In the USA and other developed societies that we usually mimic, extremists opposed to abortion resort to murdering doctors publicly outside their clinics in the name of protecting unborn children. In those societies too, the death penalty plays a crucial role in politics and representatives are elected or rejected based on their position regarding capital punishment. Similarly, in those states, gays have resorted to mounting massive annual public demonstrations to demand that they be treated as everyone else. There too, supporters of medical marijuana are going all the way to the highest courts to make their case. And now, since 9/11 fanatic Christian fundamentalists have been resorting to the burning of the Koran or pappyshowing aspects of Islam to make their case against the Arab world.
Thanks be to God, none of that has happened in St. Lucia, but there are early signs that those things may not be as far away as we think. Gays, lesbians and trans-sexual persons have sought and got a loud voice here. Abortion continues to divide, as does the Death Penalty.
Things are changing too in the wide world, with language adaptations featuring words like “prostitutes” being exchanged for “sex workers”. The Caribbean Sex Workers’ Association is now saying openly that they not only want their trade professionally recognized and legalized, but they are also prepared to pay tax on every sex transaction they carry out.
Now just imagine this: a large group of women – and men – protesters marching through the streets of Castries demanding “Legalize Prostitution Now!” and “Tax Us, Don’t Jail Us!” or “Sex Is Never Free!” Given the level of debate/discussion/quarrel/argument, it could very well happen sooner than we think. Then, what will happen? Will the societal divisions disappear? Will we get closer to understanding why prostitution or “sex work” has lasted for as long as human beings have populated the earth? Same with the Death Penalty, Gay and Lesbian Rights (in their entirety) and the Marijuana conundrum: we will continue to argue and debate and discuss and quarrel, but that will hardly change minds fast enough to please either side of either of the arguments.
Indeed, it’s good to put the issues on the table. But when they are overblown and shaped out of proportion as is the case with the current local discussion on whether to “legalize” or “decriminalize” prostitution, we will always get responses like that of the old fisherman by the bay who asked me the other day, “Y’all want to put VAT on Bom now?” I almost tried to explain, until I realized the colour of his T-shirt, the face printed on it – and his wicked smile stretching from ear to ear.
Some things you just can’t run away from, so why try?