hissed at by a hooker

[Jorja]

@Ezekiel - Prostitution is illegal in all 50 states of the USA. Yes, there are a few counties in Nevada where it is legal inside of certain brothels. It might be legal where you are. Being Transgender is NOT a crime. While your arguments about abuse and being victimized hold water, these women have the same rights and protection under the law as any other citizen. They can get out of the business if they want too. Many do not want to because it is easy money or they are addicted to drugs. One cannot have pity on a criminal who consistently repeats the offense and is high risk to spreads HIV/Aids and STDs.

[melanie206]

Be very careful. You might note that most of the gurls who become victims of violence and murder are those "on the street".

[Ezekiel]

@Ezekiel - Prostitution is illegal in all 50 states of the USA. Yes, there are a few counties in Nevada where it is legal inside of certain brothels. It might be legal where you are.

It may be ilegal in the US, here where I live it is aswell, which by the way is something I approve of as I think prostitution is slavery, but that does not mean prostitutes are to be treated with less dignity than anyone else. It being illegal doesn't mean you should degrade those who are engaged in it, whatever reasons they might have to do it.

Being Transgender is NOT a crime.

Sure being Transgender is not a crime, but because we didn't let that happen. Can you say the same about Islamic territories?

Just as you see prostitution as a crime, some people think being LGBT is as much as a crime, what if they managed to illegalize Transgenderism? Should then you or me be treated with less respect just because some written law says so? Really?

Better not be blinded by what is written in some constitution or book and reason things with wider perspective. Such a perspective was took by many people who fought for our rights in the past. Such perspective is what managed to get laws that protects LGBT people, usually looked down upon just as you are looking down prostitutes.

While your arguments about abuse and being victimized hold water, these women have the same rights and protection under the law as any other citizen. They can get out of the business if they want too. Many do not want to because it is easy money or they are addicted to drugs.

Its not as simple as you are trying to make it look.

I don't think many, as you implement, do it because of the easy money or drug addiction, those I believe are a minority.

Rather, most of them they find themselves in a hardly escapable situation where they are forced by gangs, and if they try to evade themselves they might end up dead, or perhaps all of their family and loved ones.

One cannot have pity on a criminal who consistently repeats the offense and is high risk to spreads HIV/Aids and STDs

Im sorry Jorja, but with due respect I'm appalled by this last sentence. You are Transgender, you know what it means to be mistreated by society, how can you say this?

[Krisi]

Prostitution is illegal. People who engage in prostitution are criminals. Perhaps prostitution should not be illegal, but currently, it is. I don't know how the thread took this turn, but your post needs a response regardless. Being transgender and being a criminal are two entirely different things. There is no relation.

[Ezekiel]

You people surely are lacking empathy here, you are not getting what I'm trying to say. All I'm saying is that you simply should show that little respect we all deserve, which I'm not seeing in some here. Thats what I'm pointing out, and explaining.

Being transgender and being a criminal are two entirely different things. There is no relation.

Never said being transgender is being a criminal. What I'm saying is, what if it was considered a crime to crossdress? Read my posts again, please.

Not going to derail the thread any longer... all that I had to say, its been said.

[Katey888]

As always, interesting discussions lead to interesting diversions but now without too much of the moralising please...

I think we've gone far enough judging the world's oldest profession which may be illegal in most of the USA but isn't illegal everywhere in the countries served by our Pan-Global Forum and I don't believe it was that long ago that crossdressing was also illegal in some US states and cities...? Hmmmm...?

So times change - so do morals - but if we can just get back to the OP now please...?

Katey
Moderator

[Ellaxo]

I agree that we should not judge and we should have respect for others. I would avoid that part of town, and do not hiss back. You don't want conflict, you don't know if her pimp is around. This could end up being very dangerous. Just avoid her, or even better if you avoid that side of town.

[alwayshave]

@Ezekiel - Prostitution is illegal in all 50 states of the USA. .

