Can't Touch This

After the tragedy of last week, and all of the ridiculousness that has followed, a palate cleansing story has come along.  It's been discovered that 3 time Olympic athlete, Suzy Favor-Hamilton has been leading a double life and working as a $600/hour escort.  How could the most decorated female athlete in NCAA track and field history end up as a prostitute?  Are you shocked?  Hurt?  Dismayed?  Disgusted?  Read on.

The country we live in is sick, and shows no signs of recovery.  I'm not talking about the economy, or the right-wing vs. left-wing debacle of our government.  I'm talking about our attitudes towards sex in general and specifically, towards women.  From a very early age, we are constantly reminded that sex is dirty, disgusting and wrong.  Since the Reagan era, there have been strong, and sometimes successful efforts to change sexual education classes in schools to abstinence only programs.  This is the partner to the "Just Say No" answer to drug abuse.  Ironically, the hypocrites that push such programs are often the same people that were sexual over-achievers at an early age.

Sex is natural and normal and can be something incredible.  It is also a choice.  Animals do not have a choice about reproduction.  When it's that time, it's that time.  People, however, can freely choose when, how and with whom, when it comes to reproduction.  We can even choose whether the act is for reproduction or just for practice.  And, contrary to popular belief, this is nothing new.  From paleolithic cave paintings to Egyptian scrolls, to Greek and Roman art, it's obvious that sex has been a very popular diversion for a very long time.

Cultures where sex is treated as normal and natural have much lower rates of sexually based crimes.  This includes rape and molestation.  These cultures also have fewer prostitutes, and often have legalized prostitution.  In the United States sex is twisted all out of shape.  Sex is only considered okay at certain times, in the right places, behind closed doors.  Sex is only acceptable if between a man and a woman (except most straight males will gladly watch two women).  And, sex is for marriage.

Yes, I know that everyone has sex before marriage these days.  What you may not know is, this hasn't changed.  Your parents probably had sex before marriage, your grandparents as well.  The only reason virgin at marriage was more common in the distant past is because a girl was considered eligible to marry after her first period.

All of these cultural restrictions on sex have created a multi-billion dollar sex industry.  From baby food to beer, advertisers use sex to sell their products.  Pornography and prostitution.  Sex toys and fetish clubs.  The more sex is repressed, the larger the market for all of these things.  Which leads us back to the subject of prostitution.

Prostitution has always been with us, and always will be.  With the exception of a few counties in Nevada and in some U.S. Territories, prostitution is illegal everywhere in the United States.  It's also very common.  Efforts to stop or reduce prostitution are expensive and unsuccessful.  Prostitutes themselves range from exploited children to very successful business persons.  Chances are someone you see on a semi-regular basis is a prostitute.  Could be your banker, your hairdresser, your kids teacher or the super-mom in the PTA.

Suzy Favor-Hamilton shouldn't have to apologize, or make amends for what she has done.  She did what she needed in order to cope with her life and her problems.  Although, technically illegal (very difficult to prosecute), there are no victims here.

If we can ever abolish the "sex is evil" mindset, prostitution will be legalized.  Which would go a long way towards stopping forced and exploitative prostitution, greatly increase government revenues and take away the necessity of women like Suzy Favor-Hamilton having to apologize for their actions.