Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Melissa Gira Grant

Quote by Melissa Gira Grant

“One person was basically saying that feminists aren't interested in criminalizing prostitutes, that they don't want to do that. I responded that whether or not they want to, that is what is happening on the ground.”

Quote by Melissa Gira Grant

Create image

Author

Melissa Gira Grant

Melissa Gira Grant is a prominent figure in contemporary social activism. Born in 1978, her specific professional category is not yet clearly defined. She is known for her contributions to gender equality, sex education, and internet freedom. more

You May Also Like

“I've moved away from writing about and describing actual experiences of sex work, whether mine or anybody else's, because the culture is obsessed with the behavior of sex workers. They want to figure out why they do what they do and who they are. What I'm trying to do is to shift the focus onto the producers of the anti-sex work discourse: the cops, the feminists, the anti-prostitution people. Those are the people whose behavior needs to change.”

PeopleWritingTryingCultureFocusBehaviorMovedFeministProducersObsessedCop
Author:Melissa Gira Grant
Create image

“Our feelings alone don't change what happens with the police, what happens in jail, what happens when someone tries to go to the welfare office, the unemployment office, or any kind of state agency where a criminal record comes up for prostitution. How we feel about the commodification of sexuality and violence doesn't actually translate to those people's lives. A lot of the debate is really academic and a waste of time.”

TryingKindFeelingsViolenceOfficePoliceSexualityDebateWelfareWasting TimeAcademicTranslateFeeling Alone
Author:Melissa Gira Grant
Create image

“I think the anti-prostitution feminists need to do some consciousness-raising amongst themselves about their feelings. But that's a different political activity. Asking ourselves, how do we feel about the fact that our boyfriends, our husbands, our male partners might hire sex workers? They should have that conversation, but they shouldn't attach it to policy conversations that affect people.”

PeopleThinkingDifferentFeelingsPoliticalPolicyHusbandFeminist
Author:Melissa Gira Grant
Create image

“What shocked me was three different anti-prostitution feminists asking me to justify that I had been a sex worker, to prove it. That either I hadn't done enough sex work by their standards, or I hadn't done the right kind in order to have the right to speak about it. I couldn't understand them. I'm not speaking for you. I'm not speaking "for" anyone. I'm trying to put together this picture of the different forces that are producing a result in the lives of sex workers. You can't contest the fact that tons of people are going to jail and experiencing violence.”

PeopleTryingKindDifferentDoneEnoughTogetherSpeakViolenceProveFeministJustifyProve It
Author:Melissa Gira Grant
Create image

“Look at how successful the domestic workers movement has been. But it's different when it's your husband hiring someone. Domestic workers quite literally say, "You need to get your house in order. You can't join this movement unless you look at yourself." And they're very forgiving, amnesty for everyone. "You haven't been paying into your nanny's unemployment insurance? That's cool, we'll teach you how to get right and go from there." What would the parallel be around sex workers? I don't know if there can be one.”

DifferentHouseTeachSuccessfulHusbandForgivingHiringLook At Yourself
Author:Melissa Gira Grant
Create image