Obviously Diane Sawyer had a very negative bias in her questions and "how can you sell your body and soul" type questions. Most of it was the terrible situation of street hookers on drugs with pimps as we would expect. They did a fairly good job at the Bunny Ranch to show how guys can be sold to pay outrageous prices and probably cherry picked the stories to find the worst dramatic situations. The best of course was the upper end gal in shadows who was very intelligent and for the most part was the only positive side of the story.

Here are a few of zillions of response from outraged providers and a few others
Behind every prostitute is a story of sex abuse, drug dependency or mental illness," Sloan said. "No one chooses this."So unless Sloan has talked to every women who has ever been a prostitute, I find this comment to be ignorant.Yes I am a 33 year old prostitute in the US. I have been doing this for 4 years and I love it. Oh and guess what? I have never been abused sexually, physically, or mentally. I have never used drugs of any kind, not even smoked a cigarette in my life. I have no mental illness, I live my life day to day, paying my bills and my taxes. I served 6 years in the U.S. Air Force and I am collage educated (2 degrees). Sorry to burst your stereotype, I guess it does not make for a good story to know that there is a Positive side to prostitution, but the Disney owned ABC will not let America Know of it.I chose to be a prostitute for many reasons, none of which have anything to do with drugs alcohol or mental issues. Yes I will write a book about it, may not sell much because it isn't a sad story.
Posted by:
AProvider

As an elite companion, I was urged by several of my friends to watch this 'special report'. I nearlydeclined, as almost all 'reports' I have seen are erroneous and slanted, biased on American society's puritan foundations, inaccurate stereotypes and media portrayals of sex workers. I was both heartened and saddened by Sawyer's interviews and the obvious editing of the editorial staff. However, I cannot speak for others, but rather choose to share an insight into my background, exceptional, yes, but not unusual for many women I know.

I am probably the most unlikely person most would ever consider finding in this profession. I was accepted to MIT on a full scholarship at the age of 14, and have a Ph.D. from an another top-ranked ivy-covered college, again on full scholarship. My I.Q. is around 153 points, higher than both of my parents. I came from an upper-middle class family of highly regarded professionals, where education, social responsibility and religion reigned supreme. My childhood was far from perfect, but no less normal than most. Blessed by some cosmic gene, I was able to work as a successful print model for quite sometime before my academic studies took me elsewhere. The marriage between looks and intellect attracted wealthy and powerful men as almost an everyday occurrence. The result was a natural conclusion, and is most certainly a choice.

I love what I do, and the select clientele that have blessed my life with knowledge, opportunity and wisdom that the Library of Alexandra could not compare too. I am not in pain, or emotionally scarred. In fact, I am completely normal, I just happen to view intimacy different than most. I am aware, at peace and at choice. And there are plenty more like me, except you will never find us on TV., after all I am probably your neighbor....
Posted by:
exceptionalone

I believe that prostitution should be legal for anyone over the age of 21. The only reason that it is not legal is because it would give women control over their own bodies, and give men less control. I believe that prostitution would cut down on rape, molestation, and the stigma about women's bodies that make us ashame of our natural beauty. Any adult should have the right to do what they want with their own body as long as it does not hurt anyone.
Posted by:
Shirley6400

As an escort, I was very dismayed to see those like me unrepresented since we make up the majority of the sex business. Streetwalkers account for 10% and brothel girls are a different breed all together. I have met so many others like myself, educated, with other careers who make ends meet, put their children through college, open businesses from money earned through middle-class and upper-class prostitution. The girls I know, including myself do not suffer from addictions, do not have pimps, are not beaten by their clients. We screen heavily and do not accept every man who contacts us. We are the majority of the business yet we were completely absent from your report. Is that because our world is quite normal? We aren't victims and that doesn't make a good story? I truly wish you had investigated a little deeper instead of going after streetwalkers and brothel girls and saying "Working Girls Speak" because the truth is, most of us weren't given a voice.Veronica Franco http://www.VeronicaFranco.com

Diane Sawyer came out of this story with the conclusion she went into it with. Her cultural assumptions don't allow her even to consider that it is the prohibition of prostitution that perpetuates the bondage to pimps, drug abuse, violence, STD's, diminished self-esteem, and despair. None of the women at the Moonlight Bunny Ranch were being beaten up, given drugs to keep them in sexual slavery, robbed of their earnings, or being threatened with violence if they left. None of them were engaging in risky sexual behavior. All of them were as free as women working in any other industry to seek legal, psychiatric, finaancial, and pastoral counselling to help them improve their well-being.

