Representing the Sex Industries

With Dr. Beth Ribet, Co-Director of Repair

Date: Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Time: 4:00 – 6:00 PM

Location: UCLA School of Law, Room 3467

In this lecture and dialogue, Dr. Beth Ribet, who will be introduced by Professor Claudia Peña, will address the framing and representation of people in systems of prostitution in popular media, academic theory, political discourse, and in the criminal justice system. Within this discussion, Dr. Ribet will explore the contemporary politics of sex trafficking rhetoric, and will specifically introduce analysis of the recent framing, in right-wing media, of Donald Trump as an anti-trafficking hero supposedly responsible for the rescue of trafficked children and women. She will also delve into the history and ramifications of the dichotomy between the terms “sex work” and “sex trafficking”, and will identify the need for feminist, race-conscious analysis and interventions to address the relationship between whiteness, white women, and pimping in the United States. Dr. Ribet’s lecture will conclude with discussion of the hyper-vulnerability of sexually exploited youth and adults, and the prospects for advancing survivor-driven approaches to comprehending and naming the sex industries. Discussion and commentary will follow by Jyoti Nanda, Binder Clinical Teaching Fellow at UCLA School of Law.

Organized by Repair. Co-sponsored by CSW, UCLA Department of Gender Studies, and the UCLA Law Youth and Justice Clinic.