Political whores

>> >> New political party of prostitutes hopes to throw a kink into the next federal election

by JOHN EDMONDS

While it's a safe bet that some members of the House of Commons in Ottawa have had experience with prostitutes, it's unlikely that they have done so in the Parliament Buildings themselves. But this might change if the plan of some of Montreal's sex-trade workers to create a new political party--the Parti Populaire des Putes (PPP)--comes to its natural climax.

"The idea of the PPP was formed immediately after the rejection of the 'Pilot Project' to have a special zone for prostitution in the Centre-Sud," says Delores, a member of the Coalition pour les droits des travailleuses et travailleurs du sexe, and a PPP organizer. The project--dubbed a "red light district"--would have seen the creation of a decriminalization zone for prostitution.

"But the concept was scarcely understood before it was dropped," she says. Advocates argue that it would have had many benefits for sex workers and other residents, by eliminating the adversarial dynamic between prostitutes and police. "For example, if the police try to deal with the problem of discarded needles and they crack down, any needle-users who see the police will just toss their rig--so you get more discarded needles," says Delores. "And it would have stopped prostitutes from getting harrassed because some guy who lives in the neighbourhood calls the cops every time he sees her on the corner because he's mad she wouldn't suck his cock without a condom."

After the failure of the City of Montreal plan in March, things felt very tense. "There was a dead pigeon left on the doorsteps of STELLA, the prostitutes' drop-in centre," says Delores. "Almost everybody from the Coalition or STELLA who spoke out at the public meetings in favour of the project received death threats. And at the meetings themselves some of the people who came forward were unbelievable. One guy stood at the microphone with a baseball bat--in front of municipal politicians--and said 'Prostitution brings violence to the neighbourhood. And if I see any prostitutes on my street I'm going to beat them with this!' And there were also bomb threats."

"So after all that we wanted to move forward with something positive," she says. "And since the laws that make prostitution illegal are federal laws, we decided to try and get people elected to the House of Commons."

Fun in the House

While the PPP has yet to create a detailed platform, they have decided on some basic principles: to put an end to hypocrisy and discrimination about the sex trade, to achieve the decriminalization of sex work and to demand that sex workers be given their rights--including security and dignity.

But they also vow to "struggle against neo-liberalism, the source of poverty, racism and exclusion."

Delores--who considers herself part of the "New Girl Order" of sex-friendly feminists--says she feels bad she couldn't join the anti-OAS protest in Windsor, and "can't wait till the FTAA protest in Quebec City." She also has a sticker on her bike which reads "Good girls go to heaven. Bad girls overthrow neo-liberalism."

"There are other examples of this in the world. There's La Cicciolina in Italy, the porn star who got elected for the Green Party. And a left-wing female politician called 'Megaputa' in Mexico," says Delores.

The PPP makes its political debut this Sunday June 11, at 4 p.m., at Les Foufounes Électriques. Says Delores, "Our MC will be Radio-Canada radio host Michel Garneau. We'll give a presentation about our principles and unveil our logo. And then there'll be entertainment with bands like Les Slot Machines. Anyone who is our ally is welcome." The event should also help the group get the 400 signatures necessary for them to become an official political party.

"There's a lot of work to do, but we'll be ready if there's a fall election. It might be fun to run someone against Paul Martin, or in Chrétien's riding," Delores says.

If they do succeed in electing "dé-pute-és" to the House of Commons, it would be a welcome development to those who feel that sex workers--which include porno actors, phone sex workers, strippers and masseuses--need a political voice.

And many other observers would no doubt find it refreshing to see elected members of parliament who freely admit that they are political whores. :


For more information about the PPP, call Marie-Claude at 285-1599

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