Does Portland have a reputation as one of the leading “sin cities” in the US?  If so, is the reputation deserved?  What’s the basis for it? Yes, and this is based on the large number of strip clubs and the very open frame of mind that prevails here on this subject. Do we want it this way?  Yes, it seems that we do…

 How does the sex industry fit in Portland’s economy?  Do we have a realistic view of it? We quoted Amory Jane in Episode 4 but it’s worth repeating:

 

Has the industry seen changes in how it operates in the internet/social media world, and are there new features and practices that we need to understand in order to protect ourselves and our families?

 

Are we dealing with this industry in a constructive way?  What could we do differently to improve how we approach it?  Would it be a good idea to make prostitution legal? 

 Do we have organizations that effectively support sex workers who’ve been victims of the industry or women who are trying to escape “the life?”

 No, this seems to be a problem.  One organization, shut down while we were working on this story.

Should we be concerned about sex trafficking here?  And is there a connection between Portland’s “sanctuary city” policy and sex trafficking? 

Trafficking is a scary thing and it deserves the legal attention that it gets.  But we should not let it distract us from the larger issue:

 

And there seems to be no connection beween sex trafficking and illegal immigration, none….

 What else?  How do we leave this?

 Some closing thoughts: 

 

Prostitution may be the oldest profession in the world. Whether it is or not, and for whatever reason, it doesn’t seem to be going away…It fact, it may be taking new forms and actually growing.  Maybe we need to rethink how we deal with it, even how we see it.

 

Maybe Agent Biehn of the FBI is not quite down with the times.  Maybe we should be able to buy sexual satisfaction, if we want it…

           

Is there progress?  Quote from PDX police interview:  So, how you doin’?  You makin’ progress?...We sure hope so….

 

             And the FBI point about getting these people jobs:  yes, we like the idea, but good luck with that…!

 Lack of data about the industry is much more than just an academic knowledge gap.  The lack of data makes it impossible to know, not only where we are, but where we’re going…

 Different definitions of the word “trafficking” lead to conflict and misunderstanding.  And, by some definition, we are all traffickers.

 Is it good that we have shifted the focus of enforcement to arresting the users?  Where does that leave us?  Can we compare the enforcement of crimes in the sex industry to “the war on drugs?”   Do we want to see it that way?  Where has that war on drugs gotten us anyway? 

 And, what’s the difference between the sexual exploitation of women (or men) in the movie industry, or in the White House, in what is called “quid pro quo sexual harassment” and sexual exploitation in prostitution, porn and stripping?  It’s all on the same spectrum, no?

At the end of the day, the sex industry is made up of…people.  Buyers, sellers, users, dealers---in the final analysis they’re all just people.  They may be family, friends, neighbors, associates, people we may not know but see on the streets…but they are, at the end of the day, people…like us…

 And a final note: we’ve seen so many changes in our economy and culture.  They’ve been coming fast, and each one tops the last in its power and impact.  But…standby:  the sale of sex is an industry and it’s on the verge of changes that will collapse the last thousand years into a generation…Get ready for the …………… The next phase of reality may be more virtualthan it is… virtuous….

And we still want 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.  If you have a comment or question about the series or about the sex trade, we’d like to hear it.  Call the KBOO Newsroom at 503-231-8032 ext. 202 and we’ll hear you out and put you on the air.