Diamond Jessie Hayman and the 1906 San Fran Earthquake

             By: Andrew Nakamura

           When you hear the word prostitute what do you think?  Hearing this, in my opinion, makes me think of someone who just has sex all the time, who is nasty and gross, and who is just selling his or her self for money.  I believe that there are not many positive connotations with prostitutes and it today is still a topic that is being discussed.  However there is a person in our history that did help out her community after a devastating tragedy in a positive manor, her name is “Diamond” Jessie Hayman.

            Jessie Mellon moved out to San Francisco, CA to become a prostitute.  She was working for a Madam that went by the name Mrs. Nina Hayman.  Mellon soon settled down and got married where her mentor decided to leave the three story brothel to her.  This is where Jessie’s last name arises from.  She took Mrs. Nina’s last name as part of a tribute in her honor.  Jessie became the new Madam of the brothel that is located at 225 Ellis St. which is now called the Globetrotters Inn [1].  When hiring her employees to fill her brothel, she provided them with a generous and luxurious wardrobe.  It consisted of fur coats, tailored suits, hats, shoes etc.  This fancy wardrobe cost around six thousand dollars at the time, which was a lot of money for that time.  Hayman ran the brothel very successfully where bought a couple pieces of land in the city, which made her a very successful woman for that time as well.  In 1906 San Francisco was hit by a major earthquake and Hayman and her employees helped out the community [3].

            On April 18, 1906 the Great 1906 San Francisco earthquake struck California.  Today it still ranks as the hardest hitting earthquake for that area.  San Francisco was the epicenter of the earthquake but was felt from places in Oregon, Los Angeles and all the way in Nevada for about a minute long.  The tragedy caused much damage throughout the city; it sparked many fires and caused a large amount of people their lives.  It is suspected that nearly 700 people throughout the quakes path perished, with 189 being outside the city. [2]

            Being known for her compassionate nature towards her employees, Hayman set out to help and assist people in need in her area.  Her brothel on 225 Ellis St. was unharmed by the quake and she and her employees helped by cooking for people in need from the house, and handed out clothes and other necessities’ to her community.  [1] Although this is just one small instance of positivity towards a community done by prostitutes, I think it shows that there can be positive outcomes from prostitutes in our society. 

[1] T. Julie. “Diamon Jessie Hayman” Last Modified: February 1, 2014 http://peopleandplacesofthetenderloin.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2014-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2015-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=1

[2] Lindh , E. USGS.gov “The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake” Last Modified: July 23, 2012

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/1906/18april/index.php

[3] Moore, Crystal. “Sexual Commerce in Contemporary America.” Powerpoint. 2014. 19 March 2014. 

America’s war on masturbation and anti-masturbation devices of the 19^th century

By: Dominique Spence

 

       During the 19^th century, masturbation was not widely accepted like it somewhat is today. Christian Reformers, such as Sylvester Graham, saw masturbation as an action that would damage health. Graham developed the graham cracker because he believed that bland food would curb masturbation impulses. He even went on an anti-masturbation campaign and these writings trained children not to masturbate through a solid regimen of diet and exercise. The masturbation scare started with the belief that men had a limited amount of sperm and there would be nothing left for reproduction after masturbating. It was believed that masturbation could cause crooked spine, blindness, kidney disease and many other illnesses[1].

      Anti-masturbation devices became popular after many people, even doctors, believed that masturbation would case fatal illnesses. They thought on way to cure masturbation was to invent devices that would make it impossible to part take in the act. The US went on to issue thirty-three patents of anti-masturbation devices from the 1850s-1930s[2]. These devices prohibited users, mostly men, from masturbating by creating mechanisms that were hard to take off or even included dangerous sharp areas. Some devices included the Bowen Device, The Cage and the Spike Lined Cage. Anti-masturbation procedures against women were more radical and required surgeries to curb the urge. Women underwent clitoridechtomies that involved the removal of the clitoris and this ultimately removed any sexual feelings. In the United States these procedures ended in 1937. Today, many third world countries still practice this painful tradition.

