For the attention of TORL, Ruhama, Doras Luimni, etc

[ladiesman217]

My name is LDM. Well no, my name is really not LDM it is simply a username, my real name ultimately is not important. Why? Because I am simply a human being. A man. For all intents and purposes, a decent man. Yes I may have more than my fair share of mental health problems, but if the old saying "wouldn't hurt a fly" ever applied to a single human, I'm certain I would be among the prime candidates. Why am I telling you this? Well anyone with half a brain can tell from my ramblings on here and across the road that I certainly do not exactly have the greatest self-respect or esteem. As I said I have issues.

But that truly is neither here nor there. I have never caused mental or physical harm to another human being in my life. I am a kind and decent man... who visits and pays escorts, and most importantly of all has the highest of respects for them. I am a client, one of many whom you seek to criminalise. Have I ever seen an escort whom I believed for a single millisecond was nervous/scared/forced against her will? No. Maybe I have been lucky in that regard, but not for an instant do I accept that human trafficking does not exist in this country. Of course it does. But what you fail to acknowledge is that there IS a clear difference between human trafficking and consensual sex work. That being said, I certainly acknowledge the ulterior motives and actions accredited to certain businesses and organisations. And that is who the law should be dealing with.

But that is not the purpose of this thread. The purpose of this thread is to highlight that many clients of sex workers are not monsters. I can but only use myself here as an example. But there are also many that truly are monsters. We hear about it frequently, sex workers being abused/scammed by these so-called 'clients'. Because that is a problem that cannot be ignored. Yet many sex workers do not seek legal assistance against these monsters. And I want you to ask yourselves simply this: why?

Anyway... who am I? A simple young man between 25 and 30 years of age. I've never caused any harm to a human being in my life. I have a simple job and a simple life. Though I admit here and now that that life has been completely devoid of physical intimacy, outside of my time as a client of course. I have never, or at least not yet, had a girlfriend. Not even so much as a single kiss. Why? Truthfully, I don't know. I have asked out women many times, but alas no luck. One day maybe, but I don't see the point of dwelling on things I don't have or opportunities missed. You can only change tomorrow, not yesterday.

So why do I visit sex workers? Contrary to popular belief, it is not always about sex. And that applies to a lot of clients, as I have been told that by numerous escorts I have visited. Myself, merely to fill the massive void of intimacy. To spend time in the arms of a beautiful woman. Whether it's just talking or otherwise. And that has been my way for many years now. I've not been involved as a client for very long. 6/7 years at most. I started when I was 20/21 and yes, I 100% admit that at that time it was solely to lose my virginity. And as I said earlier, of all the escorts I have visited, not for an instant can I honestly put my hand on my heart and believe that they were in anyway forced/unhappy/etc to be there. If I ever did come across someone who I felt was forced/unhappy to be there, I would leave immediately and inform the Gardaí. Luckily this has never happened to me.

All clients are different. Some are bad. Some are good and I certainly hope that most are good. But I do not know that. The only people that can answer that, are the escorts/sex workers themselves. Whom of course, you refuse to listen to.

And of course there are many sex workers that are trafficked. Do I believe that the number is as high as you claim? No. But no matter where you look, you can see profiles that are fake/suspicious. And I fail to see how criminalising clients is gonna help genuinely trafficked people. I don't know the calibre of monster that seeks out to see trafficked people. It sickens me to think about it. But I DO NOT believe that the average everyday client would even consider seeing anyone if they thought they were forced against their will.

It's no secret that I haven't much love for our own species. I've said it often enough on my online 'career'. But even I still have hope. Because without hope we have nothing. Without hope there is no point in living. Without hope there is no point of life itself.

I am a man. A good man. A kind hearted man. A respectful client. I have never negotiated prices with sex workers. I have never been violent towards ANYONE. I have gotten nothing but positive feedback from the women I have met. I have nothing but respect for all the women I have seen. And this new law that you're ever so obsessed with seeing passed... will it deter me from seeing escorts in the future, if passed? Truthfully, I do not know. I get myself checked out at STI clinics fairly regularly. I've let my own personal doctor and psychologist know that I see escorts. I asked them was I a monster. They said I was the furthest thing from one.

Because I am not a monster. And I have to believe that the majority of clients are not monsters. We're dealing with the oldest profession in the world here. And if you think that throwing a little piece of paper at it is gonna get rid of it... then you are the most naive people that have ever graced this planet. Here's an idea... instead of making people like me out to be monsters... instead of fighting against sex workers... fight WITH them. Work WITH them. The Swedish model is a failure. The World Health Organisation, Amnesty International, etc have said that this law is the wrong way to go. Do you know better than them?

My name is LDM. And I am an escort client.