Session 2024-25
Crime and Policing Bill
Written evidence submitted by A professional dominatrix (CPB19)
Summary
● I am a successful, independent professional dominatrix working in the UK. I am submitting this evidence to oppose proposed changes to the Police and Crime Bill that would introduce the Nordic Model, criminalise adult services websites, and further restrict legal pornography.
● These proposals would endanger my safety and income, and they undermine the autonomy of thousands of sex workers and adult creators by ignoring consent, evidence, and lived experience.
● Full decriminalisation of sex work is the only approach supported by global human rights bodies, and it is the only approach that truly prevents harm.
● Proposed restrictions on pornography reflect outdated moral panic, not public interest. Consensual adult content is not the problem, and efforts to "sanitise" it threaten freedom of expression, artistic labour, and sexual autonomy.
● I urge the Committee to follow the evidence, not ideology, and to protect the rights and freedoms of all people working in the adult industry.
1. Introduction
1. I am a UK-based dominatrix. I have worked professionally in this field for over a decade. I work independently, set my own terms, and operate entirely within the law.
2. I am submitting evidence because the proposed legislative changes would directly impact my work, my income, and my safety - as well as the broader freedoms of adults who choose to create or enjoy sexual expression.
2. Sex Work is Not a Monolith
3. I am not a victim. I am not exploited. I am a business owner, a skilled facilitator of consensual experiences, and a well-informed participant in an adult economy.
4. Many of us work independently and ethically. The tendency to speak about "sex workers" as helpless or broken does not reflect the diversity of who we are.
5. This applies equally to adult content creators - performers, producers, and writers - whose work is also under threat from these proposals.
3. The Nordic Model Undermines Consent and Safety
6. Criminalising clients under the Nordic Model forces sex work underground. It does not reduce demand; it simply makes screening harder, boundaries less respected, and consent more difficult to uphold.
7. Evidence from France, Sweden and Northern Ireland shows increased violence, decreased reporting, and worsening stigma under these models.
8. The Nordic Model assumes all sex work is abuse. It is not. Some of the most dangerous work I’ve done was under previous laws that forced me to work in isolation. Decriminalisation changed that.
4. Adult Services Websites Are Not the Problem
9. Adult services websites are a tool I use to stay safe, set boundaries, and work independently. They are not exploitative by design - in fact, they have allowed many of us to avoid exploitative arrangements altogether.
10. If these platforms are shut down or criminalised, I and thousands like me will be pushed toward riskier forms of advertising or into dependency on third parties.
11. The U.S. example following FOSTA/SESTA shows how quickly harm escalates when sex workers lose access to digital infrastructure.
5. In Defence of Pornography and Erotic Expression
12. The proposed tightening of pornography regulation, under the guise of harm prevention, is deeply troubling.
13. While harm and abuse must always be addressed, the existence of unethical content is not a reason to criminalise or restrict the entire adult industry.
14. Pornography is a medium - not a monolith. It includes education, storytelling, fantasy, kink, romance, political satire, and yes, arousal.
15. To censor, sanitise, or constrain pornography because some people find it uncomfortable or morally questionable is to police pleasure, and to deny the legitimacy of sexual autonomy.
16. Many people, including women, LGBTQ+ people, disabled people, and neurodivergent individuals, find empowerment and connection through making and consuming adult content that reflects their realities - not just mainstream, heteronormative, or "acceptable" versions of sex.
17. What is often framed as "protecting the public" is, in fact, a thinly veiled attempt to dictate whose pleasure and bodies are acceptable, and whose are not.
18. This is not about safety - it is about control.
19. Erotic labour is creative labour. It is also political expression. Attempts to limit it should be recognised as attacks on freedom of expression, bodily autonomy, and the right to define pleasure for ourselves.
20. A thriving, ethical adult content industry is possible - and already exists - when creators are protected, paid, and treated with respect, not criminal suspicion.
6. What the Experts Say
21. The move toward full decriminalisation of sex work and adult content is backed by:
○ UNAIDS
22. These are not fringe voices. They are leading public health, policy, and human rights organisations calling for evidence-based reform.
7. Recommendations
23. Reject proposed amendments that would:
○ Introduce the Nordic Model
○ Criminalise adult services websites
○ Further restrict legal, consensual adult pornography
24. Support a policy of full decriminalisation of consensual adult sex work.
25. Work with sex workers, adult content creators, and harm reduction experts to develop policies that support autonomy, creativity, and safety.
26. Invest in education and consent culture, not censorship and criminalisation.
8. Final Thoughts
27. I am a professional, a businesswoman, and a provider of consensual adult services.
28. I deserve to work without fear of being criminalised - and so do my clients, my peers, and my collaborators in the adult content space.
29. Erotic labour is not a threat to society. It is part of it. And the freedom to create and explore sexual expression is not something to fear - it is something to protect.
Submitted in a professional and personal capacity
March 2025