On one side, "bastards" telling their countrymen and government not to "touch my whore. These are the battle lines over a proposed law that would penalize those who pay for sex, a measure aimed at cracking down on prostitution. Citing human trafficking and rights abuses, the government wants to eventually eradicate the practice.
Sex workers claim that the law would not only make their work exponentially more difficult, it would also jeopardize their lives. By forcing sex workers off the streets, Manon argues that the law could expose prostitutes to increased levels of violence, which may result in some turning to pimps for protection and reviving an exploitative part of the industry that is usually the first to be criminalized and is currently illegal in France.
Advocates for sex workers also fear that as the number of customers decrease, increased competition among prostitutes will trigger a proverbial race to the bottom.
In that kind of market, the sex workers likely to get ahead are those willing not to use a condom — nevermind the huge personal and public health risks. With a little imagination, you can envision what other unsavory, unhealthy practices a fine for sex purchases might inadvertently encourage. The prostitutes have found many allies in their fight against the legislation, which currently only has the support of 20 percent of the country. On Saturday, 70 French celebrities, including the actress Catherine Deneuve, who portrayed a prostitute in classic film "Belle de Jour," published a petition in which they argued the law would only force the industry underground.
The French stars distanced themselves, however, from an earlier petition that protested the same law and which sparked outrage. In a controversial October statement, " bastards," who "regarding prostitution, are believers, practitioners or agnostics" wrote that "everyone has the right to freely sell their charms — and even to like doing so," and that they "do not want lawmakers to adopt rules governing our desires and pleasures. French society, as well as its political establishment, is known for its lenient attitude toward sexual misconduct.