      

Today, on the other hand, masturbation is looked at as something that is beneficial to our health and many people are taking part in it. Studies show that 7 out of 10 adult men and more than 5 out 10 adult women masturbate[3]. With this information compared to the 19^th century there has been a visible change in the way sexuality is viewed and accepted. Unlike views in the 19^th century, masturbation today is seen to have many health advantages. Masturbation is said to improve sleeping habits, relieve cramps, prevent prostate cancer, alleviate urinary tract infections and even boosts immunity[4].  

 

 

 

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[1] Moore, Crystal. “Masturbation The Rise of Reform Physiology.” Class Lecture, The History of Sexuality in America from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, March 13, 2014.

 

[2] Moore, Crystal. “Masturbation The Rise of Reform Physiology.” Class Lecture, The History of Sexuality in America from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, March 13, 2014.

[3] Planned Parenthood, "Masturbation." Accessed March 30, 2014. http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/sex-101/masturbation-23901.htm.

[4] Vilibert, Diana. Care 2, "7 Surprising Benefits of Masturbation ." Last modified October 02, 2013. Accessed March 30, 2014. http://www.care2.com/greenliving/7-surprising-benefits-of-masturbation.html.

Hugh Hefner

Hugh Hefner and His Contributions by Jackie Turner

Everyone knows Hugh Hefner and that he is a sex idol among men and women. He has hundreds of beautiful women surrounding him at all times. He has a huge mansion, beautiful women, magazines, television shows, radio shows, websites, casinos and at one time gentle men’s clubs. When you see Playboy you know the emblem and the Playboy magazine. He is truly idolized for sexual revolution he has caused upon the United States starting in the 1950’s. The women want to look like them and the men want to be with them. When you think Hugh Hefner you obviously think sex, but that is not all he started out to be. Though it is a large part of everything he is now, he started humble and with intention of creating a lifestyle magazine. He intended to include sex and start a sexual revolutional phenomenon. He says now that he hopes his magazine has made a huge change in the world for the better.[1] Before Hugh had started the Magazine, the United States believed sexuality was a bit taboo when it came to radio and obscene images being shown to the public. So he really put our country through a sexual transformation by publishing Playboy. His company went through a lot of strife getting this controversial magazine off the ground. He was faced with several lawsuits, not only for his obscene literature and short stories but for nude photographs included in the magazine.[2] Due to his liberal beliefs in things like a more public sexuality and liberal drug laws, he was ridiculed and harassed. Since he was becoming a well known man, it became aware that his influence could really make a difference. His company took off right around the time feminist movements were at their peak and in a strange way he really made way for them.  Without his contributions to society at such a repressive time for America women may have not felt as empowered. Being someone who believes you can not have such a connected world through, television, magazines and internet without including everything in the world. That includes sexuality as a whole  and his contribution of sexuality really changed our culture. It set the stage for publicity. Maybe that is how the lead up of sex is so dominant today. It is seen everywhere and used as a huge marketing tool. Hefner did a lot more than anyone realizes now. He was an entrepreneur with a huge idea that changed the way we see sexuality in our society. He can easily turn on the television and see anything without it being censored as well as log onto the internet and freely lookup, read and see absolutely anything you could possibly imagine. I think the contribution Hefner made to the world is a huge one and I am really glad he did it. I enjoy this free sexuality in our society and it would not be as liberating if he had not had been a part of it. 

1.] Zahn, . CNN , "People in the News." Accessed March 31, 2014. http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/people/shows/hefner/profile.html 

2.] Wikipedia, "Hugh Hefner." Last modified march 31, 2014. Accessed March 31, 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Hefner

