Sex Workers Protest Rentboy Raid

More than 100 sex workers and their supporters gathered in the Castro last weekend to protest the recent federal raid of gay escort site Rentboy.com.

The escort and gay porn communities are still reeling in the aftermath of the August 25 raid on the New York City offices of Rentboy.com, a popular site for gay escorts to connect with potential clients. Rentboy CEO Jeffrey Hurant and six of his employees were taken into custody by agents from the Department of Homeland Security and the New York Police Department. The Rentboy site has since been shuttered.

Reaction from the LGBT community was swift, with many decrying what they call a "war on sex" amid calls to decriminalize a profession that protesters say helps some sex workers to pay the bills.

The raid came shortly after Amnesty International delegates from around the world adopted a resolution that authorized the global group's board to develop and adopt a policy protecting the human rights of sex workers. Since then, several LGBT organizations, including the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the Transgender Law Center, have called for the decriminalization of sex work.

Mark Sade, a member of San Francisco's BDSM community, organized "Labor of Love," a September 5 rally in support of sex worker's rights. Participants gathered at Harvey Milk Plaza to show support for Rentboy and to demand that those who choose sex work be left in peace. A similar rally was held the same day in West Hollywood, while in New York City, protesters rallied outside the federal courthouse September 3.

Sade, a gay man who has a background in putting together events for organizations like the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, said that he organized the rally because he was "pissed off" at the targeting of something that is part of his community.

Sade felt that the involvement of the Department of Homeland Security, a federal law enforcement agency set up to combat and prevent terrorism, was inappropriate.

"I think that in prosecuting a crime one of the fundamentals is to let the punishment fit the crime," Sade told the Bay Area Reporter in a phone call after the rally. "In the same vein I feel that having Homeland Security involved in something so trivial is a waste of time, resources, and taxpayer dollars."

Sade explained why he thinks this issue is important.

"Sodomy laws were ridiculous," he said. "But we are still figuring out that having a senator in our bedrooms telling us how we can have sex is still an issue. It shouldn't be."

Sex, Sade feels, is a private matter.

"What happens in a bedroom is no one's business if there isn't a victim," he said.

Sade also talked about how websites like Rentboy help to keep escorts safe.

"The storefront of the Internet is extremely safe," he said. "Escorts can screen and filter out clients or things that might seem risky."

Sade also talked about decriminalizing sex work.

"When there is a stigma around an industry it cannot flourish to a degree that it takes care of its own," he said. "Once we decriminalize the industry we'll start to have things like health care and maybe even a retirement fund for workers."

Speakers at the rally included porn stars, pornographers, escorts, and an attorney who specializes in representing members of the sex trade.

"What do we want?" asked escort and porn model Lance Navarro as he took to the microphone. "Freedom! Freedom to do as we please with our bodies and our money!"

The crowd cheered.

Navarro pointed out that until 1914, sex work was legal in San Francisco.

"For some this work is a means to an end," he said. "It's a way to pay rent, to get yourself through college. For me it's a labor of love."

Navarro shared a letter he had received from a client, a man who came out as gay at age 73 after the death of his wife - Navarro was the man's first gay sexual encounter.

"There were no words to describe it for me," the man wrote. "It was like being released from bondage, from a prison, much of my own making, but also of society. I cried several times while in Lance's arms."

Porn filmmaker Pam Dore also spoke.

"I'm a proud gay pornographer," said Dore as she addressed the crowd. "I worked on a lot of events with Rentboy - it broke my heart when I heard this."

Better known as Mr. Pam, Dore mentioned Rentboy's recently launched scholarship program, which was meant to help escorts go back to school.

"Who's next?" Dore asked. "We all have to stand for each other."

Starchild, a longtime escort and occasional political candidate, said that he was involved in a lawsuit to decriminalize sex work.

"You can't use morality as a basis for discrimination," said attorney Gil Sperling, who often represents people who work in the sex industry. "You can't tell someone they can't do something because you don't like it."

Spectators cheered throughout the rally, with many vowing that they would not allow the government to dictate their private sexual behavior. As other speakers approached the podium, Navarro walked through the crowd offering attendees bottles of water. Many thanked him - not only for the cool drinks, but for his efforts in protecting their civil liberties.

After the rally ended, some of the protesters took their signs across the street to Jane Warner Plaza where they could be displayed to passing traffic.