In Mary Wept Over the Feet of Jesus , Brown again builds his case for the decriminalization of prostitution, this time taking from scripture as evidence that Jesus never considered prostitution a sin. His retellings collectively aim to show that prostitution and sexual impropriety are not always punished as we might expect in scripture, making some bold interpretations of Bible passages along the way. I spoke to Brown about religion, politics and the progress of decriminalization in Canada.
Adrian Knowler: What is your definition of sin? And of course, we all do that all the time. As much as possible, we should be trying to treat everyone in a loving way. CB: Right, as long as both people in a sex-work transaction are treating each other in a loving way, or at least with care. Why do so many Christians view prostitution as a sin, as something Jesus was against?
CB: I can understand where other Christians are coming from. If you take the Bible seriously, there is a lot in the Bible that is anti-prostitution. Particularly in the writings of Paul, and most of the New Testament writers. I think Paul was off the mark there. CB: A lot of this is subconscious. They got their income from a variety of men, and they could choose [from whom they got it]. That way of seeing things still underlies how we think. When people who are against prostitution talk about it, they almost always ignore the fact that there are male sex workers out there.
AK: Which do you think will come first? Decriminalization, or a moral shift on the part of our society? Decriminalization [of homosexuality] here in Canada happened first, and it got everyone thinking in a different way about gay rights and LGBT matters. AK: How optimistic are you that decriminalization will occur, and on what kind of timeline? AK: So how will society overcome this stigma that is holding back the conversation surrounding the decriminalization of sex work?
CB: There has been a bit of a shift already. The media now is willing to talk about sex worker rights as an issue, at least partly because of the Pickton case. I think a lot of people could see that the [anti-prostitution] laws had made those women vulnerable.
