"Manhattan Madam" Fights Sex Trafficking

Kristin Davis, famed “Manhattan Madam,” New York gubernatorial candidate, and prostitution-legalization advocate, has started a nonprofit to help sex trafficking victims. Here’s why no one should be surprised.

According the NY Daily News, Davis is starting an organization called Hope House, which will provide food, shelter, and medical care to victims of trafficking. It will also include an emergency hotline. But the Daily News asks, “Will people be surprised to see an advocate for legal prostitution crusading against its evils?”

They shouldn’t be. Davis explains that some people “don’t understand the disparity between a woman who chooses to work and women who have been forced.” It’s true — even anti-trafficking efforts like the recent “I’m Not Buying It” campaign sometimes conflate voluntary sex work was forced prostitution. Actually, making prostitution a legally regulated industry might help law enforcement fight against trafficking, and no matter what you think about sex work, it’s important not to cloud the issue by confusing those who choose it with those who are trafficked against their will. Of course, it’s entirely possible that the spotlight-courting Davis thinks Hope House will help boost her public profile. But that doesn’t make it any less useful — nor does her past make her the wrong person to run it.

Manhattan Madam Kristin Davis Plans To Start Nonprofit Hope House For hookers, Women In Need [NY Daily News]