Bavardess: I think a big part of the problem is that patriarchy makes all the rules, offers limited choices, and puts feminists in a no-win situation. The sex industry seems to be an issue which nearly always sets feminists against each other and forces them into unlikely alliances with anti-feminists. Insist that there’s nothing wrong with sex and stand up for women’s freedom to sell their bodies if they want to and you’re inadvertantly encouraging capitalist exploitation. Oppose the abuse and exploitation of female sex workers and you’re inadvertantly encouraging conservatives who hate sex and don’t want women to have any freedom. Either way, patriarchy wins.

A good (or bad) example is the current debate in the UK over changes in the law on prostitution. We’ve been offered a choice between keeping things exactly the same as before; making small changes which will make things slightly better for some women, but which might have unintended side effects that make things worse for other women; or some compromise between the two. What we really need is a more radical change that makes things much better for everyone. It shouldn’t be that hard.

I consider myself a sex-positive feminist, but I think the mainstreaming of stripper culture has been a big step backwards and is part of an anti-feminist backlash that cons young women into believing they’re liberating themselves by turning themselves into disposable (and therefore low value) commodities. But moves like increasing censorship, shutting down clubs and making prostitution illegal are not the answer. They’re just another expression of patriarchal culture that treats all women as either helpless victims or dangerous sluts, and either way, as not capable of full human autonomy. I agree with Carol Leigh’s stance that poverty, access to education and other structural issues need to be addressed before anyone can really talk about full consent or free choice in this context.