UK Sex Sells News

MSPs are poised to pass nasty law reforms defined by the Criminal Justice and Licensing Bill.

The legislation brings in a number of new criminal offences, including specific action to tackle stalking, people forced into slavery or servitude and possession of extreme pornography .

The bill also aims to  widen the powers of licensing boards and standards officers.

MSPs will also vote on an amendment brought forward by SNP backbencher Sandra White MSP on greater restrictions for lap dancing clubs.

Broxbourne Council has banned limo companies from organising striptease, lap dancing and even pole dancing.

Traditionally stretch limousines are hired out for special events including weddings, funerals, anniversaries and birthdays.

However, until now they have operated outside the licensing system imposed on taxis and minicabs in the borough and the council has decided it is time the limos are controlled as well.

At a planning and licensing committee it was decided that from now on special event private hire operators and drivers will be licensed from August 1.

The conditions of the license stipulate:

The following activities are prohibited in the vehicle – striptease, lap dancing, pole dancing and any activity or performance of a like kind.

The licensee or driver shall not knowingly permit any visual recording to be played that is unsuitable having regard to the age of the passengers being conveyed.

Where alcohol is supplied in the vehicle, no person under the age of 18 years shall be allowed to consumer alcohol. Any alcohol supplied shall be in non-breakable containers. Alcohol shall only be served while the vehicle is stationary and at all other times bottles are stowed in a secure fixture.

The report says the trade is generally accepting of the new system of regulation as it will provide customers with improved confidence if the vehicles and drivers are brought into a licensing regime.

Owners of lap dancing clubs are threatening to sue an MSP and a women's rights campaigner for branding dancers prostitutes .

They've called in lawyers following remarks made by SNP's Sandra White and Ann Hamilton, of the council-funded Glasgow Community and Safety Services group.

Club bosses and dancers are furious at what they regard as, slanderous and unsubstantiated, comments.

Sandra White has tabled an amendment to the Bill seeking greater powers to curb the number of clubs and force them to apply for new, stricter licences. Her aim is to shut the clubs, which she claims lead to prostitution.

But club owners and dancers claim the, so-called evidence, given to MSPs is based on rumour and hearsay, and politicians are being misled.

The legal threat is contained in a letter to Ms White and Ms Hamilton from the new Association of Scottish Adult Licensed Entertainment Venues. It states: The Association is extremely concerned over comments attributed to you in the media and the web to the effect that adult entertainment venues in Glasgow provide sexual services and that staff working within the premises are engaged in prostitution.

These reckless and irresponsible comments are entirely without foundation and as such are both defamatory and actionable.

The association has called for the women to withdraw their comments. Club bosses have sent letters to all MSPs. The dancers have also sent letters to the politicians in a bid to block the amendment to the Bill.

White said she believed dancers did use the clubs for more than lap dancing, but admitted most of her evidence was based on other people's comments and reports from women's support groups. The MSP, who has visited lap dancing clubs, said: There's not enough punters sitting in just to see the lap dancing. Other people have said, and there is research regarding the fact that some of the people that are in these clubs do revert to prostitution to earn extra money. I think a lot of guys expect it as well.

Ann Hamilton also said her evidence was based on the views of others: It's been very much from women that have talked about their involvement ... and men who have said they have bought sex in lap dancing clubs.

Update: Letter from Dancers

1st July 2010. From  news.scotsman.com

In a separate letter, a group of lap dancers told MSPs: We choose lap dancing as a means of sustaining and improving our quality of life.

Sandra White and do- gooders have branded us as 'prostitutes, exploited, vulnerable, slappers' and our dancing in our clubs as 'demeaning' to women in general. We are anything but. The majority of us are well-educated women who train hard for our dance art.

Some of us work full-time and others part-time in what we regard as a safe, secure, friendly, clean and well-paid environment.

Miserable Brighton and Hove City Council is looking to introduce strict quotas to ban any more sex shops and lap dancing clubs within the city's boundaries.

City bosses believe the new powers will give local moralists a greater say in restricting adult businesses.

But critics have warned the review could signal the end for Brighton and Hove being a cheeky tourist destination .

A council report, which will be discussed by the council's licensing committee, recommends lap dancing clubs should be upgraded from public entertainment centres to the same category as sex shops. It states no more than the three current lap dancing clubs should be allowed in the city.

The plans also set maximum appropriate numbers set for sex shops, which includes two in St James's Street, two near Brighton station and one in Hove. Officers state there should be no more anywhere else in the city.

Luminar Leisure, which operates Tru and Oceana nightclubs, has raised fears with the council about whether any new legislation will affect its podium dancers. Burlesque dancers and some Fringe acts could also be affected.

Denise Cobb, chairthing of the council's licensing committee, said: We welcome the new legislation which will give us tighter controls to limit the number and location of lap dancing clubs. We are currently consulting on a draft policy to cover lap dancing clubs and people are welcome to give us their view to help shape this. The consultation period runs until the end of August.

A showgirl turned scholar is taking on the Scottish Government over new moves to ban lapdancing. Former dancer Sarah Vernon, 34, has just finished work on a PhD in striptease and strip club culture. She is using her expertise to campaign against the bid to allow councils to outlaw strip clubs.

