---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This is the hardest thing to articulate…"
description: "\"This is the hardest thing to articulate: I think that there is a legitimate space for sexual commerce. And like every other industry, particularly the ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7d/melissa-gira-grant-15196_business_this-is-the-hardest-thing-to-articulate_1323475.jpg"
---

#  This is the hardest thing to articulate: I think that…

![“This is the hardest thing to articulate: I think that there is a legitimate space for sexual commerce. And like every other industry, particularly the service industry, the workers are getting the short end of the stick. Are there some industries that just shouldn't exist? Yes. But I don't think…” quote by Melissa Gira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7d/melissa-gira-grant-15196_business_this-is-the-hardest-thing-to-articulate_1323475.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7d/melissa-gira-grant-15196_business_this-is-the-hardest-thing-to-articulate_1323475.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7d/melissa-gira-grant-15196_business_this-is-the-hardest-thing-to-articulate_1323475.jpg)

> “This is the hardest thing to articulate: I think that there is a legitimate space for sexual commerce. And like every other industry, particularly the service industry, the workers are getting the short end of the stick. Are there some industries that just shouldn't exist? Yes. But I don't think the sex industry is one of them. As it currently operates it's not damaging, necessarily, but it might itself be damaged. It's busted.”

[Melissa Gira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-gira-grant/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker argues that a regulated sex industry can exist ethically, noting current exploitation and the need for reform rather than abolition.

**In simple terms:** Sex work can be ethical if regulated; current system harms workers.

Key Takeaway

Support workers through regulation, not bans.

Themes

ethics labor rights sex work policy social justice

Mood

critical analytical

Type

social political

When to use this quote

- legislative reform
- worker advocacy
- public health
- community education

Key Concepts

economics human rights

Questions to Reflect On

- How can policy protect sex workers effectively?
- What are the risks of normalizing the industry?

A Different Perspective

Regulation may not eliminate all exploitation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Prostitution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prostitution/) [Service industry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/service-industry/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [When I started my own business, I funded it as a naked model. I still think that the sex industry can, for some men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/when-i-started-my-own-business-i-funded-it-as-a-naked-model-i-still/)

[Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/)

> [The first step in understanding the sex industry is to understand the customers, the johns. ... These men have already violated moral standards -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-parker/the-first-step-in-understanding-the-sex-industry-is-to-understand-the/)

[Joseph Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-parker/)

> [It's actually not much of a risk to say, "I don't think we should put sex workers in jail." That's a decent, normal thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-gira-grant/it-s-actually-not-much-of-a-risk-to-say-i-don-t-think-we-should-put/)

[Melissa Gira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-gira-grant/)

> [Prostitution is not just a service industry, mopping up the overflow of male demand, which always exceeds female supply. Prostitution testifies to the amoral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/prostitution-is-not-just-a-service-industry-mopping-up-the-overflow/)

[Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/)

> [There are brothels now that are run a certain way, and women make educated choices to become part of the sex industry. Their health…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-morton/there-are-brothels-now-that-are-run-a-certain-way-and-women-make/)

[Samantha Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-morton/)

> [“Bangkok is one of the world's great cities, all of which own red-light districts that find their ways into the pages of novels from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burdett/bangkok-is-one-of-the-world-s-great-cities-all-of-which-own-red-light/)

[John Burdett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burdett/)

> [“Sustainable Development is more than meeting the needs of today and the future generations; to my understanding this definition better fits sex industry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/sustainable-development-is-more-than-meeting-the-needs-of-today-and/)

[M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/)

> [Young women who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking face an incredible climb as they try and exit the commercial sex industry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-ellis/young-women-who-have-experienced-commercial-sexual-exploitation-and/)

[Stephanie Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-ellis/)

> [Prostitution means sexual intercourse between a man and a woman aimed at satisfying the man's sexual and the woman's economic needs. It is obvious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawal-el-saadawi/prostitution-means-sexual-intercourse-between-a-man-and-a-woman-aimed/)

[Nawal El Saadawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawal-el-saadawi/)

> [A mutual and satisfied sexual act is of great benefit to the average woman, the magnetism of it is health giving. When it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-sanger/a-mutual-and-satisfied-sexual-act-is-of-great-benefit-to-the-average/)

[Margaret Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-sanger/)

> [Even at legal brothels, sex workers have very little power and control over their workplace. They might have power with their customers on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-gira-grant/even-at-legal-brothels-sex-workers-have-very-little-power-and-control/)

[Melissa Gira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-gira-grant/)

> [I've moved away from writing about and describing actual experiences of sex work, whether mine or anybody else's, because the culture is obsessed with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-gira-grant/i-ve-moved-away-from-writing-about-and-describing-actual-experiences/)

[Melissa Gira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-gira-grant/)

> [In the current situation with criminalization, we've created situations where sex workers have very little power and control over their lives. Increasing one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-gira-grant/in-the-current-situation-with-criminalization-we-ve-created/)

[Melissa Gira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-gira-grant/)

> [Our feelings alone don't change what happens with the police, what happens in jail, what happens when someone tries to go to the welfare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-gira-grant/our-feelings-alone-don-t-change-what-happens-with-the-police-what/)

[Melissa Gira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-gira-grant/)

> [In New Zealand, sex workers are regarded as workers, as people who are members of the community, people who have a stake in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-gira-grant/in-new-zealand-sex-workers-are-regarded-as-workers-as-people-who-are/)

