Meghan Murphy is at the centre of a battle going on between feminists who argue that porn and prostitution (‘sex-work’) is somehow liberating for women and those like Meghan Murphy and Rachel Moran who say women are victims of the sex industry, that ‘neo-liberal’ feminists are acting like trolls for sexists and patriarchy, and who support the ‘Nordic’ model of penalizing pimps and customers of prostitutes (johns).
from feminist current, with thanks. This interview was conducted and translated into French by Francine Sporenda for the website, Révolution Féministe. It has been edited for clarity and length.
Francine Sporenda: What are your thoughts on French Parliament’s recent vote to criminalize the purchase of sex in France?
Meghan Murphy: The recent vote in French parliament to adopt the Nordic model is not only an important and historic win for France, but for all of the EU (and, more broadly, for the world), as it sets a precedent for other countries. That parliamentarians have acknowledged prostitution as a form of violence against women and as inherently coercive is enormously impactful — this is exactly the kind of feminist analysis that industry lobbyists and sexist, entitled men have worked so hard to silence (for obvious reasons).

The continued existence and social acceptance of prostitution relies on the ability to erase the reality of the industry — to erase the real women and girls impacted and to erase the actual idea of prostitution, in and of itself. The sex industry depends on our ability, as humans, to say, “It’s fine, it’s safe, it’s a choice, it’s harmless — just a neutral ‘job’ like any other ‘job,’” and to ignore what is happening to real women in the industry. Continue reading “Meghan Murphy on the liberal backlash against feminism”