The During The Pearl Harbor Attack - 897 Words

After the Pearl Harbor attack, many of the brothels were converted into makeshift hospitals. Consequently, the prostitutes left the brothels and moved to new locations, but within a year the police wanted to reinforce the old restrictions. However, with their newfound freedom in hand, this group of prostitutes picketed in front of the local police headquarters. They also organized a labor strike for 22 days in June of 1942 and it forced the police to compromise on their restrictions. However, this more liberal system was eventually discontinued in 1944 due to an order by the Governor of Hawaii. The regulations were overly intrusive, like the experiment in St. Louis, but venereal disease rates were â€Å"phenomenally low† where prostitution†¦show more content†¦After all, The Happy Hooker eventually sold over 15 million copies beginning in the 1970s. In fact, a poll in California (Field Poll) in 1971 found that 50% of the respondents supported the legalization of prostitution as opposed to 42% against it! In an odd way, it was another example of the reoccurring theme in which the politics of prostitution are reexamined during times of war. This time around, the U.S. military imposed very laissez faire restrictions in regards to prostitution during the Vietnam War. Also, in an unprecedented manner, various prostitutes formed their own political activism organizations, thus spawning the catchphrase â€Å"Hooker’s Lib.† The most renowned of these organizations, COYOTE (Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics), was founded by a former prostitute, Margo St. James. Notably, one very prominent advocate member of COYOTE, Carol Leigh, created the term â€Å"sex worker† in the 1970s. Her intention was to reduce the stigma attached to prostitution and assert the legitimacy of her profession in the process. As a result, â€Å"sex worker† is now considered the politically correct term in many circles. Margo St. James has been an extremely effective lobbyist. She had a knack for maximizing her media appearances and coined some quirky slogans such as â€Å"A blowjob is better than no job† or â€Å"The real victim of victimless crime is the taxpayer.† In addition, COYOTE challenged many state and local prostitution laws. For example, the Rhode Island