Living in America with an STD

Kaitlyn Solotes

As a friend of someone who has contracted an STD, I have personally witnessed how quickly an STD/STI can change one's life. What seemed impossible became my friend's reality when she lost her virginity at 21 to someone with the Herpes virus. Even though her partner showed no symptoms, she still woke up with the worst pain she had ever experienced. While STDs still remain a sort of taboo topic in our society, it is no myth that 1 in 4 young adults has an STD. Being a Sophomore in college I have yet to undergo a true and unrestricted sex education class; my lack of education on STDs worries me into thinking about the millions of Americans who are also being denied crucial, factual information about sexually transmitted diseases. [1] A few of the most popular STDs we are faced with today are HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, Syphilis, Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Genital herpes and HPV. Living in America with an STD today is different than in the past 60 years. However, there are still some facts about STDs that remain the same. For example, Herpes is still an incurable virus that never leaves the body once contracted. Although medication helps ease symptoms and reduce the number of outbreaks, herpes remains untreatable as do other viral STDs such as HPV and AIDS. Another fact about STDs that has stayed the same in history is there are often few, if any symptoms. This means that even though you recognize what an STD is and could look like, there is no way to know if you have one unless you get tested. It is essential for good sexual health to get tested in order to be aware and prevent infection of potential partners. [2] In the past Syphilis and Gonorrhea were the major STDs in America. Soon after in the 1960s and '70s, Herpes made a huge entrance and impact on the history of sexually transmitted diseases. The largest and most serious health epidemic emerged in the late 20th century when AIDS, caused by the HIV virus, started to spread at an extremely high rate. It is important to understand the history of STDs and know that while we are living in a changing America, STDs remain a huge and life-altering threat to sexually active individuals. Although medical advances are constantly in the works, nobody is immune from STDs; as long as you are having intercourse or engaging in oral sex, you are a candidate for STDs/STIs. With that being said, living in America with an STD raises a series of concerning questions, some harder to answer than others. One benefit of living in such an advanced society is the amount of resources available to us. The internet provides numerous websites, journals, and articles on STDs and how they can be transmitted. These resources weren't around until the early 90s when Internet began to boom. There are also tons of support groups to aid people in overcoming their nervousness of telling loved ones about their STD, which can be the hardest part of it all.

 

            1. "Living with an STD," Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, last modified March 29, 2014, http://www.nakedtruth.idaho.gov/living-with-an-std.aspx.

            2. "Sexually Transmitted Disease," Encyclopedia Britannica, last modified September 11, 2013, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/537217/sexually-transmitted-disease-STD.

 

The Clery Act

The Clery Act

By Kelsey Wilkins

            The Clery act is also known as the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. It is an act that states that all college campuses and universities are required to be apart of the financial aid program and also keep and make known information about crimes on campus [1].

The Clery act is names after a girl named Jeanne Clery. She was 19 years old and attended Lehigh University. She was raped and murdered in her dorm in 1986. After this crime, it turns out that there were many other crimes on college campuses that go unreported and people felt that they had the right to know what was happening on their campuses in order to stay safe [2]. So why were people so outraged about not knowing what crimes happen on their campus? Don’t you think that would make them more paranoid? Or do you think it is better that you do know what is happening on the campus?

Personally, I would want to know what is going on around campus because then you can be on the lookout for strange things that are happening. I have been hearing some rumors that 3 girls have been raped in Lynch, but no one has told us anything and it it’s a crazy thought that three people have been raped because we don’t know why, there are also different types of rapes, not all of them are someone forcefully grabbing you, they person could just be drunk and someone takes advantage of you. Even though that still isn’t good. This act also helps the crime “get out there” so if people know what happened during the crime they could help solve it or help find the person that was in it.

President George Bush signed the act in 1990. It was originally named the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990 but was changed to the Jeanne Clery act in 1998 [3].
So would you want to know about a crime that happened on your campus? I think it would make me feel safer because then you know that there are people watching out for you and you know that they will do anything to protect you. 

Citations

1.     Wikimedia Foundation. "Clery Act." Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clery_Act (accessed March 31, 2014).

2.     "Jean Cleary Act." Jean Cleary Act. http://www.mineralarea.edu/programsandcourses/publicsafety/DeptofPublicSafety/JeanClearyAct.htm (accessed March 31, 2014).

3.     "Jean Cleary Act." Jean Cleary Act. http://www.mineralarea.edu/programsandcourses/publicsafety/DeptofPublicSafety/JeanClearyAct.htm (accessed March 31, 2014).

Should Prostitution Be Legal?

