Prostitution is always referred to as the World's Oldest Profession. If it is, I wonder why it is taking so long to come round to accepting it.

What is a prostitute? A mistress to many men. Someone who exchanges sexual favours in return for food or goods.

The first prostitute probably was one of our cave dwelling ancestors who was 'nice' to a cave man in exchange for a haunch of mammoth. It was a common sense 'survival' sort of arrangement back then. Things have not changed. It still is today.

It's not a very nice word though. 'Prostitute'. I don't like it. It is almost spat out by people in a disrespectul manner. There are a host of equally distasteful descriptions...'Tart', 'Whore', 'Ho', Floosy...I could fill a page.

I think prostitution should be looked at in the vein of 'there but for the grace of God go I'. Such a way of life is not so very far away especially in difficult economic times.

In the UK during the 2nd World War there were numerous women who 'gave' themselves for a pair of silk stockings. I suppose privately they would argue that they were in love (albeit temporarily) and the stockings were a gift from their partners.

Not so different either from the 'one night' marriages that take place on the Saudi/Jordanian border each Spring. Men marry young Bedouin girls for one night and divorce them in the morning whilst generously rewarding for the few hours of passion. Is that so very different from prostitution?

What about the many failed one day, two day, three day Las Vegas marriages? Does it really make that much difference if someone says a few words?

How much short time?

How much long time?

Will you marry me?

Long or short it is a sexual, monetary or favour sort of relationship.

Prostitutes definitely do not deserve the bad sort of press they do. They definitely don't need the stereotype of the rough looking, coarse tongued sluts we see in movies. There are many so called 'respectable' married women who would equally well fit such a description.

Prostitutes are no different to any other worker. They can be of either sex, they are providing a service and working hard for their money. It is not a job I would like to do...but then each to their own. However if my family were hungry and alternative employment was not available then I would. Think on. A Nurse in Thailand can expect a salary of between 1,500 - 4,500 Baht, A prostitute can earn that in a day.

I neither condemn nor condone prostitution. If it is consensual I simply accept it. Many of my friends, both male, female and kathoey earn their living by prostitution. They are lovely people. They are kind, funny, sad, lonely, happy, crazy, caring, loving, clever, daft. In fact they are just like you and I. They have children, boyfriends, husbands and families to support. They have bills to pay, food to buy, movies to see, houses to build, rice to harvest, schools to pay, clothes to buy. Yes, exactly like you and me.

And no, they don't sit around in sleazy disarray talking about disgusting things. They are lovely people, just like you and I.

They are religious too and pray before they go to work and when they come back.

Prostitution hides behind a variety of names. Escort, Bar Girl, Masseuse, Go Go Dancer, Hostess, Entertainer. Of course many of them are just that and no more but there are prostitutes among them.

To them prostitution is 'work'. Thats how they talk of it. "I have a customer, I am going to work".

There are two stereotypies held by those against prostitution.

• They were forced into it
• They don't like it

Now if they were forced into it I would be wholly 100% against what they were doing. I would not be wholly 100% against prostitution though because it is the easy way out for some and the only choice for others.

No, those who are drugged, blackmailed or forced to prostitute themselves I have the greatest sympathy for. To me that is akin to slavery and if you think about it they could just as easily be working in a garment factory or mining...which of course many are. The distinction has to be made!

The 'Profession' was not always frowned upon, indeed in ancient Babylonia it was the sacred religious duty of all women to prostitute themselves at least once. Money was exchanged and the woman would not refuse whatever may be given because that was considered sinful.

Such practices were not confined to Babylon but were know to occur in parts of the Mediterranean.

Prostitution in the ancient world was accepted and even revered in Greece as female priestesses acted as the go between to the Goddess Aphrodite.

Strange as it may seem but Sacred Temple Prostitutes were often called Temple Virgins, which they clearly were not. Gives a whole new line of thought to another story. 'Virgin' in those days meant an umarried woman of independent means and not answerable to any man.

In ancient China and Japan Prostitution was considered an artistic profession and indeed the girls were skilled in arts other than the bodily. There used to be over 430 Japanese words which described different levels of prostitution.

In most of Europe during the Middle Ages Prostitution was a flourishing profession. It was totally accepted and so regulated and an important source of tax revenue.

Within the US prostitution only became illegal between 1910 and 1915...and is still legal in some States.

Prostitution is NOT illegal in England though several activities surrounding it make it difficult for the profession.

"A prostitute is someone who loves you no matter who you are."

~ Chef from South Park on Prostitutes

"Dating is prostitution except you dont always get what you paid for"

~ Druglord Martini on Prostitution

Poor Mary Magdalene gets a bit of a bad rap in the literature. She is often depicted as a prostitute when there is no real evidence to prove that she was. Certainly the Bible does not state that she was. Other literature suggests that she had been a temple priestess and as a priestess would be a temple prostitute.

And what if she was? I would not condemn her. It will not have been any different in those far off days. She will have done what she did out of necessity or perhaps because she had no choice or perhaps because she liked it.

The Patron Saint of Prostitutes is non other than our very own Santa Claus in his guise of Saint Nicholas.

I really do not think that we can call a girl who is forced into selling herself a prostitute. She may have been drugged, stolen from her family, blackmailed or whatever. These girls are slaves. They are not getting financial reward. They are doing what they are doing to save their own or their families skin.

They cannot be condemned. It is the pimps or madams who are profiting from their rape and abuse that need condemning.

Marriage is for women the commonest mode of livelihood, and the total amount of undesired sex endured by women is probably greater in marriage than in prostitution."

A common quote is:

"A good wife should be a perfect lady in the living room, a good cook in the kitchen and a whore in bed."

"A good wife should be a lady in the parlor and a whore in bed."

Most of us are familiar with the Woman's Lingerie company 'Victoria's Secret'. I reckon that few are aware that this is reference to an apparent secret of straight laced old Queen Victoria - 'You have to be a Queen on the throne and a whore in bed'. True or not she did have nine children.

Think on though not all partners are that good in the kitchen. What do you do? You go out for a meal somewhere special. Eat food cooked exquisitely by professionals.

Now you have to consider the bedroom side of things. I don't doubt that more marriages are saved by a visit to a prostitute than are destroyed by them. I reckon a man who visits a prostitute is much less likely to have an affair.

I believe only 10% of British men admit to ever having gone with a prostitute. Personally I believe the true figure will be much, much, much higher.

 The "one night stand". A common enough phrase these days and a seemingly acceptable arrangement. Why should it be more acceptable than going with a prostitute? Does the fact that money changes hand rather than half a dozen vodka and cokes make it any different?

I think not.

There are some who like what they are doing and some who do not. It is work. It pays and pays well.

There are good customers and bad customers. In time it becomes easy to cut oneself off from the activity in hand.