Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart's heart is in the right place by wanting to protect minors but suing Craigslist is not the answer.  From my personal knowledge of and research of sex workers, most of the posts are from adults and in many cases, they are posting as independent sex workers.  Craigslist provides a means for sex workers to not only work more safely, but allows them to work without a "manager" and keeps larger numbers of sex workers from standing around on streets or hanging out in hotel lobbies.

Though statistics are difficult to come by and often conflicting, the average consumer is white, middle-aged, middle-class, and not surprisingly -  male.    Suing CL isn't going to stop prostitution.  It will only further marginalize and endanger a demographic that already exists at the fringe of all societies.  These are societies that refuse to take a practical approach to a trade that has existed throughout all cultures, societies, and civilizations.  Recorded history provides an abundance of evidence that prostitution in some fashion has always existed. 

I don't condone this lifestyle and have seen first-hand the painful nightmare sex workers often experience.  Many have suffered from sexual abuse as children and often suffer from depression or other mental illness.  These potential root causes are tragic but the reality is prostitution exists and we have to deal with it.

Interestingly, and once again, statistics make it difficult to discern what combination of factors leads an individual to this form of work, but of those that answered a survey done in the greater San Francisco area in the 1980s, nearly half said they entered into the sex trades as a personal choice.

Sex workers should be allowed to work legally, regulated, taxed, and in a safe environment.  Support systems as well as sex education and social programs that provide training and education should be provided for those in the industry to work safer and have a means to transition to a more conventional form of work when they feel the need to move on.  We should stop allowing sex workers to be victims of our legal system and easy targets for those with a political or moral agenda. 

Drug addiction is often sited as a precursor to individuals entering into prostitution.  Again, it is difficult to determine if the addiction preceded entering into prostitution or if individuals are self-medicating or were otherwise predisposed to substance abuse.

Society sends many conflicting signals with regard to sex.  Singling out Craigslist is only a convenience as they are an easy target. Many periodicals have provided personals listings with adult sections for years.  Locally, the Boston Phoenix and its franchises provide a weekly pull-out section advertising adult escorts.  A large percentage of their revenue is generated by these ads.

A recent survey revealed that the states with the highest hit counts to pornography websites were not only from "red", conservative states but Utah was at the top of the list.

The larger issue is more troubling.  The real issue is we accept the hypocrisy and not deal with the real issues at hand and the hard work and courage it takes to deal with perceived societal ills constructively. 

That is the true shame.

We need to protect our children for those that would prey on them but that starts at home, not the CL offices in San Francisco.