Opinion: Public Spaces
by Jessica Holyoke
The Swiss recently passed a referendum that banned the building of minarets in their country. As discussed on Slate, part of this is because the Swiss, like most European countries, are worried about Islamic extremism. Especially as Muslims in Europe do not integrate to the same extent as Muslims in the United States. Although you do still see burqas on the streets of major cities in the States.
While traveling those same streets in the United States, there used to be an ad campaign about spotting people who are being trafficked as sex slaves. One of the reasons I support at least stopping prosecution of prostitutes is that women and children who are trafficked into foreign countries would not be afraid to seek help from the police.
By now, you may be wondering what this has to do with Second Life.
After the Hard Alley protest of a few weeks back, a few comments were made somewhere else about whether or not depictions of slavery, such as by followers of BDSM or Gor, should be allowed in public spaces and reserved only for private spheres. The fear articulated is similar to the fear articulated by the Swiss, the fact that Goreans or BDSM'ers are in your face or forcing their roleplay onto an unwilling or unsuspecting bystander, even if it is simply the interactions between the Dominant and the Submissive amongst themselves.

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