Red Light Exposé

Elly Arrow and Sybil Jo discuss some controversial entries to the Eurovision Song Contest 2026: "Choke Me" by Alexandra Căpitănescu aestheticizes sexualized strangulation, "Superstar" features George O'Dowd aka Boy George who infamously assaulted and falsely imprisoned a man in escort prostitution, and finally, "Andromeda" by Lelek expresses the pain of Catholic Croat families having their boys and girls kidnapped and forced into military and sexual slavery by the Ottoman Empire - but unfortunately, said history is today often reinterpreted and instrumentalized by religious zealots and dangerous nationalist movements.

Sources:

"Choke Me" by Alexandra Căpitănescu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn0YmI0dPb8

About the "Choke Me" controversy: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/mar/13/romania-eurovision-song-choke-me-criticised-glamorising-sexual-strangulation

https://www.kemh.health.wa.gov.au/~/media/HSPs/NMHS/Hospitals/WNHS/Documents/Patients-resources/SARC---Non-fatal-strangulation.pdf 

Alexandra Căpitănescu says "Choke Me" is about her own depression and mental health struggles: https://youtube.com/shorts/r38KNvV0yUk?is=rY-kmZGQyUiGvTX7

"Superstar" by Senhit feat. Boy George: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84ZJdkqcaDw&list=RD84ZJdkqcaDw&start_radio=1

Boy George's criminal history: https://www.goodto.com/entertainment/why-did-boy-george-go-to-prison

"Andromeda" by Lelek: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vl7Jqnw10sU&list=RDvl7Jqnw10sU

Children in slavery in the Ottoman Empire: https://research.sabanciuniv.edu/id/eprint/42701/1/10336581.Bayraktaro%C4%9Flu_Bahar.pdf 

Evaluation of traditionally Croat or Bosnian tattoos by historian Ana Sekulic: https://newlinesmag.com/essays/the-origin-stories-of-bosnian-tattoos-are-only-skin-deep/ 

Outrage in Turkey over "Andromeda" song: https://en.euromix.co.il/2026/03/17/eurovision-2026-turkey-outraged-by-leleks-andromeda-lyrics/

"Gag Order" by Ke$ha: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk2Kkc2y8iU&list=PLCuCdnh8-13dVprHny3jdC-focV_1g5jh

"Alice" by Veronica Fusaro: https://youtu.be/PfpYGAzW5dM?si=tnxPhCgfcTY3vKsv

"Nova Zora" by Tamara Živković : https://youtu.be/nuvy2d60HbI?si=Rnh03oesdb50GEuW

"Tanzschein" by Cosmo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPGP9ZphxiY&list=RDzPGP9ZphxiY

Elly Arrow interviews Yagmur Uygarkizi about her years-long research into unethical medical trials conducted on sexually exploited women and girls in the Global South, the misogyny and neo-colonialism that enable such experimentation, and how it all ties into the Gates Foundation’s work on HIV and Bill Gates personal treatment of women in light of his infamous connection to Jeffrey Epstein.

Links

Yagmur Uygarkizi’s website: https://borazansesli.com/ 

“Prostituted Women Experimented on For Decades in USA-funded HIV Trials Overseas”: https://4w.pub/prostituted-women-experimented-on/ 

Epstein alleges that Gates got an STI while exploiting young Russian women: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/01/30/bill-gates-caught-std-from-russian-girls-epstein-claimed/ 

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Disclaimer:

All the information provided through Red Light Exposé is published in good faith and solely for general information and educational purposes. It is not in any way intended to serve as a substitute for professional advice. The views represented in this episode do not necessarily represent the views of other Red Light Exposé hosts or the group as a whole. Red Light Exposé makes no representations or warranties of any kind or in any form, whether express or implied, about the completeness, timeliness, reliability, availability, validity, suitability, and accuracy, or guarantee that there will be no losses, errors, and omissions with respect to the information or content contained in any episode.

Sybil Jo is joined by her life-long friend, Sister Pauletta Duke, to discuss their shared experience of being brought up in a U.S. Christian evangelical context, the damaging patriarchal hierarchies and mechanisms at play lending themselves to controlling and manipulating women and girls, including into (commercial) sexual exploitation, and how ideas and powerful individuals from within the fundamentalist movement heavily influence mainstream U.S. politics today.

Elly Arrow speaks to Kajsa Ekis Ekman about how the surrogacy industry turns women’s reproductive capacity, as well as infants, into commodities, subject to contractual conditions and market forces. They trace the history of surrogacy, explain its modern-day practices, its appearance in the Epstein case, exploring similarities and differences between surrogacy and prostitution, and finally elaborate on how resistance against these industries can be mounted.

Links

Kajsa Ekis Ekman’s website: https://www.kajsaekisekman.org/about

“Being and Being Bought: Prostitution, Surrogacy and the Split Self“: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18727849-being-and-being-bought 

Khloé Kardashian had a hard time connecting with her son after the 'transactional' nature of surrogacy: https://www.businessinsider.com/khloe-kardashian-surrogacy-tatum-relationship-2023-5 

Olivia Maurel, born from surrogacy, speaks out as an adult: https://www.instagram.com/maurel_oliviaoff/ 

Surrogacy continues during the Ukraine war: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyp4kp687go

Books on surrogacy by Renate Klein: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/38649.Renate_Klein

Casablanca Declaration for the Universal Abolition of Surrogacy: https://declaration-surrogacy-casablanca.org/

Follow us:

Facebook: ⁠@RedLightExposé⁠

⁠Instagram: @RLE.podcast

TikTok: ⁠@redlightexpose⁠

Twitter: ⁠@RedLightExpose

YouTube: @RedLightExpose

Disclaimer:

All the information provided through Red Light Exposé is published in good faith and solely for general information and educational purposes. It is not in any way intended to serve as a substitute for professional advice. The views represented in this episode do not necessarily represent the views of other Red Light Exposé hosts or the group as a whole. Red Light Exposé makes no representations or warranties of any kind or in any form, whether express or implied, about the completeness, timeliness, reliability, availability, validity, suitability, and accuracy, or guarantee that there will be no losses, errors, and omissions with respect to the information or content contained in any episode.

