Wanted: A Decent Conversation about Craigslist

When I started writing here in February, I talked of "reading the newspaper as a woman," a perspective a friend had challenged me to pursue for its head-clearing effect. It seems especially useful in thinking about the decision Craigslist made to remove their Erotic Services ad category starting on Thursday.

I've read up about it, heard Jim Buckmaster, the president of Craigslist, talk with some defensiveness about the need for the change, and Lisa Madigan, Attorney General of Illinois, say the ads have created "the Internet's biggest brothel." As in all things interesting, this decision has elicited a range of responses, even in me. I'm a defender of the First Amendment. No discussion. I'm an advocate for efforts to end sexual harm for any and all of us. No discussion. But after reading this news as a woman, my response is simply to plea for a decent conversation about hypocrisy. What in the world are we're doing here?

First, a quiz: What are erotic services? According to my reading of the ads on Craigslist Minneapolis/St. Paul, they are….

A. Massage

B. Dancing

C. Escorting

D. YOU know what they are: Services that may or may not be erotic, but when you pay for them, the transaction is illegal.

To be fair, Jim Buckmaster feels comfortable that their long-time policy that allows the community to "flag" ads involving prostitution or other illegal activities pretty much takes care of option D. The Attorneys General who put pressure on Buckmaster to remove the ads don't agree. They want those who profit from running the ads to police themselves.

The Erotic Services ads on Craigslist for Minneapolis and St. Paul are a predictable lot, short on details that might distinguish one from another except to specify "out call" or "in call." What IS interesting are the numbers. Craigslist categorizes Erotic Services ads by gender. Here's how they added up in the Twin Cities as of May 17.

352 WFM (women for men)

1 MFW (men for women)

10 MFM (men for men)

4 TFM (transgender for men)

Who is served by these Erotic Services ads? In the Twin Cities, men are served more than other genders by around 366 to 2.

Deliberately reading these ads as a woman, my ability to see sexual harm from the point of view of those who suffer it kicks right in. We know that selling sexual contact can have a devastating, harmful downside for the seller, particularly if that person is underage, coerced, an addict, desperate. In Erotic Services, the sellers are women.

Deliberately reading these ads allows my concerns about the First Amendment to quiet right down. Free speech has limits. The limit generally involves harm. You can't shout "Fire!" in a crowded theatre.

So, eliminating the Erotic Services ads is a positive step on the part of Craigslist, yes?

Bonus question: What's the difference between the ads on Craigslist under Erotic Services and those under Adult Services? (The Adult Services ad section is NOT being removed.)

Answer: Little or no difference that I can see. (Please correct me if I'm mistaken. I can't claim an exhaustive reading of all the ads.) Certainly, some of the ads strive mightily to describe the wonderful and quite legal service known as the therapeutic massage. However, many seem indistinguishable from their counterparts over in Erotic Services.

After Thursday, Adult Services ads will remain on Craigslist. For the first time, a $10 fee will be charged, and the ads will be monitored by Craigslist employees rather than only by the community. Maybe this will turn out to be a bold leadership move in the right direction, helping to reduce the incidence of sexual harm associated with selling sexual contact. I am ever hopeful.

Bonus Hypocrisy note: In the past, Craigslist had loudly proclaimed that it donates all proceeds from its Erotic Services ads to charity. Why the need to try to wipe one's hands clean, Craig? The press release that announced the removal of the Erotic Services category also announced the end of this policy.