By: Kylie Wallace

        Prostitution should be legalized with regulation in the United States because prostitution is a very dangerous, unregulated, unclean “profession.” There will always be prostitution whether it’s legal or not, that’s just the way it is. However, if we legalize and regulate it maybe the women involved wouldn’t be put at such a high risk! Girls usually begin prostitution at the age of 13 years old.[1] If we regulate it, that could potentially save these young girls from starting so young. Another shocking statistic is that 80% of women involved in this profession have been raped.[1] I know that if this was a government regulated profession this number would not be as high. I think that because people already know that the government says it’s an immoral profession therefore illegal, no one really thinks that raping these women really matters. Hell, 85% of these women have already been sexually abused as a child and are now dealing with the same problems![1]  Contrary to some beliefs, raping and abusing these women is wrong at it does matter. They experience higher raters of alcohol and drug addiction, as well as other physical and psychological effects including depression and suicidal tendencies.[1]

I do think that legalizing this profession will help because it’s been going on for a very long time and won’t stop anytime soon however, by staying illegal it’s putting these women at risk. Whether this is moral or immoral doesn’t matter because that’s a personal opinion and if you feel strongly enough you won’t be involved in the industry! It’s as simple as that. If we can create regulations or even taxes it might help the economy and help these women to get out of MOST, not all because that’s an irrational goal, of their dangerous situations. Some strip clubs make revenues over 5 million dollars.[1] Imagine if we could safely regulate the sex industry. 

Also, maybe the number of children forced into pornography and prostitution would decrease because this is now ok. Not to mention the decrease in sexually transmitted diseases. Legalizing prostitution would definitely lead to regulations because there isn’t a profession without regulation. The government could potentially decrease this by maybe saying you have to make known any STD’s you have and must take precaution. Or maybe if you have certain STD’s you’re out of business until it’s taken care of. We then could create free clinics to get tested to keep this as clean as possible. I do believe it is possible and a good idea to make it legal if well thought out and the regulations  were clear as well as fair. 

Moore, Crystal. “Sexual Commerce in Contemporary America.” Powerpoint. 2014. 19 March 2014. 

Sexuality in the Victorian Era: Was it Different from Today?

By Brandi Tillison

 

Before the masturbation scare, it seemed like sexuality was not much different. The major difference is shame. It seemed to be a known fact that a woman’s husband could go see a prostitute due to some disillusion of not wanting to taint his wife. [1]An example of just how sexually free men were, a staggering number of over 100,000 soldiers was diagnosed with gonorrhea. From my biology class last semester, there was a spike in the 1970’s and 80’s, but now in present day it’s only between 100,000 and 200,000. A span of over a century and not much has changed. So STD trends haven’t had any dramatic increase like certain people would have other believe.

 

     As men were free to express their sexuality, women had some freedom. After the Second Great Awakening, the use of birth control was more accepted. This is admitting that yes women have sex, and they maybe enjoy it in a way. Back then some women could become prostitutes if they wanted to, but that led to a whole new level of risk. Women seemed to have had freedom then the 1900’s started and you had more conservative values coming about, and people trying to have a war on sexuality. Notions such as women were whores and other degrading words, aren’t from present time. Women were commonly viewed as being virtuous, virgins, and moral compasses. [2]A perfect example would be sentimental novels. These novels were big in the mid-19^th century and portrayed women as ‘clean’ beings and should act as such. Much of this same sentiment last today. Women who have multiple sexual partners and enjoy sex are seen as loose and too sexual, but men are just being men. At least in the Victorian Era there couldn’t be a blog dedicated to how loose you are and there was more privacy.

 

     This leads to the topic of privacy pertaining to sexuality. While there wasn’t an easy accessible webpage about you, that doesn’t mean there wouldn’t be papers or court trials about you. An example would be Oscar Wilde, who was charged with sodomy. So people were still rather invested in other people’s sex lives like today. So the question is was sexuality different in the Victorian Era from today? From what history says no.

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[1] Amelia, Cotter. Suite 101, "Prostitution and Venereal Disease in the Civil War." Last modified April 22, 2010. Accessed March 23, 2014. https://suite101.com/a/prostitution-and-venereal-disease-in-the-civil-war-a228450.

[2] Donna M., Campbell. Washington State University, "Domestic or Sentimental Fiction, 1820-1865." Last modified July 4, 2013. Accessed March 23, 2014. http://public.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/domestic.htm.