Sybil Jo and Elly Arrow discuss a Guardian opinion article by an anonymous 15-year-old girl reporting what she sees every day going on apps frequented by her peers, how boys her age talk about women and girls online and offline and what it means for the present and future of humanity.Sources:The article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/23/15-year-old-girl-misogyny-social-media-online-abuseGail Dines: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=gail+dines

Elly Arrow and Savannah Severn discuss a new trend in soft porn and sexualized humiliation of women: Men secretly filming and photographing women on their night out - a documented phenomenon in the UK, Japan, and South Korea. These videos are then shared online and increasingly monetized amassing audiences of millions of men. It seems a global "My Life Is Not Your Porn" movement is sorely needed.

Sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/mar/18/disturbing-rise-of-nightlife-content-bonnie-blue

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/mar/23/those-who-view-voyeuristic-nightlife-videos-are-the-issue

Merly Asbogard, Sybil Jo, and Elly Arrow return to the subject of substance use - joined by Caroline Pugh-Roberts and Izabella - this timeto discuss possible healing pathways, particularly for women and girls traumatized by men in commercial sexual exploitation.

Caroline Pugh-Roberts on Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/aliceded

Izabella's organization "Talita": https://en.talita.se/https://en.talita.se/

Andrea Heinz speaks with Tim Lennon, a clergy abuse survivor, author of Stand Up Speak Up, and a longtime leader within SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests). Together, they explore how patterns of institutional cover-up, denial, and protection of perpetrators within the Church echo the experiences of children and adults harmed in the commercial sexual exploitation industry, and how survivors across different forms of violence can organize, find solidarity, and push for change. 

Links

Tim Lennon’s website: standupspeakup.org 

Tim Lennon’s book “Stand Up, Speak Up: How Survivors Created A Movement To End Sexual Violence”: https://standupspeakup.org/stand-up-speak-up-the-book/ 

Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests: snapnetwork.org

Resources for survivors: snapnetwork.org/resources 

Bishop Accountability: bishopaccountability.org 

Follow us:

Facebook: ⁠@RedLightExposé⁠

⁠Instagram: @RLE.podcast

TikTok: ⁠@redlightexpose⁠

Twitter: ⁠@RedLightExpose

YouTube: @RedLightExpose

Disclaimer:

All the information provided through Red Light Exposé is published in good faith and solely for general information and educational purposes. It is not in any way intended to serve as a substitute for professional advice. The views represented in this episode do not necessarily represent the views of other Red Light Exposé hosts or the group as a whole. Red Light Exposé makes no representations or warranties of any kind or in any form, whether express or implied, about the completeness, timeliness, reliability, availability, validity, suitability, and accuracy, or guarantee that there will be no losses, errors, and omissions with respect to the information or content contained in any episode.

Elly Arrow and Sybil Jo discuss the increasing decriminalization of physician-assisted death and what it means for anyone who cares about traumatized, disabled and/or impoverished women and girls. They go over how concept of autonomy and even empowerment are used across the sexual and reproductive exploitation industries all the way to assisted death, and why these arguments fall flat for the vast majority of people in vastly unequal societies.Sources:"Don't Go Gentle: The Case Against Assisted Death" by Kathleen Stock: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/239517007-do-not-go-gentle"Better Off Dead" documentary film by Liz Carr: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001z8wcNot Dead Yet organization by disabled activists advocating against assisted suicide: https://notdeadyet.org/"Women And Assisted Death" podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2qCkHrvU7BEHbaBETjM6tL

Merly Asbogard, Sybil Jo and Elly Arrow turn again to the subject of drug use in the context of sexual exploitation, going over classes of drugs one by one, with a particular focus on the active role of pimps, sex buyers, drug dealers and other exploiters intentionally using substances and addiction to exert control over victims.

Sources:

"Cover Story: Power Trip" a podcast about drugs used to coerce women sexually: https://open.spotify.com/show/7dj2XnCMxGpK8W3tGWjiqw

Our episode called "How The Pelicot Case Connects to Sexual Exploitation" contains more on sleep/death f*tishes.

"The Auction" fanfiction about Hermoine Granger and other female characters from Harry Potter being sexually exploited: https://www.wattpad.com/1128678274-chapter-1

Series on the American opioid addiction called "Pain Killer" available on Netflix: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Painkiller_(TV_series)

Our episode on how men sexually coerce women struggeling with homelessness "How Men Like Neil Gaiman Use Sex-For-Rent To Exploit Women"

Sex Industry Kills project documenting homicide/femicide in prostitution: https://sexindustrykills.de

Our livestream with Caroline Pugh-Roberts "Epstein And All Like Him: Monsters In Suits"

Our episode about UBI "How Universal Basic Income Reduces Sexual Exploitation" with Dr. Stacia West and Dr. Karl Widerquist

"A-Team" by Ed Sheeran: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAWcs5H-qgQ