She said a ban would infringe performers' human rights and damage Scotland's economy. Vernon, who runs an Edinburgh-based company specialising in burlesque and cabaret, said: I was a dancer for many years. I'm a big advocate of freedom within adult entertainment. Under human rights laws, if everyone is consenting, you have a right to dance around naked because that's your freedom of expression.

Vernon said there had been no long-term study in the UK which backed up the critics' claims that women were harmed by working as lapdancers.

MSPs are due to debate the issue later this month after Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill promised to table an amendment at the final stage of the Criminal Justice and Licensing Bill, based on proposals from Glasgow SNP nutter Sandra White.

The Edinburgh-based Zero Tolerance Trust backed the call, arguing lapdance clubs are harmful to women individually, women collectively, and communities .

Ms Vernon said she understood Zero Tolerance's position, but claimed it did not look at the issue logically: The bottom line is some people don't like other people doing this for a living. They find it distasteful and they do not see it as a valid form of labour. The Zero Tolerance people think we are reinforcing patriarchy, permitting ourselves to be exploited and allowing the degradation of women. It's quite insulting to be told 'you might think you are choosing but you are not really'.

In a submission she wrote on behalf of the International Union of Sex Workers, Ms Vernon describes the proposed amendment as a form of censorship that does not fit with the image of Scotland as a modern, tolerant and diverse society: And she warns: Demand for this form of entertainment will not disappear. Closure of current adult entertainment venues will drive the practice into unlicensed venues, hotel rooms and domestic premises, greatly increasing the risk to dancers' safety.

A new report by Amnesty International (and amongst others, nutters from Poppy) has revealed that no one has ever been convicted for human trafficking in Scotland, despite dozens of arrests of people in connection with prostitution.

Two years ago, 35 people were arrested during raids in which 15 suspected trafficked women were discovered. However, the report, Wrong Kind Of Victim? , says: Of the 35 who were arrested, 18 were convicted but for offences related to immigration or prostitution. [Presumably because they weren't actually being coerced, but were working consensually and had taken liberties with prostitution law and immigration procedures]

The rather selective human rights organisation has now called for closer examination of the reasons behind Scotland's failure to secure any trafficking convictions. Amnesty's Scotland programme director, John Watson, said more than 100 people were convicted of trafficking in England and Wales.

The UK-wide report said measures to protect victims of people smuggling are not fit for purpose and accused the British Government of breaching its obligations under European law to protect trafficked people and uphold minimum standards of care.

The report recommends that information-sharing protocols between the UK's police and law enforcement agencies be developed to improve the likelihood of securing convictions of traffickers in Scotland. And the Scottish Government should establish protocols with the UK Government to collect and publish data on the extent of human trafficking north of the border.

The organisation also called for the provision of safe accommodation and support for trafficked people across Scotland.

The Labour Government should have taken more notice of nutter concern about the proliferation of lap-dancing clubs and betting shops in high streets, Ed Miliband has said.

Miliband is running for the Labour leadership, said he would want residents who had concerns over the clubs to have more power to challenge them.

Speaking to The Sunday Telegraph he said: People have views about their town centres and whether it should be the lap-dancing club followed by the betting shop, followed by the late-night bar. Local communities. For too long, the character of local communities has been changed. Social democrats do want to conserve some things. We weren't willing enough to say so.

The MP was asked whether he would change the law to enable citizens to ban unwanted businesses. Miliband replied: Yes. People don't think the market should run riot in their communities. 

The number of lap-dancing clubs had increased from 24 to 300 since 1997,

Plans for a lap dancing club on the River Taff have been rejected by Cardiff Council supposedly on public safety grounds.

The HMS 69 would have taken private parties of 30 customers on 3 hour trips up and down the Taff and Ely with strippers.

The boat has operated since June 2008 as a party boat for stag, hen do's and birthdays, but owner Martin Driscoll said customers wanted the option of lap dancing.

He said: I'm disappointed with the decision, as the people of South Wales had been asking for this. We've had over 7,000 customers since we launched and of those 75 per cent have been women and they were the ones who were asking for strippers. They wanted a bit of flesh on their hen nights.

We take our security obligations very seriously, we have four CCTV cameras onboard and two security guards, plus four other staff members.

Parties would have to shell out £1,200 for the boat ride, and strippers, and  Driscoll thinks it's a growing market.

I'm a Cardiff boy, born and bred in Grangetown, he says but I went off to Thailand and Australia saw what they did there with party boats and thought there would be a big demand for it in Cardiff. I've been proved right with how popular we are.

South Wales Police objected to the application and at the licensing committee they raised concerns over public safety and how any incidents would be controlled on the boat.

Tony Bowley, licensing officer, said: We are pleased with this sensible decision and we will continue to object to all inappropriate applications where crime and disorder is an issue and public safety is put at risk.

Chair of licensing committee, Ed Bridges, claimed: We were worried about the size of the premises, being too small, and issues of crime and disorder. In the interest of the public we thought it better to reject the application.

City centre lap dancing club, For Your Eyes Only, objected to the application.

Swansea planners are expected to give the green light to a nightclub, paving the way for a supposedly controversial lap dancing club.

