sex work

t and i recently talked about porn and sex work. t referenced it and said how she and I agreed that porn was not good and sex work should not be allowed. i corrected her. I don't think porn is bad. some porn, sure, but not all porn. porn can have negative impacts, but then, can't everything? 

I used to be against porn and sex work in general. I thought it was anti-feminist. we've always been able to use our bodies for money, how does this advance our rights? but you know what? it does. feminism gives you the power to do what you want. and if that's sex work, cool. there's certainly a market for it. and if that's something you like to do or are good at, why not make money doing it? plus, I think if it were legal, sex workers would have more rights. you might not need to hire a pimp to keep you safe, because you can call the cops cause you're doing legal work. you can form a union and maybe get pooled medical benefits, special pay by the hour hotels that are especially sanitized. you can write off condoms and lube and all sorts of stuff on your taxes. and you can likely charge more because there will be a more clear industry standard. in general, anyone participating in the sex industry, including customers, will be safer if it's legalized. and that's a good thing. 

also, maybe more importantly, there's nothing inherently "wrong" about sex. (t, being religious, believes that sex is sacred and should be saved for marriage and i dunno, possibly only for procreation?) biologically, sex is good for you. it helps you relieve stress, gives you a rush of good hormones, and let's face it, we orgasm for a reason! there's no reason ejaculation has to come with an orgasm, but it does! and women, who generally don't ejaculate, orgasm too! we're one of the few animals that has sex for fun. i imagine it's cause sex doesn't feel great for most animals. hell some species have developed barbed penises and corkscrew vaginas so to either make sure the sex happens, or that it doesn't. humans, on the other hand, have orgasms. especially women who can have multiple in a session. 

personally tho, i am a little squeemish about sex work. I wouldn't want my daughter doing it. and I can only imagine doing it if i were desperate for money. even then, I'd prefer to do cam work, or something more "anonymous". but i think that has much more to do with social stigmas, my conservative upbringing, and america's puritanical views on sex (breastfeeding is somehow sexual?), than with any actual adult reasoning.