Where are they?

I have been reading some articles about prostitution out there in the world and yes it includes the United States. For folks who do not understand what the word prostitution means: it means selling your body(intercourse or other sexual behaviors for money or other tangible goals like drugs. There have been statistics on arrest numbers of prostitutes (female and males) and arrests upon johns (people who buy sex) in some states. No one knows the exact number of prostitutes in United States because there has been no tracking. And WHO would want to come up and say "Yeah I'm a prostitute" for even a census survey? Anyway, I was reading this article "how the Dutch protect their prostitutes," "Prostitution in the United States- The Statistics" and even Wikipedia's article on prositution. Only one thing kept popping up in my mind while surveying those articles and others.

Where are the deaf prostitutes?!

DON'T tell me that they don't exist. Don't say "pooh, there are no deaf women or men selling their bodies for money or drugs." I have seen a legless prostitute in a wheelchair (and don't tell me she wasn't a prostitute, she was out there in 20 degrees in an outfit made of only a bra, panties and fishnet dress you can see through) with some other women barely clad. I worked with a mentally ill and deaf client who sold her body for drugs down in a city back in the east coast. What I had learned from her, I could see how it would be easy. I mean, if a deaf woman that barely graduated from high school, living on SSI and craving drugs to forget what she had experienced in childhood (rape by father and then sent into a foster home where she was continuingly raped by someone that should not have even been accepted as a foster parent.)

I read that after communism fell in Russia, many deaf women and men started to sell their bodies in purpose to survive in the chaos. There is noticeable postitution among the deaf population in Africa. HIV/AIDS is very common there in Africa, especially in the vulnerable numbers of women, children and disabled. I am sure some of you have read that men would have sex with children, in the belief that HIV can be "cured"by having intercourse with a virgin child or woman. Hell, I could read articles about deaf women or men going into prostitution in other countries but not here? Is it a taboo to talk about prostitution? Is it something that one shouldn't talk or even think about; the possibility of *gasp* a DEAF person being a prostitute? I read in several reports that disabled children are easier to be taken advantage of by adults for molestion. That goes for drugs... Hell, 1 in 7 deaf uses drugs. 1 in 10 hearing uses drugs. Do math. So, isn't that a potential possbility that there ARE deaf prostitutes out there here in the United States? Are there any services working with those on protecting themselves, STDS prevention, financial management, confidence development and the possibility of leaving prostitution for good? If there are, I would LIKE to know!

I have a deaf friend who is open about herself being a prostitute. She experienced horrible unspeakable incidents throughout her childhood and adolescence, that after she told me of her experiences, I had nightmares for nights afterwards. Not many organizations would take her in because she is not "mental retarded enough", "not mentally ill enough," and/or "not eligible for services." So the vicious cycle continues for her. After I spoke with her about writing this post, she said, "Tell people, don't stick your nose up at us, what are we supposed to do? Slap a happy face on our faces, live in neighborhoods where a woman couldn't walk at night without being assaulted, and survive on ramen noodles rest of our lives? YOU don't know. If you don't know what is going in our lives, then you have NO right to judge us. Screw you all!" What can I say to that? She is right.