Planning chiefs have recommended approving proposals for the change of use of existing ground-floor units and a residential first-floor into a nightclub on The Strand.

A license for the premise to be used as a lap dancing bar was given the green light in July last year. The licensing committee said it had no option but to approve the application because no objections had been raised.

Seven Leisure (Swansea) consultant Roger Dean, who submitted the application, confirmed to the Post in January that once building work at the site is complete, the firm planned to grant a lease to adult entertainment group Fantasy Lounge.

One objection was received from the Swansea Domestic Abuse Forum, a group which aims to oversee the Domestic Abuse Strategy which was launched on March 3. The 35 forum members includes strategic and voluntary agencies, including police, education, health, women aid groups and black minority groups.

Domestic abuse co-ordinator for Swansea Council Ali Morris said members were gobsmacked when she informed them about the proposed club last year: We are not a happy group, she said. We feel it would put extra pressure on a lot of services in Swansea.

The forum also believes allowing a lap-dancing club in the city goes against the Domestic Abuse Strategy which was ratified by the council. We have already emailed (council leader) Chris Holley a number of times with our concerns. I do think a lot of people are unaware of this happening and I think once people realise the scale of the building they will understand. It will be your sisters and your daughters who will be going to work there.

A Houston inventor whose medical device turns out to have more market value as an adult sex toy was in federal court fighting against what he claims are sex toy knockoffs.

Our business took a major detour when men started using our prostate massager for recreational purposes, said Amy Sung, executive director of High Island Health.

The product in question is called a Pro-State massager on the company's medical website, which features a happy-looking, fully dressed middle-aged couple and promises better health. Massager starter kits start out at $78.50.

The massager is also called Aneros on the company's adult novelty website, which features younger naked people and promises great orgasms. That starter kit goes for $49.95 with the slogans: The sex toy that's good for you.

Takashima and High Island have sued British company Libertybelle Marketing, also known as Pleasure2Me, and others claiming infringement of the 1998 patent of the plastic massager designed to massage a man's prostate without the use of electrical power. The design was intended to relieve fluid congestion, but it apparently does more than that for some.

She said he's in court because he feels the copies have cheapened his work and also might be dangerous because they aren't carefully crafted.

Houston lawyer Charles Rogers was in court defending Libertybelle and others by attacking in preliminary motions whether Takashima's patent was ever properly approved and ever specific enough to be patentable. Rogers said his clients have not infringed on Takashima's work in any way.

A bid to re-open a Huddersfield lap dancing club has ended in failure.

Councillors rejected an application for a licence to run the La Salsa club in Beast Market. They claimed they were not happy about guarantees over the ability of the club to prevent crime, disorder and public nuisance.

The move was welcomed by West Yorkshire Police, who had opposed the licence application, and by a handful of objectors.

La Salsa was shut down in February after a police operation. Undercover special constables were allegedly offered sexual favours by dancers as part of the operation at the Beast Market club. They had been sent to investigate allegations some of the girls working there were performing naked and breaking the rules that ban physical contact..

Solicitors for the applicant can appeal against the licensing panel's decision.

Update: Charged

18th February 2011. See  article from  examiner.co.uk

Owner Reza Shasavar from Iran was arrested after a police raid. He has now been charged with six offences.

He is accused of one offence under the Immigration Act, three of fraud, one of money laundering and one Proceeds of Crime Act offence.

La Salsa -- shut down by licensing bosses for breaching the terms of its licence last March -- remains empty.

A Bradford MP has called for the introduction of controlled zones for sex workers.

Gerry Sutcliffe said a change was needed to protect vulnerable women on the UK's streets.

The Bradford South MP was speaking after police recovered the remains of Suzanne Blamires and Shelley Armitage from the River Aire.

Sutcliffe is calling for the existing laws on prostitution to be revised and relaxed: I think we need to have another debate about what we should do, he told BBC Radio Leeds: We have toyed around with the idea of legalisation for some time now, but I think that we could move a to step below that, which is controlled zones - having areas where the women can work safely and they are monitored by the agencies. You could protect vulnerable women and I think that would be a significant step forward.

He said it was unfortunate that it had taken such a tragic set of events for the issue to be brought back under the spotlight: It is only when there is a situation like this that it gets highlighted, but prostitution goes on 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

A sheriff has slammed a decision not to grant a lap dancing bar a licence after a minor complaint about a promotional flyer.

The owners of Seventh Heaven had their application turned down by the City of Glasgow Licensing Board last June.

The board raised a number of objections, including a flyer which showed a dancer wearing a pair of yellow pants and with an arm covering her breasts. It was claimed this depicted the woman as unsuitably clothed .

Kell Scotland Limited, who have ran the club in Elmbank Gardens since it opened in 2003 - went to Glasgow Sheriff Court in a bid to reverse the decision.

Sheriff Principal James Taylor found in the firm's favour and branded the original judgment absurd . He pointed out that many evening dresses worn by women would expose more breast than could be seen on the flyer. To judge that the flyer in question is unsuitable for the purpose of promoting a lap dancing nightclub and thus in breach of the policy code, is, in my opinion, wholly unreasonable.

