SAVE THE SEX WORKER!

DEAR MERCURY: Your recent issue contained two excellent articles concerning
the sex industry and domestic violence and abuse (“Taking Back the Night,” “Hello,
Anyone There?” May 24). Until the sex industry is safe for all participants,
and domestic violence and sexual assault are eliminated through education and
respect for others, our shame-centered society will continue to blame individuals
and fail to publicly address problems that concern us all. LOTUS (Liberating
Ourselves Through Understanding Sexploitation) is a Portland-based non-profit
organization that aids individuals in the sex industry, and victims of domestic
violence and/or sexual assault in finding safety, support, and housing. If you
are in a situation or business in which you are at risk or in danger of being
harmed, and are seeking safe alternatives, please contact LOTUS at 1-866-44-LOTUS
or at (503) 282-1082.

emiko goka-dubose
LOTUS Administrative Assistant

STOP THE SEX WORKER!

TO THE EDITOR: The underlying message of Monica Drake’s article [“Taking Back
the Night,” May 24] is that prostitution is necessary, normal, and even inevitable.
Not once does she question why men should have sexual access to as many women
and children as they can buy. Not once does she consider the physical, or even
the psychological consequences for the woman and man involved. Not once does
she acknowledge the numerous authors, both survivors and non-survivors of prostitution,
who have documented and analyzed the sexual, physical, and psychological violence
intrinsic to prostitution.

The very language Drake uses in her article, terms like “sex work,” and “survival sex workers,” cover up the cruelty of prostitution. If prostitution is simply “work,” then the men buying teen-aged runaways off the street (or in a strip club) are not sexually assaulting or raping a child; they are merely customers engaging in a business transaction.

Mercury readers interested in other viewpoints on the issue of prostitution should visit the web sites of The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women and Children (www.catwc. com) and The Center for Prostitution Research (www.prostitutionresearch.com).

Patricia Barrera, MA
Co-Director, The Lola Greene Baldwin Foundation

YAY! RAYMOND LOVES US AGAIN!

DEAR PORTLAND MERCURY: Here’s to the most entertaining tabloid-style
newsweekly in Portland! Thank you all for a most wonderful first year.

Your warmest fan,
Raymond Brigleb

GODDAMMIT! TINKS IS ALWAYS RIGHT!

TO WM.™ STEVEN HUMPHREY: As the icing on your proverbial cake, I feel it is
my duty to inform you that you are a retard. There is absolutely NO “Pajama
Jammy-Jam” in House Party [I Love Television™ listings, May 31]. The
“jammy-jam” of which you speak was featured in House Party 2. Coincidentally,
yours truly appeared as an extra in House Party 2 (HP2 as we called
it on the set). Sadly, my big break was not to be, as the scene I appeared in
wound up on the cutting-room floor. One can only hope that some day a director’s
cut will see the light of day. Then we can all wonder why there’s some random
14-year-old white kid in the crowd.

Tinks

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS WOMAN?

DEAR PORTLAND MERCURY: My friend, Tom Kraemer, is in love with an imaginary
woman. Back in February, I loaned him my Mac and a copy of the imaging program
SuperGoo. With them he made the face of a “woman.” That’s all well and good,
I suppose, but now he says he is in love with the woman he created and wants
to find her real-life counterpart.

While I realize this is pretty odd, he is my friend and I do want him to be happy so I have put the picture of Tom’s “dream girl” and the entire story on my website, Cranky Media Guy (www.crankymediaguy.com).

I’m hoping that you may be able to print the picture so Tom can find his “dream girl” and have a happy life. Thank you for your assistance.

Bob Pagani