Earlier in February Aftonbladet reported about a statement from The Moderate Party member Göran Jämting where he sympathizes with men who pay for sex and said: “there are actually men who never find a woman”. The statement was regarding whether a strip club in Åre should be given a license to sell alcohol.
Jämting’s statements about sex purchases and stripping is disrespectful and sexist:
”I am not judgmental when it comes to people who want to run strip clubs. I think we have an extreme attitude here in Sweden. I don’t want to come off as categorical when I’m discussing this matter. As far as I know; women from The Baltic are mainly the ones who are strippers. It’s a way for them to provide for themselves isn’t it?”.
Jämting’s comments are problematic on several points; Jämting states that men’s sexual “needs” should be allowed to circumvent the Sex Trade Law which is in effect in Sweden and serves as a protection for women and human rights. But Jämting also says to feel pity for men who never “find” a woman but doesn’t seem to think we should pity ”Women from The Baltic”.
Jämting’s expression makes us realize that his opinion is that men have a right to buy women and sexual services whenever they want or feel like it. Stating that sex shouldn’t be about equality and mutual appreciation but instead simply being about “getting” sex and women seems old fashioned and sexist.
Jämting trivializes the potential coercing which often is a cause to stripping and prostitution and claims that it’s “just women from The Baltic who are strippers” and as such we have no problems with sex trade. Jämting’s comments are problematic and unsettling and his understanding of strip clubs and sex trade seems rather poor.
Source: www.Aftonbladet.se
Elin & Hennie Weiss for RealStars