It’s a dirty job, but . . .
DOE-backed book claims: ‘Sex work is work’
Prostitution — nbd. A book that compares sex work to occupations like store clerk and architect has been made available to New York City high-schoolers, and some parents aren’t happy about it.
“Seeing Gender: an Illustrated Guide to Identity and Expression” is accessible to public high-school students as part of city Department of Education’s woke Mosaic curriculum, which then-Mayor Bill de Blasio introduced in 2021 to make educational materials more “diverse.”
“Over time, sex work has shifted from something common and even celebrated to something highly stigmatized,” author Iris Gottlieb writes in a section of the 208-page book titled “‘Sex Work’ Is Not a Bad Term.”
“One important thing to note is that sex work is work. It’s a job like being a store clerk, an architect, or a freelance writer. We all, unfortunately, have to do work to make a living.”
The book is not taught in city classrooms, but public high-school students can access it for free via the Sora app, which provides access to a vast digital library of books.
Maud Maron, a House candidate and mother of four public-school kids, ripped the DOE for making the book easily available for teens to read without parental consent.
“Prostitution is not equivalent to other forms of work,” the Manhattan Democrat said.
“Politicians will have their photos taken after they don an apron and flip pancakes at a charity event, even though they are not short-order cooks, but they won’t get on their knees to [sexually service] clients.”
To say sex work is typical “is a lie, and everyone know it,” she said.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino said the “Seeing Gender” has no place on a DOEsanctioned app.
“There’s a reason a stigma is attached to sex work,” said the former Westchester County executive. “We don’t want women or men to be in that position and have to deal with the dangerous part of it.”
Research has shown that sex workers are at much higher risk of being victims of violent crime.
DOE spokeswoman Nicole Brownstein defended “Seeing Gender” being made available to teens.
“We trust our high-school students understand that books represent the views of their authors, and appreciate access to varied opinions, including those that are controversial,” she said. “We value and honor our students’ perspectives and identities, and we provide opportunities for family voices to be heard on topics including school book selections.”