In short the licensing board's judgement is absurd. No reasonable licensing board properly applying their mind to the flyer could come to the view that the female depicted was unsuitably clothed. Only a very small part of the side of her breast is depicted in the photograph. There is certainly more breast exposed in certain daily tabloid newspapers.

Government-run Jobcentres are offering unemployed women jobs on X-rated websites.

Jobseekers are told they can earn up to £700 a week if they strip naked on webcams and have sexually explicit conversations with customers.

Women looking for clerical work were given applications for sex line jobs when they went to sign on at Jobcentre Plus offices in Birmingham, Warwickshire and Shropshire.

The job adverts have sparked nutter 'outrage', with Birmingham MP Khalid Mahmood demanding an official inquiry.

A spokeswoman for Mediawatch-UK called for the adverts to be removed immediately and said: Can you imagine being the parent of an 18-year-old who is sent down to the job centre and offered that sort of job? It's just one step away from prostitution, and it's hardly a meaningful job for life is it?

When contacted by Sky News, the Department for Work and Pensions said it was now reviewing its procedures. A spokeswoman said: We are aware of public concern about advertising these vacancies. We have undertaken a public consultation on this issue and we are reviewing existing policy in light of the responses received.

Comment: Wanted: Nutter Campaign Spokesperson, Must be able to spout bollox on any issue at short notice

From Dan

The issue for Viv isn't really that jobs for these sex chat websites are being advertised in the Job Centre it's that she objects to these sex chat websites being available at all.

Mediawatch UK's campaign against sexual entertainment isn't about where it's being advertised but about trying to get rid of it completely!

"It's just one step away from prostitution."

Erm, not really though is it?

"It's hardly a meaningful job for life is it?"

Probably not but 95% of jobs advertised in the Job Centre aren't meaningful jobs of life!

Update: Moral Censorship

27th May 2010. Based on article from  jarrowandhebburngazette.com

The recruitment ad looking for X-rated internet stars has been pulled. The Jobcentre Plus office, in Chapter Row, South Shields, was running a posting for webcam performers for adult website Faceclick, paying £700 per week .

A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions claimed it was not removed due to its nature, but because they couldn't confirm it was genuine. He added: To make sure jobs advertised with us are genuine, we will approach employers for further information. If we aren't able to get the information we need, we will withdraw the advert until we can.

Congratulations to Saafe and their website at www.saafe.info

Well-established website providing support and advice for working girls (and boys). The site has always been female run (more importantly, escort-run) and is managed by Anika-Mae, one of the best and most compassionate women in the business. Their female moderator helps on the forum and their female webmistress takes care of the more technical side of things.

The site provides a service to sex workers from around the globe.

From www.saafe.info

This site is the result of a collaborative approach from a group of experienced escorts. It could have been called, If I knew then what I know now, as it brings together a range of information and advice to help short cut the learning process in a business where experience really does count. Its not designed as an authoritative guide, merely some words of wisdom mixed in with a bit of humour.

Congratulations to Reverend David Gilmore receiving a Pioneering Award for good neighbourliness (nicely ironic):

The Rector of St Anne's Anglican Church, Soho, who, in 2009, stood up for the Soho sex workers in court in their defence, saying their house did not cause any public nuisance.

The result: they got let off!

We were delighted that he accepted his nomination, another sign of his openness to sexuality, and he says he feels honoured. They should make him an Archbishop for his exemplary attitude.

Mean minded licensing chiefs in Glasgow have secured a legal victory over a lap-dancing chain in a ruling that could have ramifications for the entertainment and leisure industry throughout Scotland.

In what was viewed as the first real test in the courts of Scotland's new liquor laws, Glasgow Sheriff Court threw out an attempt by Spearmint Rhino to overturn a decision from last year against it getting a licence.

The decision, which was made by Sheriff Craig Scott, will send shockwaves through the licensed trade and local authorities. It effectively gives licensing boards carte blanche to determine how venues are run, and gives them more power than they have had in more than 35 years.

Spearmint Rhino, based on Glasgow's Drury Street and now called Platinum Lace, is expected to appeal to the Court of Session but will keep on trading for the moment as allowed in the previous licensing laws.

Glasgow Licensing Board heard how CCTV footage showed two dancers at Spearmint Rhino stripped naked, breaching repressive local policies.

Fun prevention officers also witnessed several dancers making considerable contact with patrons while performing. In addition, an employee was alleged to have exposed her breasts while handing out flyers in Glasgow city centre.

The application was refused as it was supposedly inconsistent with the licensing objectives of preventing crime and disorder, and protecting and improving public health. The premises were considered unsuitable for the use of alcohol , the board said.

Brightcrew, the licence holder for the club's owners, argued in court that the board had introduced a non-statutory basis for the decision, insisting it should be concerned only with issues directly related to the sale of alcohol.

But Sheriff Scott, who ruled against Glasgow's refusal of a lap-dancing application at a court hearing several years ago, ruled that under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 boards are required to set out policies and objectives which are very broad in nature .

He said that Glasgow was entitled to refuse a licence if it felt an application was inconsistent with those objectives. However, he disagreed that the club was unsuitable for the use of alcohol.

