Introduction

To whore or not to whore? To regard the right to sell sex as an aspect of women's right to choose what she will do with her body, or to see prostitution as degradation and an aspect of male control over women's bodies? To decide to support prostitution law reform as in the best interests of sex workers, or to oppose it as exploitation of women? To recognise sex workers as autonomous women, freely choosing prostitution as employment, or to decry prostitution as an oppressive environment where women are the sexual playthings of men? A patriarchal project to demean women, or a route to economic independence for women? To be for or against? And how to decide?

These were some of the questions New Zealand feminists asked themselves, as politicians and society in general debated prostitution law reform. Some feminists supported reform, others opposed it. Who were they, and what were their arguments? This chapter will explore diverse New Zealand feminist views using examples from the submissions received by the Justice and Electoral Select Committee considering the Prostitution Reform Bill (PRB). The submissions selected are from self-identified feminist individuals or organisations, or from women or men whose arguments could be regarded as drawing on feminist arguments. There were 222 submissions received by the Justice and Electoral Select Committee on the PRB and, of these, 56 are considered by the author to have been written by feminist individuals or organisations or based on feminist arguments. Obviously, this is a personal judgement and is not presented as statistically exact; not does it mean that the writers, organisations or their members all necessarily identify as feminist. This chapter is a guide to understanding the range of arguments based on feminist ideas presented to the committee.

Of the 56 submissions selected, 40 supported decriminalising prostitution and 16 opposed it, and selected examples are included from them to illustrate the feminist ideas in New Zealand prior to decriminalisation. Also included are extracts from a published article by a New Zealand feminist and, because some international feminist literature on prostitution was influential, this is referred to where it is cited in submissions, or where it appears to have informed arguments and recommendations.