Sex workers could be forced to ‘risk their lives’ if prostitution bill passes, escort service owner says
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/0...tution-bill-passes-escort-service-owner-says/
Amanda Jerome, Special to National Post
TORONTO — If you work for Jillian Hollander, she says, you will be eligible for educational bursaries, RRSP matching, and discounts on plastic surgery if you need a confidence boost.
But working for Ms. Hollander would mean becoming a sex worker. She owns and runs Cupid’s Escorts, Toronto’s biggest, employing 40 prostitutes.
In layman’s terms she’s a pimp; Ms. Hollander describes herself as a madame. The prostitution industry described by the Conservative government and supporters of its Bill C-36 during parliamentary hearings this week, she says, is not the prostitution industry she works in.
“I run a high-end introduction service,” says Ms. Hollander (and no, that’s not her real name). “I screen the clients and set up dates. I encourage the women to pursue their education by providing bursary programs. I encourage them to think about their futures by doing RRSP matching, and I have plastic surgery discounts for those that want to feel a bit better about themselves. I ensure their security, I take care of their marketing, and make sure they’re treated with the respect that they deserve.”
If Bill C-36, the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, is passed, Ms. Hollander’s company will be in violation of the law for selling sexual services and advertising those services on the Internet.
“My head’s been spinning for the past two weeks as I come to the realization of how this will affect me,” says Ms. Hollander. “I find it ridiculous that the Conservatives want to create laws for us without even consulting us and how we feel.”
The Supreme Court struck down Canada’s old prostitution law last December, saying it exposed sex workers to undue risks that constituted a violation of their basic Charter right to security of the person. The Conservatives responded with a new bill that creates new offences for clients and pimps, but does not generally criminalize prostitutes themselves — except if they communicate to sell their services in a public place where children might be.
During this week’s hearings in Ottawa, witnesses were deeply divided by those who see sex workers as victims, and those who see them as women in charge of their own destiny. The Harper government, though, revealed no ambiguity. Mary Ann Dewey-Plante, spokesman for Justice Minister Peter MacKay, said this week Bill C-36 ‘‘will protect vulnerable Canadians and our communities from this inherently dangerous activity.”
“No one takes the time to delve deep and understand,” says Leigh, one of the escorts working for Ms. Hollander. “The Tories have only talked to the people that support them. They haven’t talked to us.”
Ms. Hollander bought Cupid’s Escorts when she was 26. She started researching the escort industry after she discovered her boyfriend used one, found an agency for sale, and then decided to buy Cupid’s ‘‘for about the price of a mid-range car.’’
“The majority of people don’t understand what sex work is all about,” she says. “People tend to think that most of us are abused and come from bad families. I came from an upper-middle class family in the suburbs of Toronto. I was given every privilege imaginable.”
“If Bill C-36 is introduced as law, I’m out of a job. My employees will all be out of a job. They’ll have to find black market agencies to work for and they’ll risk their lives if the clients are criminalized. Our society will become more repressed. Screening makes women safe. Screening stops women from meeting another Robert Pickton.”
Leigh says she sees couples and even single women, but mostly she sees people in need of not only sex but understanding.
“Half the time I’m a therapist. They talk about their jobs, their lives, their kids. They’re looking for a companion. We don’t always have sex the first time and it progresses from there. If this stuff were more well known then it wouldn’t be scary.”
She got into the industry when her partner, Jay, lost his job, their debt was over $30,000, and they needed income.
“I knew someone in the industry and spoke to her for six months until I understood the industry, then I started interviewing with agencies,” she says. “We’re swingers, so it’s an easier transition. Most men wouldn’t be comfortable with this.”
Jay now works at Cupid’s as a driver, chauffeuring escorts between appointments.
“The word I hear people use the most often is empowerment,” Jay says of how the women he drives describe their experiences working in the sex industry.
“If people could walk a mile in my shoes and see how liberating this can be,” says Leigh. “I used to be so stressed about money. This changed our lives. I feel more confident since I’ve started in this business. I’m not a victim. It’s my choice and now the government is telling me I can’t have my choice.”
Jessica Lee, who works for herself in the Muskoka region north of Toronto, said she’s never felt like a victim. She takes care of all her own marketing, styling, and date arrangements. She has worked in the industry for six years.
“It’s kind of a funny story,” Ms. Lee says about her introduction to escorting. “I was a client before I was a provider. I was seeing this guy, and we had a pretty open relationship. One day, for his birthday, I hired an escort for a threesome. When we broke up, I got in touch with her [the escort] and asked about the industry.”
Ms. Lee said she has a dedicated client base, and Bill C-36 won’t affect her business.
‘‘Because I’m established, I’m not worried. I’m not going to stop being a sex worker. It’s like the gun thing — if you’re going to outlaw guns who’s going to carry them? Outlaws! The men who are more risk averse will stop and we’ll be left with the dregs of society. I feel bad for the girls on the street because that’s what they’re left with.”
Ms. Lee says she can gross between $80,000 and $130,000, depending on the year, and pays her taxes dutifully. She used to be a struggling, single parent who received assistance from the Salvation Army at Christmas. Now she’s the one doing the donating.
Ms. Hollander won’t reveal her income as a madame, but says her job affords her a very comfortable upper-middle class lifestyle. She lives in a beautiful, 2,500-square-foot home in a decent neighbourhood, and travels widely and often.
“They think we’re all abused, and pimped out, and I’m a victim that needs rescuing,’’ says Ms. Lee. ‘‘I’m not, I’m very happy.”
National Post, with files from The Canadian Press
