In recent years, sex workers’ rights activists have aligned themselves with the LGBTQ+ movement under the guise of fighting for equality and social justice. However, their efforts to decriminalize prostitution and leniency towards individuals soliciting sex from minors have raised concerns about the well-being of vulnerable members of society, especially children.
In California, LGBTQ+ activists successfully opposed increased penalties for adults soliciting sex from prostituted children, arguing that harsher punishments would disproportionately impact marginalized communities within the LGBTQ+ community. They claimed that LGBTQ+ individuals are more likely to be charged with sex offenses and face biases within the criminal justice system, making harsh penalties unfair.
Despite efforts to protect children from exploitation, the bill proposing increased penalties for soliciting sex from minors was significantly weakened by amendments made in response to LGBTQ+ activists’ concerns. The revised bill now allows for soliciting children aged 16-17 to be charged as a felony only when they are proven to be victims of sex trafficking and gives judges discretion to determine charges for those soliciting children 15 and under.
Critics argue that framing child solicitation as a sexual identity issue rather than a crime is harmful and enables abusers. The movement’s focus on protecting the rights of gay and trans-identified individuals at the expense of vulnerable children is seen as misguided and dangerous. There is a call to reframe the debate around prostitution within the LGBTQ+ movement and society to prioritize the protection of women and children over the interests of perpetrators.
The article concludes by highlighting the need to separate the LGBTQ+ movement from harmful prostitution advocacy and prioritize the safety and well-being of all individuals, especially children. The advocacy for decriminalization of prostitution and leniency towards individuals soliciting sex from minors in the name of LGBTQ+ rights is denounced as child abuse apologism that must be countered.
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