Dear Friends:
At the request of SAGE (Standing Against Global Exploitation) I am circulating their statement concerning the publication of the book Hos, Hookers, Call Girls, and Rent Boys. They emphatically want people to know that the book's authors have no current association with SAGE. I have to say this news comes as quite a relief having read the book review earlier this week and being shocked at the alleged association. Tragically SAGE's name has been horribly misrepresented and its clients' confidentially violated.
Abolition!
Lisa
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Dear Colleagues & Allies of The SAGE Project,
Recently a book titled, Hos, Hookers, Call Girls, and Rent Boys was published by Soft Skull Press. This book is being promoted as a "bestseller" in Borders, on the New York Times, Amazon, and on "sex worker" websites as a book supported by SAGE (Standing Against Global Exploitation, www.sagesf.org).
On August 23rd, the New York Times published a review of the book which states that the editors, David Henry Sterry and R. J. Martin Jr., are currently affiliated with the SAGE Project. We want to share with you a letter that we have sent to the New York Times to address the fact that these two individuals are no longer affiliated with the organization.
We are outraged by the way this publication has been marketed and the method through which its content was secured; the book does not honor client confidentiality, naming clients currently and formerly engaged in our programs. One individual happened to stumble upon the book in a writing group and was surprised to find stories she had written in the publication. She, like many of our SAGE clients continues to be connected with the organization and her resilience and strength do not appear in the book. No effort was made to contact her prior to publication.
We are writing to you, our allies and colleagues, to let you know that SAGE’s mission and work have not changed. We stand committed to our goal to bring an end to the trauma, pain, and degradation inflicted by commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
We will update you as we move forward in addressing this issue.
The SAGE Project, Inc.
Editor
The New York Times Book Review
Sir or Madame:
We are writing to clarify statements and inferences that appeared in Toni Bentley’s review of Hos, Hookers, Call Girls, and Rent Boys (August 23, 2009).
The SAGE Project is an internationally recognized human rights organization that provides important and life-saving services for children and adults in the San Francisco area. The ultimate "project" of SAGE is to help bring about an end to commercial sexual exploitation of adults and children. Commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking are inherently harmful and have long-term negative impacts on their victims, from trauma, to physical/health implications, to socio-economic effects. SAGE does not support any system of commercial sexual exploitation. Seventy-five percent of our staff members are survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and all of our programs are survivor centered.
The book’s authors, R. J. Martin and David Sterry have no current connection with the SAGE Project. Mr. Martin was SAGE’s Development Director but left to pursue other interests at the end of 2006. Mr. Sterry was a SAGE board member from 2004 to 2006.
We have not given any permission to the authors of this book to connect SAGE with their publication. We are outraged by this misprint and want to emphasize the importance of making this correction in next Sunday’s Review.
Very truly yours,
Francine Braae
Allen Wilson
Co-Executive Directors
At the request of SAGE (Standing Against Global Exploitation) I am circulating their statement concerning the publication of the book Hos, Hookers, Call Girls, and Rent Boys. They emphatically want people to know that the book's authors have no current association with SAGE. I have to say this news comes as quite a relief having read the book review earlier this week and being shocked at the alleged association. Tragically SAGE's name has been horribly misrepresented and its clients' confidentially violated.
Abolition!
Lisa
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Colleagues & Allies of The SAGE Project,
Recently a book titled, Hos, Hookers, Call Girls, and Rent Boys was published by Soft Skull Press. This book is being promoted as a "bestseller" in Borders, on the New York Times, Amazon, and on "sex worker" websites as a book supported by SAGE (Standing Against Global Exploitation, www.sagesf.org).
On August 23rd, the New York Times published a review of the book which states that the editors, David Henry Sterry and R. J. Martin Jr., are currently affiliated with the SAGE Project. We want to share with you a letter that we have sent to the New York Times to address the fact that these two individuals are no longer affiliated with the organization.
We are outraged by the way this publication has been marketed and the method through which its content was secured; the book does not honor client confidentiality, naming clients currently and formerly engaged in our programs. One individual happened to stumble upon the book in a writing group and was surprised to find stories she had written in the publication. She, like many of our SAGE clients continues to be connected with the organization and her resilience and strength do not appear in the book. No effort was made to contact her prior to publication.
We are writing to you, our allies and colleagues, to let you know that SAGE’s mission and work have not changed. We stand committed to our goal to bring an end to the trauma, pain, and degradation inflicted by commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
We will update you as we move forward in addressing this issue.
The SAGE Project, Inc.
Editor
The New York Times Book Review
Sir or Madame:
We are writing to clarify statements and inferences that appeared in Toni Bentley’s review of Hos, Hookers, Call Girls, and Rent Boys (August 23, 2009).
The SAGE Project is an internationally recognized human rights organization that provides important and life-saving services for children and adults in the San Francisco area. The ultimate "project" of SAGE is to help bring about an end to commercial sexual exploitation of adults and children. Commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking are inherently harmful and have long-term negative impacts on their victims, from trauma, to physical/health implications, to socio-economic effects. SAGE does not support any system of commercial sexual exploitation. Seventy-five percent of our staff members are survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and all of our programs are survivor centered.
The book’s authors, R. J. Martin and David Sterry have no current connection with the SAGE Project. Mr. Martin was SAGE’s Development Director but left to pursue other interests at the end of 2006. Mr. Sterry was a SAGE board member from 2004 to 2006.
We have not given any permission to the authors of this book to connect SAGE with their publication. We are outraged by this misprint and want to emphasize the importance of making this correction in next Sunday’s Review.
Very truly yours,
Francine Braae
Allen Wilson
Co-Executive Directors
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