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Escorting in the USA isn't illegal?


socurious

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Maybe a stupid question to some (and I swear my only interest is to learn), but if sex work is not legal in the United States, how come pages full of escorts like RM are still up? Wouldn't be easy for the authorities to just surf that page to catch those who are violating the law? Also, what are the dangers of undercover hiring? Aren't you providers in the USA afraid of getting caught? I would be so scared of visiting a "client" that in reality is an undercover cop. Please excuse any typos btw. I'm from my phone.

Edited by nycboi
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Escorting (keeping you company for money) isn’t illegal. Only Sex for money is illegal.
If you look carefully, every ad is NOT advertising that they will perform sex for money. 
They might mention that they are tops or whatever, but that doesn’t mean they will top you. It just means that they are the kind of person that normally tops their sexual partners (who are non paying).

They might also give a price per hour, but you pay for one hour of their company, not for sex. These ads have plausible deniability.

There may be a few that advertise explicitly and they are probably more likely to be targeted by police than those who are cautious in their ads (because the police will have more evidence = more likely to get a conviction in court)

This is why, if you try to hire an escort for the first time, and you start being explicit in what you want to do, you will likely be ghosted. Not worth the risk. You can start talking about specific sexual acts the second time (once the escort knows you and trusts that you are not a cop).

As for cops, in most states they are worried about sex trafficking, but consensual male prostitution is very low on their list of things to investigate.
If you are a cop, going undercover for a victimless crime is a bad way to spend your time (which is taxpayer’s money), so the industry remains in business. 

The providers can attest that there have been bad moments in certain states, and some people have been arrested, but as far as I can remember there was never a country-wide panic with every sex worker stopping to work because the Risk of getting arrested was growing higher than acceptable.

Edited by Tarte Gogo
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58 minutes ago, Tarte Gogo said:

Escorting (keeping you company for money) isn’t illegal. Only Sex for money is illegal.
If you look carefully, every ad is NOT advertising that they will perform sex for money. 
They might mention that they are tops or whatever, but that doesn’t mean they will top you. It just means that they are the kind of person that normally tops their sexual partners (who are non paying).

They might also give a price per hour, but you pay for one hour of their company, not for sex. These ads have plausible deniability.

There may be a few that advertise explicitly and they are probably more likely to be targeted by police than those who are cautious in their ads (because the police will have more evidence = more likely to get a conviction in court)

This is why, if you try to hire an escort for the first time, and you start being explicit in what you want to do, you will likely be ghosted. Not worth the risk. You can start talking about specific sexual acts the second time (once the escort knows you and trusts that you are not a cop).

As for cops, in most states they are worried about sex trafficking, but consensual male prostitution is very low on their list of things to investigate.
If you are a cop, going undercover for a victimless crime is a bad way to spend your time (which is taxpayer’s money), so the industry remains in business. 

The providers can attest that there have been bad moments in certain states, and some people have been arrested, but as far as I can remember there was never a country-wide panic with every sex worker stopping to work because the Risk of getting arrested was growing higher than acceptable.

Thanks for answering! I truly didn't know certain things. Would you say is safer to escort in places like Canada and a good part of Europe where prostitution is legal? 

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58 minutes ago, nycboi said:

Thanks for answering! I truly didn't know certain things. Would you say is safer to escort in places like Canada and a good part of Europe where prostitution is legal? 

Canada's legal situation is the "Nordic model" under which selling sex is legal, but purchasing it or selling it on behalf of somebody else (I.e. running a brothel) is illegal. While perhaps better than the U.S. system, this system still has major downsides. 

In some European countries it is legal and regulated. 

What many escorts would love to see is full decriminalization, without obtrusive regulation. 

There's a wealth of info on the Internet about the different systems and the issues around them. Google and wikipedia will get you well on your way. 

 

 

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I think it's a matter of priorities as well as staffing.  I suppose a police department could focus on stings of men and women who advertise on line, or run ads themselves to catch prospective clients who contact them.  We know that that has happened on occasion.  The reality is that I don't think most people would react positively to a police department focusing its resources on that, particularly if there were other crimes happening that were being ignored.  That is particularly true in more politically liberal places.

 

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13 minutes ago, maninsoma said:

I think it's a matter of priorities as well as staffing.  I suppose a police department could focus on stings of men and women who advertise on line, or run ads themselves to catch prospective clients who contact them.  We know that that has happened on occasion.  The reality is that I don't think most people would react positively to a police department focusing its resources on that, particularly if there were other crimes happening that were being ignored.  That is particularly true in more politically liberal places.

 

If you get caught you get a fine, right? Or how it? I'm sorry but Google doesn't state anything directly. It just says you can get either that or jail (it doesn't specify). I'm just wondering in which escenario you go to prison. Perhaps by trafficking it? Anybody knows?

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This might be a good place to remind people that suggesting you paid someone for X Y or Z sex-act puts escorts at risk of imprisonment.

You pay for their company  If they chose to take things to the next level, that is on them and their personal choice. Not part of a business transaction...so people need to Stop posting suggestions that their sexual encounter was merely transactional.

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2 hours ago, nycboi said:

If you get caught you get a fine, right? Or how it? I'm sorry but Google doesn't state anything directly. It just says you can get either that or jail (it doesn't specify). I'm just wondering in which escenario you go to prison. Perhaps by trafficking it? Anybody knows?

