it ideal to support the drug habit. A person working drug rehab, for example, could easily make the false assessment that all/most sex workers are drug addicted and their sex work is the result. In reality, a sex worker without drug problems would have never even seek rehab to begin with and would be out of sight... thus out of mind. The same with therapist or any health care professional.

One of the top 5 professions with a high incidence of drug abuse is Law enforcement. So much so that there are special services just for LEOs that need help to cope with drug addiction. Would it be any fairer of an assessment of a therapist providing services to state that all/most LEOs are drug addicted? Of course not.

Most of personal close friends fall under the former fortunately. Most are independents working on their own terms to supplement other income. One has landed a very lucrative job with a high end escort agency probably making more than I. With her established connections, she is branching into more legit work related to managing modeling/promotional/branding/advertising type work.

Sex work is a very large wide range of people's circumstances. Outside of instances of human trafficking (which I don't support street, pandering, nor pimping), they are consenting adults.

I will say with 100% certainty, is that ALL these women are victimize by the very system that is suppose to help/protect them. By making them operate underground, it makes them easy targets for assault and prevents them from the ability to seek authorities for help with out risk prosecution themselves.

Above all, bring it out from operating underground... protect their right as consenting adults.... flush out the other aspects that take that right away from them (pimping, human trafficking) by dealing with it as a human rights/labor issue... rather than a sex or imposed so called morality/quality of life issue. Most of all, recognized that legalization is just the first step.... not the silver bullet.

[usayit]

I didn't vote... even if I resided in Arizona it is too broad of a question.

I would not vote to legalize certain forms of prostitution or activities that are associated with it. Pimping and Street prostitution are among the big ones I won't support. The key is consent and dominion over body must be protected. Simply legalizing prostitution on a broad scale doesn't accomplish that goal.

[loose cannon]

I fully support it . I always enjoyed reading the ads in various publications and every so many months I'd visit a woman in Mesa for service.

[jgustav]

Originally Posted by Hschlick84

Personally, I'd like to see it legalized in AZ. Can you imagine how much business and tax revenue the state would get from tourists and locals? Golden Valley and Kingman especially would get so much business from Las Vegas, its unimaginable.

This simply wouldn't happen. Pahrump is located in a legal prostitution county within Nevada just a little over an hour away from Las Vegas.

[GolfingCat]

I think it'll make the community safer. I'd rather a frustrated dude turn to a prostitute than a gun.

[Hschlick84]

What's makes Pahrump different from Kingman and similar in a way? Kingman would have to offer better incentives at the brothels for the customer and/or tourist. Also they could have better employment and benefits for the workers.