No more escort ads on Squirt.org

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October 23, 2015 | The Biz

No more escort ads on Squirt.org

On Wednesday, gay hookup site Squirt announced it was shutting down its escort listings.

Squirt, as well as its parent company Pink Triangle Press, is located in Canada and is subject to Canadian law. In 2014, the country's Conservative government passed Bill C-36 - a sex worker act that prohibits the advertisement of sexual services (with penalties of up to 5 years in prison). Earlier this year, the Ontario Attorney General said that the law was sound.

“Squirt has provided a safe environment for sex workers to advertise their services and find clients,” explained Ken Popert, president and executive director of Pink Triangle Press. “But to continue to do so under the new law could place the welfare of the business and the security of its members in jeopardy.”  

Of course, the Conservative government was defeated on Monday, with the more progressive Liberal government winning a clear majority in the Canadian Parliament. This may mean new, more sex worker-friendly legislation sometime in the future.

“It’s possible that the new federal government will revisit the legislation or that the courts will deem [Bill C-36] unconstitutional,” Popert says. “But, in the meantime, our priority is to protect the website, its members’ privacy and our financial integrity.” 

Popert said a court fight could be devastating for the company. He pointed to the recent raid on RentBoy.com in the US as an example.

“That was a bit disturbing,” he said, “because that’s where we market Squirt. We have to assume we are being watched. We’ve had to assume that for most of our 45 years of existence.”

Popert did promise that Pink Triangle Press would continue its advocacy for sex worker rights through its journalism and activism.

So with RentBoy and Squirt listings gone, where do escorts advertise? Here are some of the few sites that remain:

- Adam4Adam - offers a "pros" section where masseurs and escorts can promote

themselves (it is also a m4m hook-up site);

- Men4RentNow - international rent boy listings and reviews.

- RentMen - a lot like RentBoy, with listings that include kinks, sexual position

and ethnicity;

- BackPage - a Craigslist style bulletin board for cities across the US and Canada,

with a Male Escort section for most cities.