By Boyce Watkins, PhD
When I first heard about the recentrape allegation against former New York Giant Lawrence Taylor, I wasn't sure what to think. I can say that I was highly skeptical of his wife's claims that her husband was set up. There was something inside, though, that led me to wonder how in the world someone could argue that they accidentally ended up in a room with an underage girl or didn't know they were having sex with one. In New York state, even if you don't know you're with an underage woman, you are still held responsible in the end. So, without regard to Taylor's situation, I was simply curious about how all this works.
That led me to do some investigating to find out more about the dark world of teen prostitution and the experiences of young women who enter into this seedy profession at such an early age.
In a telling expose, journalist Chiderah Aalisa interviews a woman who knows quite a bit about the underworld of teenage prostitution and is all too willing to share her knowledge of the dangers. The woman gives a false name, Regina, since she has to protect her identity. In the story, Aalisa had this to say:
"They have a list of men they plan to sleep with before they're 21 years old...athletes and celebrities are on it." Young girls, ages 15 and 16, pretending to be 18 and older. A woman named Regina has seen these girls even as naive as 13 posing as older women, sporting fake identities ordered from online vendors.
The woman goes on to explain that the teen prostitutes use date rape drugs in order to get the men to go to sleep, and then take pictures of the men with underage women and threaten to give the pictures to police. They are aided by the fact that being with an underage woman in a sexual way is a crime, even if you are not aware of what you're doing. In the state of New York, for example, any man over the age of 21 who has sexual intercourse with a woman under the age of 17 can get up to four years in prison. For a list of statutory rape penalties in different states across the country, click here.
Aalisa accounts Regina's description of how some teen prostitutes might take advantage of their victims:
"They think...why make $100, when you can make $1,000?" said the woman.
The motto isn't indicative of the mind-set of every prostitute. Instead, it describes a different kind of lust for money, precisely the kind of lust that it takes to partake in this undercover world. The female predators that Regina spent time with specifically target men they know have money.
It's an elaborate plan. The money they gain supports the drugs, alcohol, shopping and partying. It's fun, it's foolproof, and --above all -- it is blackmail. After all, these men obviously involve themselves with prostitution, and therefore perceive themselves somewhat responsible for being there in the first place. They pay up to make it all go away.
While one can hardly call a man a victim if he willingly engages in the act of hiring a prostitute, we can also argue that the punishment must fit the crime. Paying for sex is certainly not the most ethical activity in the world, but being robbed or extorted should not be the penalty for engaging in sexual deviance. The anonymous source then explains why she is telling her story and links it to the accusations against Taylor.
"I want to talk about this because it's disgusting what these girls do. They don't even think about AIDS and other diseases." She said. "And I don't believe that Lawrence Taylor did anything to that girl. I think he was a victim of another scam."
To read the story by Aalisa, please click here. I don't think that this tale implies that Taylor is guilty or innocent, but the woman's story does at least remind us that perhaps we should carefully consider the evidence before passing judgment. I've made this point before, and I will continue to make it, even though it puts me in the odd position of appearing to defend a rapist. As the father of three girls between the ages of 17 and 20, the last thing I want to condone is an old man spending "quality time" with underage women. Any man found guilty of such a crime should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. But because the consequences are so grave for both the victim and the perpetrator, we should be careful about "pre-convicting" someone in public.
The woman's story also serves as a cautionary tale to those who think they can dabble in prostitution without facing danger. While you might be on the prowl sexually, and truly believe that you are the predator, you may wake up one morning after a long, forgotten night and realize that instead of being the predator, you are actually the prey. Men like Nushawn Williams, who knowingly spread HIV to the women he slept with, are out there as well. The idea of engaging in responsible sexual choices might seem a bit antiquated, but perhaps it's okay to get to know someone for a while before sleeping together. Not thinking carefully before engaging in sexual activity might possibly cost you your life.
That led me to do some investigating to find out more about the dark world of teen prostitution and the experiences of young women who enter into this seedy profession at such an early age.
In a telling expose, journalist Chiderah Aalisa interviews a woman who knows quite a bit about the underworld of teenage prostitution and is all too willing to share her knowledge of the dangers. The woman gives a false name, Regina, since she has to protect her identity. In the story, Aalisa had this to say:
"They have a list of men they plan to sleep with before they're 21 years old...athletes and celebrities are on it." Young girls, ages 15 and 16, pretending to be 18 and older. A woman named Regina has seen these girls even as naive as 13 posing as older women, sporting fake identities ordered from online vendors.
The woman goes on to explain that the teen prostitutes use date rape drugs in order to get the men to go to sleep, and then take pictures of the men with underage women and threaten to give the pictures to police. They are aided by the fact that being with an underage woman in a sexual way is a crime, even if you are not aware of what you're doing. In the state of New York, for example, any man over the age of 21 who has sexual intercourse with a woman under the age of 17 can get up to four years in prison. For a list of statutory rape penalties in different states across the country, click here.
Aalisa accounts Regina's description of how some teen prostitutes might take advantage of their victims:
"They think...why make $100, when you can make $1,000?" said the woman.
The motto isn't indicative of the mind-set of every prostitute. Instead, it describes a different kind of lust for money, precisely the kind of lust that it takes to partake in this undercover world. The female predators that Regina spent time with specifically target men they know have money.
It's an elaborate plan. The money they gain supports the drugs, alcohol, shopping and partying. It's fun, it's foolproof, and --above all -- it is blackmail. After all, these men obviously involve themselves with prostitution, and therefore perceive themselves somewhat responsible for being there in the first place. They pay up to make it all go away.
While one can hardly call a man a victim if he willingly engages in the act of hiring a prostitute, we can also argue that the punishment must fit the crime. Paying for sex is certainly not the most ethical activity in the world, but being robbed or extorted should not be the penalty for engaging in sexual deviance. The anonymous source then explains why she is telling her story and links it to the accusations against Taylor.
"I want to talk about this because it's disgusting what these girls do. They don't even think about AIDS and other diseases." She said. "And I don't believe that Lawrence Taylor did anything to that girl. I think he was a victim of another scam."
To read the story by Aalisa, please click here. I don't think that this tale implies that Taylor is guilty or innocent, but the woman's story does at least remind us that perhaps we should carefully consider the evidence before passing judgment. I've made this point before, and I will continue to make it, even though it puts me in the odd position of appearing to defend a rapist. As the father of three girls between the ages of 17 and 20, the last thing I want to condone is an old man spending "quality time" with underage women. Any man found guilty of such a crime should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. But because the consequences are so grave for both the victim and the perpetrator, we should be careful about "pre-convicting" someone in public.
The woman's story also serves as a cautionary tale to those who think they can dabble in prostitution without facing danger. While you might be on the prowl sexually, and truly believe that you are the predator, you may wake up one morning after a long, forgotten night and realize that instead of being the predator, you are actually the prey. Men like Nushawn Williams, who knowingly spread HIV to the women he slept with, are out there as well. The idea of engaging in responsible sexual choices might seem a bit antiquated, but perhaps it's okay to get to know someone for a while before sleeping together. Not thinking carefully before engaging in sexual activity might possibly cost you your life.
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