The Avia legislation. Dangerous, dreaded, self-proclaimed hate-fighting seemingly ethical decree.
Bullshit.
As expected, our government carries on its path of mass destruction through all its usual stratagems : hypocrisy, and manipulation. Seriously ? Is this really what we deserve ?
I don’t think so. Because I bear the creed that our lives are actually worth something.
And even though I don’t doubt that you feel the same way I do, I’m convinced our present government keeps treading on this belief.
SO, what if I shared my thoughts on this dangerous, precarity-inducing law ? Come on, just a few harmless whore’s thoughts. It’ll be fun, you see. Or at least, it’ll be interesting.
Let’s go.
The Avia law, carrying on the legacy of the SESTA/FOSTA legislations in the US (which actually puts our overseas colleagues in a bit of a pickle), will go through legislation commission on january 21 2020, and through the last right of passage by the senate on January 30 2020.
What even is the purpose of this law ? It claims to enable social networks, collaborative platforms and search engines to delete content perceived as « heinous » under 24 hours of them being posted.
What a good idea, right ? No more online hate ! Isn’t that what we’re all looking for, abolition of hate ? I know i’m in !
That being said, i’ve (surprisingly so) never trusted the oligarchy, and digging into the legislation content, it becomes obvious that what falls under their definition of « hate » actually is « all sorts of illicit content ». And this is where many questions start to emerge, stemming off the lack of trust years of daily governmental abuse planted in my brain.
What are these questions ? What are the problems I see arising clear as day ?
First off, the width of its application. Who is it going to reach ? WHat is it going to reach ? WHat is hate (if not the government)? what’s illicit in their book ?
As it turns out, a big part of my work is. Because even if being a sex worker isn’t technically illegal in France, being a client is, as well as procurement.
I don’t know if you get how ridiculous and appaling the procurement legislation currently is, so i’m going to sum it up for you real quick.
- Any person giving advice to another about how to get started in sex work will be considered as a procurer, or mackerel. Because let’s be honest, leaving people make their way into such a line of work without guidance is the safest idea out there.
- Any platform, website, structure, allowing sex workers to do their job will be considered as a procurer. Do you see my point, or need I go on ? Because if you actually need more words to see where this is going, just realize that your adult son, and/or your lovely roommate, or basically anyone living under the same roof as you while you practice sex work, is allegedly guilty. Makes perfect sense, doesnt it.
You basically need to watch out, because even breathing the same air as a prostitute might juste be enough to put you in jail on grounds of procurement. Really, you ought to watch out. We are hidden in plain sight, we are everywhere, guess what ? We sometimes even make contact with actual humans.
Are we someday going to be able to sue street corners for procurement ? I mean come on… their egotism and stupidity will get the better of me sometime.
Anyhow, let’s go back to our beloved legislation, without a doubt fathered by open, loving hearts who care about human dignity, acknowledges sex work as … well, something illicit and hainous.
What’s really going on, if we give it some thought ? Well what’s going on is, justice is going to be passed on from humans (most of them already incompetent, kudos to all unsolved murders and rape cases…) to man-made algorithms.
Splendid.
That means justice, which is kind of supposed to be a right, is bound to go through a process of deshumanization, I mean actual virtualization. We won’t be judged by a professionnal human being, but by ones and zeros. By any chance, isn’t common sense being spit on at the moment ??
Virtual justice, really ? Can we even call it justice ! The one we have is already busted, but virtualize it and it makes me wonder what is left. It’s simple : our websites will be closed, our protest accounts will be deleted, our voices will be maimed, our fight will be rendered invisible, and the stigma we fight against DAILY will grow stronger.
Great, that’s exactly what we needed. Government aimed for the heart, as it always does. No surprises though, it’s been genocidal to our species for quite some time.
What ? No, I meant our human species, not hookers. But I’m not done.
Once our online existence is eradicated, guess where we’ll have to take our work ?
Out on the streets, obviously. And precarious ones first in the line of fire. Personally speaking, i know i’m bound to see my independence completely fall apart, and be obligated to work the streets or another structure. My dream.
It deserves pointing out that even though this legislation claims to be vehemently against proxenetism, it’ll actually serve the opposite purpose and make the latter grow even stronger.
Well duh, if you nip my independence in the bud, I won’t have an independence anymore. Let’s name names. You really couldn’t figure that one out ? I won’t even begin speaking about your heart, i’m no shittologist.
Let’s not be hasty finding blame though ! Maybe i’ll be one of the lucky few who’ll slip through the cracks of rotten-hearted peer denouncement … Oh, lucky me, really. What do you think or less respectful clients will then put us through ?
Blackmail. Harassment. Threats. « If you don’t drop thoses prices, i’ll have your website reported and deleted ».
Today we can afford to laugh in their faces, since they’re the ones currently facing prosecution. But the tables are about to turn…
Because this law enables the worst of them to gain control over us. And it doesn’t take a lot of logical thinking to conclude to one simple fact : this legislation will increase the number of rapes in our community.
Well yeah : less clients, a wild mixture of pressure, threats and blackmail spiked with precariousness.
Equals rape.
Well done government, well done abolitionists. I used to manage getting by through the existing legislations, with my cis white male privileges. But now, I can actually see the infamous dissociation striding towards me.
Congrats. You just built a new rape bingo. Are you proud of yourselves ? I’ll bet your soul isn’t. We can’t thank you, we really can’t.
I won’t thank you, my body won’t thank you, my mental health won’t thank you, my colleagues won’t thank you, anyone remotely targeted by this law won’t thank you, our evergrowing community of allies won’t thank you.
Because we all know this by now : your hate-repressing law is actually hate fuel.
I’ve been standing by this opinion for a while, but let me speak it out loud and clear, you despicable government : even though i’ve been suffering through your power for a while, I’ve given up on your righteousness long, long ago.
No to the AVIA legislation, your appalling, shitty law, treading upon our dignity and imapling it with a rapist flag, disguised as hate-repression…
I wish i could tell you that you’re nothing but manure. But manure actually makes flowers grow.
Please sign this petition, so that solidarity towards sex workers can speak louder than this despicable law,
And share this article on as many social networks as possible.
We won’t let this go.
Thanks to Yam's for the translation.
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