Posted on by Nathan Riley

What an Organizer Might Do

As we search for an enterprising person to get the Freedom Democrats started, imagine what their job would be.

Already, with a readership of less than 200 persons, legalize.blog has been banned from X. When I try to use it, this message appears: “SUSPICIOUS LOGIN PREVENTED. We blocked an attempt to access your account because we weren’t sure it was really you.” Controversy is a tried-and-true way to gain attention and attract interested people.

But the most obvious task of the organizer of Freedom Democrats is finding the sex workers, porn stars, and drug users who like the idea and want to lend their support to its development. The key selling point is that people in the “life” are organizing and asking their fellow citizens to vote.

The obvious objective is to expand until we can affect elections and offer public leaders support and comfort if they adopt our ideas.

This initial effort doesn’t have to be rigid. It might work best to have the first group of invitees to act as hosts with the purpose of setting up a more permanent group of supporters. The organizer would lead a discussion of the best structure. Are we talking about directors or a list of prominent supporters? Shepherding these choices is one obvious task for the organizer.

Another chicken-and-the-egg issue is using the initial supporters to raise money.

The organizer must also work with lawyers to devise a structure that is simultaneously decentralized, democratic, and coherent. Using the weekly party format for organizing local groups is an excellent way to get started. This project, I think but do not know, would involve tricky legal questions. For example, should the party permit alcoholic drinks? Does that mean young people can’t come? Does that mean the organization can be sued for, for example, a drunk driving incident?

All of these questions give the organizer a chance to acquire specialized knowledge and meet thoughtful and creative people. This is a job that will help build a person’s reputation, even if the person already has years of organizing experience.

Drawing up a preliminary budget and scoping out the legal issues might well be an initial task. The people who are in the “life” will want to read a thoughtful proposal before lending their support. In turn, the reputation of the people we recruit will create access to initial donors. It’s another example of the chicken-and-egg dilemmas that the organizer will confront.

I am searching for a person who wants to be on the ground floor of this project. Contact Nathan Riley at legalize.blog

Posted on by Nathan Riley

Legalize Sex Work So Sex Workers Can Become Citizens

If sex work is legal:

* Sex workers could file rape charges against violent Johns.

* Sex workers could accuse angry and intimidating Johns of witness tampering if temper tantrums prevent calls to police for help

* Sex workers could insist on condoms unless other arrangements are clearly specified. Taking condoms off during sex without permission is a legal offense in many states.

* Sex workers could keep records that help identify clients who might cause them harm.

* Johns can file robbery, extortion and blackmail charges if sex workers hold up Johns for extra money.

In other words, making sex work legal gives sex workers their rights as citizens and offers them the protection of the law.

This is a good thing, and it will curb abuse. It dramatically changes the relationship between police and sex workers. Rather than perps facing arrests, sex workers become citizens with rights the police are obligated to protect.

Across the globe, nations have decades of experience with legalization. The Netherlands is world-famous for the protections it offers sex workers and their clients. In parts of Australia and all of New Zealand, sex work became legal at the start of this century, and it persists; even if problems crop up, they are confronted, but the legality of sex work continues. If the United States gives sex workers their civil rights, it will not be inventing the wheel.

In the United States, legal protection of sex workers is a life-or-death matter. In recent years, on what feels like a weekly basis, transgender persons are murdered, even if they are not sex workers. Legalizing sex work is one step towards ending these ghastly killings. Republican attacks on trans persons only heighten the tension and perhaps offer excuses to murderers.

New York State is often dangerous to sex work. The Gilgo Beach serial killings started in the early 1990s and may total eleven victims. The exact number may never be known. Wikipedia reports “many of the victims’ remains were found over a period of months in 2010 and 2011” after the arrest of a Suffolk County police chief led to new policies. The repetitious killings were discovered when a woman disappeared after making frantic phone call to 911. DNA evidence and witness statements led to an arrest. Rex A. Heuermann was arrested in July 2023 and charged with the murders of six women. As of October 15, 2024 Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

One victim worked at a motel. Many of the victims were very petite, Maureen Brainard-Barnes was 4 ft 11 in (1.50 m) tall and 105 pounds (48 kg).[7] Brainard-Barnes left behind a 7-year-old daughter, another victim was a mother and telemarketer who faced foreclosure on her mortgage, another mom had a boyfriend living off her earnings, and an Asian trans person was also a victim.

After making a date, friends of a heroin user gave police tips that led to the identification of the suspect and his vehicle.

Rather than the common practice of labeling sex workers as drug addicts and losers, many of these women were working at low paying jobs, who had to supplement their income. They weren’t losers; like many of us, they were working at wages that required a second income.

Clients of sex workers are often overweight and worried about rejection. This is especially true if their sexual preferences are for good-looking people. Senior citizens are regular clients, especially those who like younger adults. Workers whose families live in foreign countries are another group of clients, and then of course there are people with money to spare, who just want to get off. Customers of sex workers are regular people, so are sex workers.

The shame and stigma attached to sex work is unjustified. In a free society, people should control their bodies and that includes renting them for sex work.

Freedom Democrats offers sex workers, clients, LGBTQ+ persons, drug users, porn watchers and performers, college graduates, and people without high school diplomas time to socialize, work jointly on important projects, and get to know each other without feeling compelled to hide important parts of their lives. In this way, the weekly parties offered by Freedom Democrats undermines stigma and promotes the dignity of each person.