Congratulations to Sir Guy of The Tawsingham Community and The Other Pony Club honoured with The Lifetime Achievement Award:

This fun-loving pioneer runs the largest sexual fantacist club in the world, catering for pony-girls, pony-boys, puppies, piggies, cats, zebras, anything you may want to be, including owner, trainer or spectator.

The Academy Book Shop literature on the subject and the Tack Shop offers harnesses of all kinds.

Sir Guy has been organising events, both those open to the public and for members since 1993, all around the country. He is the Master of the Trade.

See more at www.tawse.com

Trafalgar Leisure has applied for planning permission to turn an empty warehouse on Marlborough Crescent in the Newcastle city centre into a bar and lap-dancing venue.

The premises are close to several bars popular with the gay community.

Ward councillor Nick Forbes said he was planning to object to the latest application and would rule himself out of any debate as one of the members of the council's development control committee so that his objection could be made.

He said: My concern is that it would have a big negative impact on the gay village and I'm concerned that it would destroy the concept of a safe area by introducing all sorts of undesirables.

People in the area have until May 17 to make comments on the application, which will be considered by city council planners.

One resident has also raised concerns that families on their way to the Metro Radio Arena may have to walk past the club.

Congratulations to the makers of Uncle David

UK film directed by Gary Reich, Mike Nicholls and David Hoyle, the film has only two characters: the charming David Hoyle and the gorgeous Ashley Ryder. Their improvised dialogue works, the setting is creepy, the sex warm, kinky and intimate, the landscape unexpected for nude gallivanting, and the plot totally scary.

Runner Up: Honey Bunny

This bright tongue-in-cheek US film, directed by Vena Virago, is a three-fold project: an art exhibit that serves as a porn set; a DVD release; and an experiment video collaboration with 13 other artists. The porn film is funky, realistic and features romping sex.

Runner Up: Handcuffs

Spanish film written and directed by Erika Lust and photographed by Gustavo López Mañas, It's very short but blisteringly hot, non-explicit but visually compelling. This is partly thanks to the dashing slick operator male actor who is obviously oh!-so capable of capturing women's lust (so sadly lacking in most sex movies) and the women submit to him beautifully.

Congratulations to Dr Petra

Innovative and outreaching, intelligent and entertaining and becoming more and more authoritative. In fact, despite being about sex, it's been named as one of the Top Ten Bloggers of the Year 2008 by The Pod Delusion. Petra's blog discusses the sexual issues on the current news agenda in a supportive way. It is regularly updated with interviews, clippings, advice and really great links.

Some of the country's most celebrated arts bodies have welcomed clarification to new laws designed to crack down on lap-dancing clubs which would have inadvertently prevented them from staging shows featuring nudity.

Nationalist MSP Sandra White has put forward an amendment to the Criminal Justice and Licensing Bill going through Holyrood which would allow local authorities and licensing boards to ban lap-dancing venues in their area.

But organisations such as Scottish Ballet and the Festival Fringe Society had warned that under plans to tighten licensing rules, renowned shows featuring nudity, such as Nic Green's Trilogy , could have been pulled.

Cindy Sughrue, Scottish Ballet's chief executive, had urged the committee to carefully consider the wording of White's amendment, given the potential unintended consequences for theatre companies, who would be unable to show iconic works by world-renowned directors and choreographers.

She said: Nudity, as defined, would rule out presentations of some of the most powerful performance work of the 20th and 21st centuries, including numerous acclaimed productions created and presented in Scotland, including at the Edinburgh International festival.

At a meeting of the Scottish Parliament's injustice committee, politicians echoed such concerns. Robert Brown, Scottish Liberal Democrats justice spokesman, said: For theatrical performances, I'm not sure it presents as clear exemptions as one would hope.

Bill Aitken, his Tory counterpart and the committee's convener, agreed. I do have serious reservations and I don't think the issue of theatrical performances has been satisfactorily resolved.

Justice secretary Kenny MacAskill told the committee that while communities should be allowed to refuse permission to license the clubs, the government had significant concerns over Ms White's amendment. He said: There are drafting difficulties with the amendment which will have to be addressed.

Ms White accepted an offer of assistance to clarify her amendment, meaning the government will now draft a tighter licensing regime which will come before MSPs when the bill is considered by the full parliament at its final stage.

Erotic Awards

Congratulations to Jane Fae, formally John Ozimek, for picking up the Best Writer trophy at the recent Erotic Awards ceremony.

Her nomination reads:

One of the most consistently authoritative, questioning and witty voices in the media covering sex and the law. Jane regularly writes in The Register. She has also written on issues of libertarian and sexual politics in Index on Censorship, Skin 2, Scarlet and FHM amongst other places.

Sex Matters

Jane Fae has just started a blog entitled Sex Matters. See SexualityMatters.wordpress.com

Jane introduces the blog:

Here is somewhere very different. Its about the issues that take my fancy and, since I write a lot about sex and sexuality, its about my take on what is in the news today concerning those matters.

A bit political. A bit radical. I’ll be talking about the law and politics. Censorship. Prudery. And since i will be writing about the government’s response to all these things, I suspect there will be a load of hypocrisy documented here, too.