When last checked, prostitution is not illegal in Rhode Island. That's not say its sanctioned either. Street walking is a crime but if it goes on behind closed doors, not a crime.

[rachael.davis]

depending on how you were dressed (clubbing) she may have figured you were poaching her stroll - there is a good amount of violence associated with "lucrative" strips of pavement. If something starts up on the street between the two of you there's a chance the local policeman might not be overly sympathetic or understanding.

[AKADonna]

Don't step into the gutter with her! You'll just get dirty!

[suchacutie]

Wow, not one mention of what I thought was completely obvious....

You were being approached as a client/source of income! Hasn't that ever happened to anyone walking along the streets of a largish city? This sound gets your attention (which it did) and your reaction either leads her forward to an encounter, or not.

Just smile and keep walking, possibly shaking your head to indicate no interest.

[Ezekiel]

Wow, not one mention of what I thought was completely obvious....
.

Really? I didn't know this myself, but now that you mention it, makes sense. So maybe she wasn't being offensive to the OP afterall.

[Darling Micki]

Such an interesting reaction to use of a label.

Ezekiel can be considered correct in their question of "Aren't they ladies too?"
They are. "Ladies of the Evening," a polite way of referring to an escort or hooker. I personally believe the original intent of the label "lady" was meant to refer to a woman of fine breeding, well to do, etc. This is not to say one is better than the other, just recognition of a popular label.

I am curious about the underlying hostility behind Ezekiel's responses, but that is something for another time and probably some place else.

Unless we are receiving response from outer space, or another lifeform on this planet has evolved without our general knowledge, we are all human. Each of us should follow some form of the golden rule. As humans we don't always do that. We create words and assign a definition to it. We then group others together using these words as labels, even if the people in that group do not share all thee conditions of that label's definition.

Whether this "lady of the evening" is trying to start a fight, or marking their territory, or just get the attention of the OP to compliment the attire and inquire as to where to get it. It might be a good idea to navigate in a different area while dressed. It is also a good idea to treat this other lady as you would like to be treated. Maybe eventually they will get the idea that you're not trying to start anything, you are jusst living your life as you choose.

[CONSUELO]

When visiting San Francisco I used to get up early in the morning and go for a run that took me up to Van Ness Avenue and through some of the seedier areas. I often encountered prostitutes who were on their way home after working the night and they would shout all sorts of remarks at me. Most were more or less humorous but a few were rather nasty-- and I was just in normal running gear.

Of course I would ignore it all and that is what you should do Jessica. Do not get into a slanging match with these people as they are as tough as nails. They have to be. "Pretty Woman" they are not.

[Badwolf]

Hey I agree with everything Ezekiel is saying. I would actually bet on the fact that all of you standing on your high horse saying she's a criminal have broken AT LEAST one law even within the last year.

Did you fully stop at every stop sign?
Did you have ice-cream in your pocket on Sundays in Florida?
Do you have more than 2 dildos in a house in AZ?
Did you sing happy birthday to the original tune?
Thrown out junkmail sent to your house that wasn't addressed to you?
Friendly neighborhood poker game with real money?
Go over the speed limit?
Download a video or show anything on TV to a group larger than about 5 people?

All of these (some semi-rediculous), cover a pretty wide set of the people on this forum. All of them are real laws on the books.

Without getting into arguments of HOW and WHEN they should be enforced, do any of them make you less worthing of basic human dignity? Socio-paths arguably are the only ones that can't be treated with all parts of human dignity, because they will probably abuse it (even then it's a struggle to hold on to your own self esteem in many cases if you don't at least try). Everyone else is kind of on the same playing field, with no one really knowing WHY the person is doing what they are doing.

[Lori Kurtz]

I have to admit that if a prostitute hissed at me, I'd find it intensely exciting, because it would make me think that she had perceived some feminine sexual power in me that she felt was a threat to her business. But I hope that I would be smart enough, as some other girls have suggested, to get myself to a safer place. Hope you'll do the same.