[Melissa Gira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-gira-grant/)

## More by Melissa Gira Grant

> [I went to college in Amherst and lived in Northampton for many years and we had our quaint little feminist sex toy shop that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-gira-grant/i-went-to-college-in-amherst-and-lived-in-northampton-for-many-years/)

[Melissa Gira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-gira-grant/)

> [We hear from sex workers who have through their own volition become media figures, or have despite their own wishes become media figures. Like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-gira-grant/we-hear-from-sex-workers-who-have-through-their-own-volition-become/)

[Melissa Gira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-gira-grant/)

> [One person was basically saying that feminists aren't interested in criminalizing prostitutes, that they don't want to do that. I responded that whether or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-gira-grant/one-person-was-basically-saying-that-feminists-aren-t-interested-in/)

[Melissa Gira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-gira-grant/)

> [Our feelings alone don't change what happens with the police, what happens in jail, what happens when someone tries to go to the welfare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-gira-grant/our-feelings-alone-don-t-change-what-happens-with-the-police-what/)

[Melissa Gira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-gira-grant/)

> [It's actually not much of a risk to say, "I don't think we should put sex workers in jail." That's a decent, normal thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-gira-grant/it-s-actually-not-much-of-a-risk-to-say-i-don-t-think-we-should-put/)

[Melissa Gira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-gira-grant/)

> [In the current situation with criminalization, we've created situations where sex workers have very little power and control over their lives. Increasing one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-gira-grant/in-the-current-situation-with-criminalization-we-ve-created/)

[Melissa Gira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-gira-grant/)

> [Almost everything I've learned about journalism has been from other friends who are journalists, taking advantage of the money I hope they don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-gira-grant/almost-everything-i-ve-learned-about-journalism-has-been-from-other/)

[Melissa Gira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-gira-grant/)

> [I remember being in high school in the '90s, and even then somehow hearing about the the Canadian Supreme Court's Butler decision which was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-gira-grant/i-remember-being-in-high-school-in-the-90s-and-even-then-somehow/)

[Melissa Gira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-gira-grant/)

> [Kristin Gwynne has been writing some great stuff about the sexually violent element of "stop-and-frisk." This isn't just "turn out your pockets." This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-gira-grant/kristin-gwynne-has-been-writing-some-great-stuff-about-the-sexually/)

[Melissa Gira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-gira-grant/)

> [In New Zealand, sex workers are regarded as workers, as people who are members of the community, people who have a stake in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-gira-grant/in-new-zealand-sex-workers-are-regarded-as-workers-as-people-who-are/)

[Melissa Gira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-gira-grant/)

> [Even at legal brothels, sex workers have very little power and control over their workplace. They might have power with their customers on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-gira-grant/even-at-legal-brothels-sex-workers-have-very-little-power-and-control/)

[Melissa Gira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-gira-grant/)

> [I've moved away from writing about and describing actual experiences of sex work, whether mine or anybody else's, because the culture is obsessed with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-gira-grant/i-ve-moved-away-from-writing-about-and-describing-actual-experiences/)

[Melissa Gira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-gira-grant/)

> [I have to do this all the time - choosing what to print based on how it might come back to harm people from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-gira-grant/i-have-to-do-this-all-the-time-choosing-what-to-print-based-on-how-it/)

[Melissa Gira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-gira-grant/)

> [When I interviewed the evangelical Christian youth group who were protesting the Village Voice, I wanted them to feel they could freely tell me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-gira-grant/when-i-interviewed-the-evangelical-christian-youth-group-who-were/)

[Melissa Gira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-gira-grant/)

> [Say you're a sex worker and your partner knows you're a sex worker, but you're not out to your family. That could be very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-gira-grant/say-you-re-a-sex-worker-and-your-partner-knows-you-re-a-sex-worker/)

[Melissa Gira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-gira-grant/)

[Explore all 44 Melissa Gira Grant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-gira-grant/)

## More Business quotes

> [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/)

[Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/)

> [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/)

[Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/)

[Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/)

> [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/)

[Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/)

[Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/)

> [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/)

[Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/)

> [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/)

[Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

[Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "This is the hardest thing to articulate: I think that there is a legitimate space for sexual commerce. And like every other industry, particularly the service industry, the workers are getting the short end of the stick. Are there some industries that just shouldn't exist? Yes. But I don't think the sex industry is one of them. As it currently operates it's not damaging, necessarily, but it might itself be damaged. It's busted.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Melissa Gira Grant"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-gira-grant/this-is-the-hardest-thing-to-articulate-i-think-that-there-is-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Business"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-gira-grant/this-is-the-hardest-thing-to-articulate-i-think-that-there-is-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7d/melissa-gira-grant-15196_business_this-is-the-hardest-thing-to-articulate_1323475.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7d/melissa-gira-grant-15196_business_this-is-the-hardest-thing-to-articulate_1323475.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7d/melissa-gira-grant-15196_business_this-is-the-hardest-thing-to-articulate_1323475.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“This is the hardest thing to articulate: I think that there is a legitimate space for sexual commerce. And…” — Melissa Gira Grant",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Melissa Gira Grant",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-gira-grant/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "This is the hardest thing to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-gira-grant/this-is-the-hardest-thing-to-articulate-i-think-that-there-is-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-gira-grant/this-is-the-hardest-thing-to-articulate-i-think-that-there-is-a/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