Topics are likely to include sex and sexualities. The politics of identity. Orientation. Sex work. Disorderly conduct. Writing and Art. Kink. Sado-masochism, swinging and polyamory.

Caesar's Wife (in Bedfordshire)

The latest blog article examines a recent surge in police interest in prosecuting sex workers particularly with tempting returns available under proceeds of crime legislation. Jane writes:

Over the last few years, the police and authorities appear to have been clamping down. Representatives for the English Collective of Prostitutes (ECP) and the International Union of Sex Workers (IUSW) are adamant that this follows on from a generally more intolerant, more puritan line from central government. However, it has been given an added twist in recent years by Proceeds of Crime legislation.

This embodies the outwardly admirable legal principle that crime should not pay – and that the state should be able to lay its paws on any monies that appear to have been earned from crime. Oh. And Police and CPS get to divvy up around 50% of the proceeds between them.

Given that the amount targeted for Proceeds of Crime confiscation in 2009 was £250 million, that's a lot of Divvying!

...Read the full article from sexualitymatters.wordpress.com

A slightly shorter version of this blog appears in this week's Private Eye (p.29).

It is great to see that Melon Farmers is a finalist for the Erotic Trade Only (ETO) Awards.

ETO is the major UK adult trade association, with representation from all of UK's adult retailers and distributors, both online and on the high street.

Voting is open now at www.erotictradeonly.com , but is only open to those registered as belonging to the UK adult trade. The free monthly trade magazine is very good and it is well worthwhile registering for those connected with the trade.

The Melon Farmers are one of the finalists in the Best Online Resource category. The complete line up is:

• Bgafd.co.uk
  The British Girls Adult Film Database is an invaluable resource for those looking for information on performers. It also has a thriving forum where girls, and studios, can promote themselves.
   
• MelonFarmers.co.uk
  Formed seven years ago, Melon Farmers is a daily updated anti-censorship website which, by definition, regularly reports on adult industry issues such as cuts to R18 films and licensing.
   
• PinkPaper.com
  The online home of gay and lesbian interest newspaper Pink Paper features relevant news and articles about travel, health, lifestyle information, food, drink, music, films, theatre and much more.
   
• Sextoysbuzz.co.uk
  Set up by Alex Parker and Suzanne Hamilton, the people behind the successful AlexSuze.com blog, this site specialises in in-depth, and very candid, reviews of sex toys and adult products.
   
• The Vibe (Sextoys.co.uk/sextoystv/)
  The Vibe features a team of 'pleasure presenters' - all of whom were originally customers of the site - demonstrating and explaining the features of a wide range of adult products.

On 13 April 2010, the Justice Committee from the Scottish Parliament decided to issue a call for evidence for amendment 516 [pdf] which equates lap dancing licensing with that of sex shops.

The amendment was put forward by Sandra White MSP (SNP) for Glasgow.

Amendment 516 changes the 1982 Civic Government (Scotland) Act   of control of sex shops. The original act states that local authorities can decide how many sex shops can be in their authority and that the potential sex shops must advertise their intention to apply for a license. The effect that this has had is that some local authorities rejecting all applications for a sex shop license. In Glasgow, for example, the guidance notes for sex shop applications reads:

Be advised that, in the past, applications for a sex shop licence have been refused on the grounds that the committee felt that the number of sex shops for the locality (ie. Glasgow) should be nil.

It's also worth noting that the licence costs £12,000+.

The Scottish Parliament's justice committee will consider the plan this week.

Glasgow Council's Community and Safety Services arm has urged MSPs to accept White's amendment, saying lap-dancing was a form of violence against women . The letter said: Intelligence would suggest that these venues are in fact linked to, and part of, the sex industry and selling of sexual services does occur in some clubs. The council said the current licensing regime was ineffective , and added local authorities must have the option to refuse to license such establishments .

The bid is reported to have backing from Scottish Women's Aid, the Scottish Coalition Ag-ainst Sexual Exploitation, and Scottish Women's Convention.

Councillor Jim Coleman, acting head of the council, said: We view lap-dancing as a form of sexual exploitation which degrades women and also contributes to public nuisance problems.

Ms Claire Finch is facing brothel keeping charges and a prison sentence because she prioritised safety by working with friends at her home.

Ms Finch is appearing at Luton Crown Court, 9.30, Monday 26 April

This is a key case; if Ms Finch is convicted, other prosecutions of women working collectively in the relative safety of premises will follow, driving women to work in isolation. Attacks are sure to increase.

The case is running from Monday 26 to Thursday 29 April. We want to show just how much support there is for Ms Finch and are asking people to attend court. Can you come along for one or more days or even part of a day?

This prosecution is part of a moral crusade which is driving the sex industry underground and women into more danger. It is not in the public interest.

Ms Finch says: My main thing is safety. It's not safe to work on your own. With two of us you had back up, you had camaraderie.  In order to ensure safety, Ms Finch worked in shifts with three other women. There was never a time when one woman was left on her own. Since she was raided Ms Finch has been forced to work alone.

On 19 November 2008, 20 uniformed police officers from Kempston Economic Crime Unit, kicked in Ms Finch's front door and searched every room in the house including Ms Finch's personal belongings, taking over £700 from her purse that had been put aside to pay the mortgage. Her laptop computer, mobile phone, driving licence and passport were also taken. No receipt was given.

