Social Movement Prostitution: A Case Study in Nonhuman Animal Rights Activism and Vegan Pimping

Abstract

This article explores the sexual objectification of female-identified volunteers in social movements as a form of tactical prostitution. It is argued that tactical prostitution constitutes a violation of the dignity of women in social movement spaces, while also posing a threat to the well-being of women and children in the larger public. This article investigates the Nonhuman Animal rights movement in particular, suggesting that tactical prostitution is particularly counterintuitive in this context as it asks the public to stop objectifying Nonhuman Animals with the same oppressive logic that it wields in objectifying female activists. This critique is placed within a systemic analysis of neoliberalism as it impacts social movements through the formation of a non-profit industrial complex. This system encourages the commodification of marginalized groups for institutional gain.