Does Toronto Need a Red Light District?

In theory, legalizing prostitution and creating a red light district has enormous potential benefits for sex workers - not just prostitutes, but any sex worker in the city, all of whose rights are seriously under-represented and all of whom could benefit from legislation to better define their rights and increase their on-job safety.

In reality, however, I suspect it's a legitimate impossibility that Toronto government would ever allow such a thing to come to "Toronto the Good." There is simply no way to achieve this that would not be perceived as an irreparable slight upon the city's "good name."

let me guess, if they let this fly, Porter Airlines will be opening a Mile High Club!

<i>I can just imagine the ferry ride to the island when patrons are going to the red light district.</i>

Its the disappointingly disillusioned unfulfilled ride back that would be more sad...

Lived in A-dam for a year. The Red light district there is, well just plain old tacky. How about the best place for the red light district remain the the back pages of NOW Magazine.

OR

How about turning the Old Maple Leaf Gardens into one huge multi-sexual bath house. There could be a section dedicated to "Young Boys for Old Men" in honor of the buildings glorious past!

Spent some time in Amsterdam myself and stayed in the red light district a few times. It was relatively safe and clean (I was chased and nearly mugged once in the city but that was by the train station) though annoying to be offered deals on live sex shows or drugs every 2 minutes while walking around. The one thing I do know is that the ladies earn the right to shine that red light by having regular tests for STDs. Didn't realize that, as Wendy mentions above, they get taxed at high rates, but it is Northern Europe we're talking about here and most citizens pay over 50% in income tax as it is.

Interestingly, I'm in the middle of reading a fascinating article on this very subject, Mary Louise Adams' "Almost Anyhting Can Happen: A Search for Sexual Discourse in the Urban Spaces of 1940s Toronto" (published in the Canadian Journal of Sociology, 19(2): 217-232).

It's not at all odd that the Toronto islands would be considered an ideal spot for a formal red-light district: as Adams observes, Toronto's waterfront (especially the islands and Sunnyside) was a prime site for sexual congress and carnal exploration.

I haven't followed the politics of this as a current issue, but at least Councillor Mammoliti's suggestion is historically accurate.

People who bother to do the research realize that decriminalizing or legalizing prostitution will have devastating consequences for women. Here's an example of RESEARCH speaking for itself.
http://www.commiesutra.com/?p=161

It should be better than the one in Amsterdam.

Hi ass

HEY,
I'm all for THE LEGAL RIGHT to HAVE SEX with another CONSENTING ADULT.
It is one of the greatest evoking visceral pleasures that we are lucky to have to enjoy.
BUT, if one gets PAID, then one should PAY for the consequences it entails.
THE MONEY is the root and the fuel for this PROBLEM. And sadly, that’s what prostitution is about. -THE MONEY.
All one needs to do is look at the results around the world regarding legalizing prostitution, red light districts, and brothels and neighboring reduced real estate, and high taxing for the sex trade workers. Because everyone wants a piece! Sure, sex is every ones legal right. For every RIGHT there is a RESPONSIBILITY that is undeniably attached. Sadly, no one wants the responsibility because it is NOT pleasurable and that is all sex seeking monetary paying clients are looking for. Immediate pleasure and the opportunity to throw a piece of paper 'money' that has a yet intangible and a current "perceived" value to abandon the COST of responsibility.
Legalizing, takes the power away from the police forces to manage exploitation. Sadly, some police, approach their duty to protect ALL citizens and use that power to devalue a sex trade worker. This should NOT be the purpose of policing. However, (that is another and more local issue that should be resolved). With legalizing, comes legal pimping. "Opportunists" will always exist and will be the first to take the next opportunistic step. Using, vulnerable, insecure, sex trade workers to now "legally" pimp them. NOT GOOD! In countries that have legal red light districts, (i.e. INDIA, PHILIPPINES) due to legal prostitution, forces are not charging or arresting pimps anymore, as now can't as easily by law. Without many, and many more roadblocks. Watch their news overseas. NOW, they have ongoing news reports of children being used in the sex trade. One more panel of doors has been open for the opportunists. Because, there can now be brothels, sadly someone ends up "managing" "controlling" the 'house'-The LEGAL brothel. Not one prostitute there will admit to having someone manage them, let alone abuse them and because what happens behind the doors after, no one sees, therefore now DOES NOT EXIST. And within those doors now they can hide children that have been purchased. And guess what, the younger the child purchased the more valuable product to sell for sex. AND the police force can no longer enter a brothel without a warrant. A warrant is difficult to get unless hard-core evidence is available. These children are locked up and never seen. Who is suffering now?
Don't for a moment think that the very poor cultures don't sell their children for money to survive from starvation. Don't think it is not possible to easily bring a young child into our country under false pretenses. And our currency is a heck of a lot better then in third world countries to buy up those children. Don’t think that this will not raise our taxes in order to increase the departments in immigration to TRY to control this influx of illegally immigrated children. Don’t think for a moment that a vote-seeking politician will not use the argument that we need to anti-up number of police officers to manage this situation, and it won’t cost more in taxes. (Yet they still won’t have any control because people quickly forget of the laws). If you have not traveled, you are naive. This is a PANDORAS box we are ALL looking at!
So KUDOS the strong character dominatrix and her lawyer who worked hard to legalize HER life. Will she take the responsibility to come to the aid to all the vulnerable, less aggressive, non A-type women who will now be legally controlled? I'm sure she didn't think nor will fight to the extent she did for cleaning up any of the negative consequences of her cause.

So to be SO empowered to make changes as such, one should be prepared to take FULL responsibility of the consequences.

Where will those who are speaking out so freely be then?
And who's fault will it be then?

NIMBY? I personally wouldn't give a f*** if a red light district was next door. I don't have kids and never will, and there would finally be more places to serve me booze and late night entertainment and food. Toronto shuts down way too early for me, and a red light district will cure it. We don't all work 9 to 5.

I could imagine a lot of drunken dead bodies in lake ontario if this happens.

And trannies riding the swan rides with my kids