Brothel-keeping charges were introduced in 1956. Since Proceeds of Crime legislation (reinforced by the Policing and Crime Act), raids and prosecutions against women working from premises have escalated. Police and prosecutors have a vested interest: the police keep 25% of any assets confiscated both at the time and from subsequent prosecutions (50% in some areas); the Crown Prosecution Service keeps another 25%; and the Inland Revenue the rest. Even if no one is charged, the money is rarely returned. Women who have worked for years to put money aside lose not only their livelihood but their home, car, life savings, jewellery, etc. This theft by law enforcement is the worst form of pimping.

The CPS is supposed to bear in mind public interest considerations when considering charges. Ms Finch's situation contradicts every one of them.

Public interest considerations for brothel keeping charges are:

• To encourage prostitutes to find routes out of prostitution and to deter those who create the demand for it

A criminal conviction is the biggest obstacle to leaving prostitution.

• To keep prostitutes off the street to prevent annoyance to members of the public

Ms Finch's neighbours have no complaints and are coming to court to support her. Closing down premises drives women onto the street where it is ten times more dangerous to work.

• To prevent people leading or forcing others into prostitution All the women were working consensually and independently.

There was no force, coercion, violence or trafficking.

• To penalise those who organise prostitutes and make a living from their earnings. There was no profiteering.

Everyone worked collectively and shared expenses.

For working collectively in a safe non-exploitative way, Ms Finch faces losing her home and a prison sentence of up to seven years. The laws which allow such prosecutions must be abolished and prostitution must be decriminalised. Safety comes first.

Update: Happy Ending, Acquitted

30th April 2010. Based on article from  dailymail.co.uk

Britain's antiquated vice laws were thrown into confusion when a massage parlour boss was cleared of running a brothel.

Claire Finch admitted offering topless massages with happy endings from her bungalow and advertised in local newspapers. Up to four women - some offering other services - would work from her home at any time and she would take a percentage of their fees.

She fought the case to highlight the need for prostitutes to have a safe environment by working in the same premises as other women.

After a four-day trial, a jury of eight men and four women supported her by taking just 90 minutes to acquit - a verdict which was greeted with cheers from a large group of supporters.

Miss Finch's success paves the way for far greater freedom of publishing explicit material and the prosecution was ridiculed for being out of touch with changing social opinions.

But police and the Crown Prosecution Service insisted they would continue prosecuting brothel bosses.

Miss Finch said: This is a victory for women who want to do this work from the safety of their houses. This has been 16 months of sheer hell for me but I have had my own "happy ending".

I will do whatever I can to campaign to have the law changed. Thank goodness the jury used their common sense.

A poster for the table dancing club, For Your Eyes Only (FYEO) featured an image of a woman wearing lingerie posing on her hands and knees on a chaise longue.

One complainant, who believed the image was sexist and degrading to women, challenged whether the ad was offensive and inappropriate for public display where it could be seen by children.

ASA Assessment: Not upheld

The ASA noted the complainant believed the ad was sexist and degrading to women. We also noted that the woman in the ad was semi-naked and that her pose might be seen as sexually suggestive. However, we considered that in the context of an ad for a table dancing club, the image was unlikely to be seen as unduly explicit or overly provocative.

Whilst we acknowledged that the ad would be distasteful to some, we concluded that it was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence and was not unsuitable to be seen by children.

The first all-Wales network to help sex workers access vital services has been set up. And it could help safeguard sex workers as it will allow information about violent offenders to easily be shared across Wales.

Vital research will also be carried out to determine how many people are working in the sex industry in Wales.

Pete Clark, national director of the Terrence Higgins Trust in Wales, said: We're really in a catch-22 situation at the moment – we know that something is going on but we don't have the evidence to prove it.

Dr Tracey Sagar, a lecturer in criminology and social policy at Swansea University, said: This is about getting people to open their minds about whether all women are deserving of services, whether all human beings are deserving or services, regardless of the choices they make. Sagar and not-for-profit company Gibran UK have won a £440,000 Big Lottery grant, which will fund a four-year research project to determine how many people are working in the sex industry. This research will help inform the network's work.

Dr Sagar said: There has been a massive expansion of the sex market – we're seeing students try lap dancing as a way of paying their way through university. We may think it is immoral but girls are making conscience decisions to do that rather than finish university £30,000 in debt.

Clark said: The majority of women working on the streets are drug dependent but some will work opportunistically and some seasonally – some women from the valleys will work on Cardiff's streets in December to pay for their children's Christmas presents. There is also a flourishing massage parlour and private apartment scene and underneath that there is an individual scene where people advertise themselves on websites – on one website alone there were 351 women advertising their services.

And Dr Sagar added: For every sex worker who is selling sex, someone is buying it. We could sit in a bubble and say it is not our fathers, brothers, grandfathers, uncles or cousins. But, like it or not, someone is buying it.

Lap dancing clubs could use the Human Rights Act to oppose legislation allowing councils greater freedom to turn down lap-dancing licence applications, venue owners say.

