Reply #114: Yes. I do.

[PDJane]

A call girl or two, a couple of street hookers, and a few strippers, and some male prostitutes, and a bunch of other seamy characters I don't admit to knowing in polite circles. That's a result of some of the places I've been and the jobs I've done, mostly as an interviewer for one reason or another.

And yes, I've heard them all talk about their exploits, and no, none of them would recommend the life of a sex worker as it is currently constructed.

I am also going to point out that there are people, quite apart from the dregs, who make use of the services of a prostitute on a regular basis for one reason or another, including the disabled or the socially handicapped and those who like the power aspect or who get a kick out of the seamy side of it.

My main reason for legalizing prostitution is to be able to put money into rehabilitation and teeth into the licensing process, including testing for std's, education about preventative strategies, and serious age limits with severe penalties for those who make a living from exploitation. The saddest and sorriest people I have ever come across are those who have been on the stroll since their 10th birthdays. And yes, those children have been addicted, as a rule, as an adjunct to sexual abuse. I don't shock easily, and don't have much outrage left, but the state of those children infuriates me.