The reason the information online is vague is that this isn't a one size fits all situation.  I'm sure in some jurisdictions the prosecution and potential penalty is much more extreme.  Then there are the specifics of the situation that could impact sentencing -- first "offense" or not; any hint of exploitation (i.e., sex trafficking); etc.  If you are a "john" who is busted for the first time for attempting to hire an adult -- probably a fine and probation, at most.  The bottom line is that if a client is that concerned about law enforcement, two course of action are prudent: either don't hire at all, or hire only well known guys with known contact information so you know you aren't getting caught in a "sting."  If you really are in New York, I doubt you have reason to be concerned about law enforcement unless you do something stupid.  The bigger risk is probably getting ripped off.

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2 minutes ago, maninsoma said:

The reason the information online is vague is that this isn't a one size fits all situation.  I'm sure in some jurisdictions the prosecution and potential penalty is much more extreme.  Then there are the specifics of the situation that could impact sentencing -- first "offense" or not; any hint of exploitation (i.e., sex trafficking); etc.  If you are a "john" who is busted for the first time for attempting to hire an adult -- probably a fine and probation, at most.  The bottom line is that if a client is that concerned about law enforcement, two course of action are prudent: either don't hire at all, or hire only well known guys with known contact information so you know you aren't getting caught in a "sting."  If you really are in New York, I doubt you have reason to be concerned about law enforcement unless you do something stupid.  The bigger risk is probably getting ripped off.

I am asking all these questions because I'm seriously thinking in becoming an escort. I would lie to you if I tell you I'm not scared. My location is New York. Doesn't sound crazy to travel abroad to escort in places where sex work is less penalized. 

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12 minutes ago, nycboi said:

I am asking all these questions because I'm seriously thinking in becoming an escort. I would lie to you if I tell you I'm not scared. My location is New York. Doesn't sound crazy to travel abroad to escort in places where sex work is less penalized. 

You mentioned your desire to become an escort back in December. I recall you did not take kindly to the comments about how difficult it will be to establish a supporting client base at your age (late 30s, right?) and the limits you indicated you wanted to operate under. Has any of this changed?  If not I have to tell you, regardless of legality, running a profitable escorting business will be hard - as a long time observer my opinion is that those that become a success start early and build a recurring customer base.  

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1 hour ago, KeepItReal said:

You mentioned your desire to become an escort back in December. I recall you did not take kindly to the comments about how difficult it will be to establish a supporting client base at your age (late 30s, right?) and the limits you indicated you wanted to operate under. Has any of this changed?  If not I have to tell you, regardless of legality, running a profitable escorting business will be hard - as a long time observer my opinion is that those that become a success start early and build a recurring customer base.  

Thanks for your interest. But I don't want to discuss that on here. So please let's try to stay on topic. Ps. I didn't take some of the comments kindly back then because I was disrespected by a few posters for just highlighting my preferences as an escort. They took it personal it seems to the point of trying to ridiculize me and even insult me (yes, I was directly insulted by one and he never got an infraction!). Tell me how I was suppossed to take those replies in a good way? Honestly, some people online are just way too sensitive these days. You start hating a random poster for just wanting to have their limits. Jesus. What I said back then was not even a final decision. If you don't agree just don't hire. No need to attack someone. Let's move on.

Edited by nycboi
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Your biggest concern is the crack down on "sex-trafficking".

Now that may seem to have nothing to do with you....BUT

A client hiring you from one state and asking you to travel to another state CAN easily be defined as sex-trafficking if someone is trying to score some points at election time...you may get caught up in a sting operation.

So always be discreet about pay for play, and especially if you're traveling for that reason.

 

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Men need to get off. It's strange that the powers that be would interfere with that when the parties are all consenting adults.

You can wine and dine someone to get you off, but just exchanging money raises eyebrows.Of course, the cops have been known to get their needs taken care of too in similar fashion. They don't get arrested for it.

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On 2/21/2022 at 5:19 AM, Lucky said:

Men need to get off. It's strange that the powers that be would interfere with that when the parties are all consenting adults.

You can wine and dine someone to get you off, but just exchanging money raises eyebrows.Of course, the cops have been known to get their needs taken care of too in similar fashion. They don't get arrested for it.

It’s the world we live in unfortunately where not only is sex demonized, but the business of taking someone’s money in exchange is not allowed. The people who make the laws are known for being hypocritical and doing the same exact thing behind closed doors.

 

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  • 6 months later...
7 hours ago, arnemgreeves said:

As I understand it, backpage and craigslist were taken down because of human trafficking concerns.

Ostensibly, yes. In reality? Probably politics. Backpage were cooperating with law enforcement on trafficking (and very effectively, at that) for years and were tolerated. Something changed, and we may never know exactly what, but we do know that the high-profile takedown of a politically expedient target coincided with a certain vice-president's (then candidate for senate) rise to prominence. Law enforcement ultimately lost their #1 resource for catching actual traffickers, and many sex workers who lost a relatively favourable advertising option were forced towards more exploitative ones. 

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Manhattan to Stop Prosecuting Prostitution, Part of Nationwide Shift
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/21/nyregion/manhattan-to-stop-prosecuting-prostitution.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
 

as of April 2021,  NYC no longer considers Sex work / Prostitution illegal.   Shortly thereafter, other cities such as Baltimore, Chicago, Boston etc made similar announcements

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2 hours ago, JTtorretto said:

Manhattan to Stop Prosecuting Prostitution, Part of Nationwide Shift
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/21/nyregion/manhattan-to-stop-prosecuting-prostitution.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
 

as of April 2021,  NYC no longer considers Sex work / Prostitution illegal.   Shortly thereafter, other cities such as Baltimore, Chicago, Boston etc made similar announcements

That applies to providers only.

The article makes clear that clients were still going to be arrested and prosecuted. So, right now and where I live, _I'm_ assuming all the legal risk.

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