The Policing and Crime Act forces existing lap-dancing clubs to apply for new licences and allows councils to close venues for moralistic reasons.

Chris Knight, president of the Lap-Dancing Association (LDA), said clubs could take their appeals to the European Court of Justice. If local authorities don't give us new licences, they are effectively taking away our right to property and to do business, as outlined in the Human Rights Act, and we will consider taking it as far as we have to in the courts, he said.

Local councils are likely to vigorously defend the legislation. Richard Kemp, vice-chairman of the Local Government Association (LGA), said: If they want a legal showdown, then we're going to test the depths of their pockets, because we're certainly going to test ours.

Club owners argue that the legislation could infringe their right to property protection. The issue involves article 8 of the Human Rights Act which concerns the right to protection of private property, and activities pursuant to that property, said licensing lawyer Richard Arnot. If an existing lap-dancing licence is your property, then you have the right to run a lap-dancing club, and the new legislation is arguably an infringement of that right.

Julian Skeens, head of licensing law at Jeffrey Green Russell and the LDA's solicitor, said appeal cases were likely to take a long time, and clubs could remain in business for some time.

The situation has angered nutter groups that pushed for the new law. Anna van Heeswijk, campaigns co-ordinator of Object, said: Human rights legislation exists to safeguard against discrimination and to promote principles of local democracy, not to protect the rights of club owners to make a profit.

On 13 April 2010, the Justice Committee from the Scottish Parliament decided to issue a call for evidence for amendment 516 [pdf] which equates lap dancing licensing with that of sex shops.

The amendment was put forward by Sandra White MSP (SNP) for Glasgow. The amendment is one of several hundred put forward to the Criminal Justice and Licensing Bill , which also contains the extreme pornography law and amendment relating to the criminalising the purchasing of sexual services.

Amendment 516 changes the 1982 Civic Government (Scotland) Act   of control of sex shops. The original act states that local authorities can decide how many sex shops can be in their authority and that the potential sex shops must advertise their intention to apply for a license. The effect that this has had is that some local authorities rejecting all applications for a sex shop license. In Glasgow, for example, the guidance notes for sex shop applications reads:

Be advised that, in the past, applications for a sex shop licence have been refused on the grounds that the committee felt that the number of sex shops for the locality (ie. Glasgow) should be nil.

It's also worth noting that the licence costs £12,000+.

Glasgow in particular has had a long history of making life difficult for adult entertainment venues and it should come of no surprise that Sandra White had spoken out against lap dancing clubs in the past . Opponents of lap dancing issued a £7000 report by Julie Bindel in 2004 to prove lap dancing was bad. But in the past, Glasgow's prejudices did not seem to affect other cities, such as Edinburgh. This new amendment will drag all of Scotland into Glasgow's sex-negative way of life .

What is most disturbing about the lap dancing amendment is that, like so many other laws, it is so poorly written that it could potentially extend beyond its original intent. Sandra White and Glasgow Council are quite obviously dead against adult entertainment venues. But this law could potentially call your own bedroom an adult entertainment venue!

In the amendment, an adult entertainment venue is defined as any premises, vehicle, vessel or stall used for a business with an audience of one or more that any live performance or display of nudity (which includes breasts on a woman or pubic area on either sex) that is provided solely or principally for the purpose of sexually stimulating any member of the audience . Where this gets tricky is the little bits of (whether by verbal or other means) and ignoring financial gain.

Women taking their clothes off and dancing in an erotic way in front of a paying audience of men is the target. Ideally, I should be able to put on a strip show for my partner in the comfort of my own home. But is this allowed here? I'm not doing it for money, but we are ignoring financial gain . I'm only doing it for my partner, but audience includes an audience of one . I'm doing it in my own home, but the location is any premises. In other words, every time I expose my breasts to my partner, I would be committing a crime under this law. Even worse, I can't even verbally describe an erotic fantasy or read a published (and wholly legal) erotic story to my partner because it would count as a live performance of the verbal kind that is sexually stimulating.

Another bit of brilliant legislation from the Scottish Government in an effort to stop people from enjoying sex.

This news has been brought to you by CAAN Scotland.

Police shut down a house in Hayes, believed to be used as a brothel, using new powers, in what is a first for the Metropolitan Police.

Officers visited the house, in Botwell Lane, after a three-month investigation into the business, which was advertised as a massage parlour.

A man and two women were found at the house during the visit and questioned. No arrests have been made and investigations continue.

A closure notice was served on the property by the Townfield and Heathrow Safer Neighbourhood Teams last week, and a three-month closure order was granted by Uxbridge magistrates the following day.

It is believed to be the first property to be shut under a provision of the Policing and Crime Act 2009, which came into force on April 1. Previously, police had no authority to force closure of such venues unless anti-social behaviour or use of class A drugs was evident. Past enforcement visits to the house did little to combat the problem for this reason.

Hackney Council's Licensing Committee has drawn up a Draft Sex Establishment Licensing Policy which proposes having none in any ward of the borough.

That would mean the four gentlemen's clubs and one sex shop currently resident in Hackney would have to argue why they should be allowed to stay open when they re-new their licence.

The committee met on Tuesday March 23 to discuss the draft policy which will go for public consultation later in the year and could then be adopted.