Trafficking and Prostitution Services

Sex Workers Anonymous (Formerly Prostitutes Anonymous www.swanfellowship.webs.com www.leavingtheliferadio.com www.sexworkersanonymous.com (702) 468-4529 Telephone November 10, 2015 Dear Assembly Committee on Public Safety: If I had known about the meeting on human trafficking held on October 20, 2015, I want you to know I would have attended. But I was not invited because I'm assuming people in this field who are aware of who I am also in respect to this field probably think I am still living in Nevada where I've been since 1996. However, because of calls I've been receiving from the members of Sex Workers Anonymous, the 12 step program I founded in 1987 about what they've been seeing happening in California, at their request and urging, I've relocated back home to Los Angeles where our program, and the modern day sex trafficking movement itself, was launched. Basically the members have been wanting me back here to speak and appear for them o

I got this in the mail today When a group focused on the "trafficking" aspect of the sex industry - to the exclusion of the reality of what prostitution itself is I've been wondering why for a while now.  I mean why do groups like the Cupcake Girls focus everything they talk about on the trafficking side of this issue without one word about the very real prostitution side of the issue. Well that would be then admitting that some of the time one spends in sex work is "voluntary".  That it is in fact "prostitution".  Now outsiders to sex work insist prostitution is sex for money.  No - it's not.  In fact, I argue that's more like marriage in some cases.  Don't tell me some men and women don't marry for money and trade sex for the money please. I've also wondered why they object so strongly to the concept of "sex work" vs. "prostitution".  The reality is prostitution is a tiny fraction of the sex industry a

In 1988, Joe Conforte, the man who owned the Mustang Ranch legal brothel in Nevada, decided he wanted to expand the brothels into California, and further into the larger cities of Nevada.  At that time they were still only located in the small rural towns they're in now and this was long before Dennis Hof had even bought his first brothel.  At that time, I think there was maybe three brothels in the whole state, or the whole  USA for that matter, if I remember correctly. Now HIV/AIDS was raging at the time.  Certainly not a good time to be talking about expanding brothels right?  Depends on how you market it.  I heard Joe had plunked down $1,000,000 to a PR firm in California and that he was having a Bill or Act (I'm not a political science major I can't remember what it was exactly - but it was a law he was having passed). Now to get people to vote for this, that's why he put this money up with the PR firm.  I get the call to come onto TV against him.  The FCC had

People have a hard time understanding why we in Sex Workers Anonymous do not have the sex industry, prostitution, or drugs, as our 1st step.  The reason is because it's not the problem for us.  When Bill Wilson began to understand the "ism" of alcohol"ism" the program of AA banned him from speaking at meetings, conventions, and even writing for the Grapevine.  They wanted the focus on alcohol - not him. When Bill Wilson and Jimmy Kinnon wrote the pamphlet "problems other than alcohol" they were told "it's an outside issue".   Jimmy was driven to a spiritual bottom at 15 years sober where he almost murdered his family, and himself, just to stop the pain because merely being clean from drugs was not allowing him to be "happy, joyous and free".  He then had a spiritual awakening also - different than Bill's but an awakening the same. With Jimmy, the men who wanted to hijack the literature to open treatment centers locked hi

My grandma used to say "the fox can't guard the chicken coop".  I'm reading about a plan by Los Angeles to expand their services for sex trafficking victims.  Do you know why I called out for this movement?  Do you know why I had to turn that warehouse spoken of at www.hightechmadam.com into a safe house?  Why I couldn't just put the women up in an existing program or shelter?  Why we couldn't just say put them in the local domestic violence shelter?  Call the police? We were calling out for the public to understand that sex trafficking was real AND that existing services were not safe.  That an ALTERNATIVE system had to be set up.  I didn't tell people to call 911 for help - I had them call an 800 number I set up and I ALWAYS said "we are not connected with any law enforcement".  Why would I do that? Because in most cases the system itself was involved.  One of our early board members was a man named Michael.  Michael told me his social work

To Reporter Craig Walls - this case http://www.fox32chicago.com/news/local/33667842-story is EXACTLY why our hotline is so important as well as the Children of the Night hotline for minors. Most victims of trafficking CAN NOT CALL THE POLICE for one reason or another. The National Trafficking Hotline is great - however for those who can't call the authorities for help it leaves them no options as they either report to the authorities, or they refer to a task force headed by authorities. When I founded the movement to have sex trafficking recognized - it was two parts. Yes I wanted people to know trafficking was real but the SECOND PART was that we can't call the police for help in most cases. I'm working on a case right now where a woman was drug out of her house by two Pasadena officers. When I stepped in to help her - I was threatened by another officer myself. http://sanitytodayonline.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-sound-of-music-and-pasadena.html This case is al