MASTER SCRIPT:  Sex4Sale

 Introduction: SERIES OVERVIEW--- INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

 MUSIC:  INTRO ONE

 So you think you know about sex…about the business of sex here in Portland…?  Do you think the sex business is big here in our city?  We mean big for a city of this size, and big compared to other places in the US… This question is surprisingly easy to answer…

 Do you understand the boundaries between what’s legal and what’s not? Do you think that we have the right laws, and that the people enforcing them are doing a good job?   We know some things that may surprise you….

 Do you think that prostitution is harmful to women? …maybe  to society in general?  Or can it be an economic opportunity for some women? We’ll challenge your views, whatever they are…

 

And what about porn? Is that a bad thing?  Do you have data to support your views?  Could porn be “ethical” and “pro-feminist?”

 

How about issues of race and transgender identity?  Are people in those “categories” affected differently in this industry?

 And at the end of the day, where do you think we’re going with the business of sex?  Is the future just like the past… only longer…or will it be…different?  We have an answer for that question that may surprise you…

 So hang on, listen up, here’s KBOO’s ten-part series about the sex industry in Portland, Oregon 2017 and beyond…

 MUSIC:  INTRO TWO

 We’ll try to present five perspectives on the business of sex:

1. The people of Portland, whom you’ll hear in our second and third eisodes, have a lot to say about how the sex business is happening here.
2. The regulators and law enforcers: the FBI, US Dept. of Justice and the Portland Police Bureau. 
3. Industry experts; three Phd.’s who give an academic view, from economic and sociologic perspectives, on prostitution and porn.
4. Social service providers: the non-profits and other entities that try to help people in the industry.
5. Sex workers:those who are employed in this industry in various ways here in Portland, from porn filmmaker to sex toy educator to stripper.

These are the voices you’ll hear, from time to time:

 Commissioner Brad Avakian, Bureau of Labor and Industry works with “real people”who are employers and employees.

• Scott Kerrin, Assistant US Attorney, US Attorney’s Office, puts traffickers and other types of sex criminals behind bars.
• Agent Denise Biehn, Federal Bureau of Investigation, speaks of the subjugation of women in the business of sex.
• Portland Police Bureau Officer Chris Lindsey and Undercover Agent A, on the front lines of enforcement, talk about getting women out of “the life.”
• Catherine Hawkin, author of the recent article, The Economics of Desire, talks about the sex trade moving on-line.
• Marina Della Giusta, an economist who has written extensively on the sex trade and trafficking, brings up the imbalance of power that’s way bigger than the sex business.
• Shira Tarrant, writer and professor on porn, tells us we need more discussion on the subject…
• Crystal Kordowski and Annalisa Davis of Rahab’s Sisters point out how women shift from being victims to becoming problems….
• Emma Christenson and Gwen Kaliszewsk, from YES, Youth Ending Slavery, contend that slavery continues, even now, and ask, How many slaves do you own?
• Honey LaFleur is a performance artist here in Portland, not a stripper.
• Amory Jane, sex toy specialist and sex educator at SheBop, sees herself as a “shame smasher.”
• Lilly Campbell, soft-spoken porn film producer who makes feminist porn here in Portland and tries to depict what she calls “authentic female sexuality.”
• Red Reid, escort and activist, speaking with her friend Fauna, a stripper, points out how, according to local law enforcement, all of us may be “trafficking” in what we thought were normal business dealings.

 You’ll hear these voices throughout this series. We hope you come to understand the different perspectives they bring and the common ground on which we all stand.

MUSIC BRIDGE

There’s no single theme for this work.  As the series evolves, here are the key issues we see:

• Is Portland a hub of sex trafficking and the industry in the Pacific Northwest, as some claimed a few years ago?
• Are lower income folks and people of color affected more adversely, or just differently, than other sectors of our society, in this business?
• How is the sex industry changing in relation to internet, social media and other aspects of our communications culture? What does the future hold for sex trade?
• Are there gaps and flaws in how we address sex industry issues? Should we be thinking about changes in laws and regulations?

 Our subject is the sex industry but our focus is on the people who are in this industry and those directly affected by it.  Who are they, where are they, do we see them every day?...do we know them?  So… in the next two episodes KBOO goes to the street to ask people in Portland what they think of this industry---how they define it and whether they feel its impact and relevance in their own lives.

 And finally, we offer this “family advisory.”  There may be some things you don’t want your children to hear---like how cruel reality is----and the discussion of prostitution, if you don’t think this is appropriate for children---if so, take action and keep them out of range, catch the series on our web site, KBOO DOT FM, rather than on the car radio on the drive home---

  We want to tell you from the start:  we’re not advocating any position relative to this industry. We are trying to shed light on businesses that, legal or illegal, seem to have a big impact on the life of our community.  Some of KBOO’s listeners work in this industry.  Whether we like it or not, the sex industry is rooted in our culture, it’s here to stay and, in fact, it’s growing…

 MUSIC:  OUTRO

 And we’d like your feedback. At the end of this series we’ll do a full episode in which you get to speak your mind on this subject.  Call the KBOO Newsroom at 503-231-8187  and we’ll  hear you out and put you on the air.

 MUSIC: FINISH (under the final sentence)

 So, there’ll be a lot to chew on.  Listen to the next episode, when we try to estimate the size and impact of the sex industry in Portland, and we interview people on the street about it.

 

MUSIC: END