In contrast, we saw police resources diverted from preventing and solving violent crimes, including investigating those who enslave, rape, and murder prostitutes -- and instead being wasted on harrassing prostitutes and their customers engaging in consentual adult exchanges.The obvious conclusion is that only 30 legal brothels in a few lightly populated counties in one state out of fifty is far too few to prevent the tragedy the prohibition of prostitution causes. It only requires a dispassionate view of this tragedy, free from bias caused by the least godly and most political aspects of religion, to conclude that liberating both men and women from the inane laws prohibiting prostitution can separate this industry from all the associated problems of it being criminalized.
Posted by:
JneilSchulman

I was an escort and worked for a Madame in New York for 2 years. I was never molested and came from a wonderful home. I made fantastic money, but six years after I left the industry, I fear that my family, friends, boyfriend, and employers could somehow find out. It is very difficult and painful to constantly lie about that period in my life. I have forgiven myself for NOT feeling guilty about my experiences, I just know others could not.
Posted by:
NYCniceness

I have been an escort for over 7 years. Indoor invisible sexworkers like me, comprise the vast majority of sex workers. I have a degree. I have 2 children. I don't take any drugs. I don't regret what I do. It was harder to do my last job which was a crisis counselor. I used to make $45,000 a year and now I make $250,000 a year I live in Canada and claim my income as an escort. It's legal for me. It's 3 nights a week. I also do 2 day of charity work. Your portrayal seemed bent to make it look sad and bad -which for street workers it is. For the rest of us it's pretty good. I'm a soccer mom with lots of time for my kids. I'm happy as are most of my peers. I wasn't abused. Drop the stereotypes.
Posted by:
jadedjinx

I notice that Diane Sawyer had an easy time expressing tender feelings for the hookers on the street, but she looked like she’d eaten bad food as she tried to understand the feelings of independence expressed by the educated woman who had 7 rich clients. I totally agree with that woman. Money creates the boundaries for a clean, therapeutic relationship. Yes. Just like a therapist. You pay them to be in an intimate relationship with you. And then you both walk away. No fuss, no muss. And no heartbreak. I could see Diane’s Junior Miss mind struggling to understand the Amazon freedom that woman expressed so clearly. Diane asked her, “Which is WORSE – what you’re doing, or marrying someone for money?” What she’s doing isn’t BAD, Diane. It’s just business. And it’s none of YOUR business. That woman doesn’t need your anything, Diane. God bless the child that’s got her own.
Posted by:
firefox414

How to make things better? I'll tell you exactly how: 1) Social welfare programs will give people better options, 2) A sexually open society in which people can get as much sex as they want for free will be one in which they are far less likely to pay for it, 3) Legalizing prostitution will ensure that those that decide to go into the field will be safe and protected. If you really want to stop the things you saw from happening, those are exactly the steps you should take. If you want to perpetuate those things, do anything else.
Posted by:
FreiheitAvatar

I am watching the show and am shocked how biased it is. With Diana's distaste and preconceived ideas for what working girls are, it is impossible for her to do unbiased reporting. It is a problem that most working girls have with "normal" women. I am a web escort and am siting in a nice hotel after a days work. I made today what I once made in a month of factory work. Do girls cry when they do this? Sure. Do they get hurt. Sure but sadly I was hurt more and cried more when I had straight jobs. All Jobs have pluses and minuses. I am sure there has been a cost to Diane's life being a news reporter. Diane Keeps asking who was this gal before she was a prostitute. I would like to answer. I was the same person, only broker, sicker, sadder and with lower self esteem then I have now. When I had the same job for 6 years and could not afford to give my kid money for a field trip was when I made the choice to enter the sex field. This was my way out and has given me a much better life then I had before. I have never worked on the street, I have never had a pimp and I am more worried about dealing with the law and cops then I am worried about my clients. I relate more to the woman that choose her clients. I do not see everyone that contacts me. And do drop clients that behave badly. The biggest way to make this safe it for working girls to be able to identify their clients. It is anonymous clients that are the most risky, the most likely to hurt us. They are the ones that think they can get away with it and not be found. But when we know who they are and can trace the client to his work or his home address he behaves. The bunny ranch puts much stress on people, locking them up for the whole time they are there. I could not live that way. I love the freedom this gives me. I do not have a totally developed exit plan yet. I started this at age 34 and plan to continue till I am in my mid 50's. By then I expect to have a nice 401K and social security.
Posted by:
ddlynn3

To say what we do is wrong is one thing, but to say that all of us have these same abuse issues is crazy. All this does is make for a good story. NO one wants to hear the truth. The truth is. I know alot of escorts and I know them on a personal level. I do not know one of them that abuse drugs or are in this because someone is making them. This is real life. We don't stand on the streets begging for money, or have pimps that beat us. We are consenting adults that accomodate other consenting adults.
Posted by:
AnotherProvider

On a Sad Note:
This post shows why I have stressed for years getting the street hookers OFF THE STREETS, have rehab programs for drugs, a safehouse sitution from pimps like the one I was involved in many years ago in Minneapolis. Making it legal to be a public nuisance only creates more women victims on the streets. We need to have tougher laws against street hookers with required rehab programs!:
HI DIANE, MY NAME IS JB AND I WAS THE PERSON DRIVING THE MOBILE VAN WHEN YOU WERE IN CAMDEN. I WAS WORKING FOR AHEC AT THE TIME. I JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU THE UNFORTUATE NEWS ABOUT VERONICA. .... SHE HAD DARK HAIR AND SHWEDYOU WERE SHE HAD BEEN STABBED WHILE TALKING TO YOU ON THE MOBILE VAN.ANY WAY SHE IS NO LOGER WITH US , SHE WAS FOUND MURDERED BEHIND A FIREHOUSE IN A SURROUNDING CITY OF CAMDEN. PRESUMELY BY DRUG DEALERS.
Posted by:
jbvandriver