The Women’s Resource Center hosted the first Sex Worker Debate, an open discussion about legislation regarding sex workers.
This event happened 7 p.m. Jan. 26 in Baldwin Hall 262. The goal of the event was to educate Truman State students about issues relating to sex workers and have an open exchange of ideas regarding this topic.
Junior Maggie Mortensen, WRC Diversity Committee Chair, says the event consisted of a presentation of facts regarding sex workers, an open discussion among participants and a viewing of clips from documentaries about sex workers.
WRC Director senior Danielle Fritz says a primary focus of the debate was whether or not sex work should be legalized in the U.S. and a discussion of the pros and cons of legalizing sex work.
Title IX Coordinator Jamie Ball says this is an interesting discussion because while sex work is not always thought of as a feminist issue, some argue women should have the right to do what they want with their bodies even when it comes to sex work. She says this will be part of the discussion at the event.
“It’s an interesting debate because a lot of people assume that there is nothing to be gained by exploring legalization of prostitution,” Ball says. “We’re going to dig into further questions like ‘What does feminism mean, and does it mean having this freedom?’ These are deep and complicated questions, but they are worth exploring.”