For the past few years, Melissa Petro has been teaching art at P.S. 70 in the Bronx—and more recently, she's been writing about her past as a former sex worker in various publications. Earlier this month, she wrote on the Huffington Post, "From October 2006 to January 2007 I accepted money in exchange for sexual services I provided to men I met online in what was then called the 'erotic services' section of Craigslist.org." Now, the Department of Education has reassigned her during its investigation as P.S. 70 parents say things like "She's not a good role model."
That mother also tells the Post, "I do not want my daughters to find out about this and I do not want my daughters to be around that kind of person," while another says, "I don't want nobody that used to do that to be around my kid. People like that should not be allowed to be anywhere near children."
Petro, who has a MFA in creative nonfiction from the New School, wrote on The Rumpus over the summer about being a stripper in Mexico (she didn't mention the Craigslist sexual services work) and how her past was catching up with her present, thanks to the Internet:
I recently had the experience at my job of being warned by a colleague that other coworkers have begun Googling me. The concern is that I’m an elementary school teacher (teaching art/creative writing at a public school in the South Bronx) as well as a writer, and my writing- at least that which has been published and is therefore “Google-able”- is primarily about my experiences as a sex worker, which occurred some time prior to my becoming a teacher.Since becoming a teacher I have known- hoped, even- that this would be a conversation I’d someday be compelled to have, and while I’ve done nothing at work to encourage such controversy, as a writer and an activist, not to mention former stripper, I’ve never been one to shy away from publicity. I welcome this debate in particular, not only because it explores issues of freedom of speech and the rights of workers to live self-determined lives outside of the workplace, but because, ultimately, here is another opportunity to call into the light the persistent and erroneous insinuation that once a prostitute always a whore- not “whore” in the pro-industry reclamative sense of the word but in its opposite, everything society has told me I am from the moment I first bared my breasts at a tit club, if not before...
...This article is not—not yet, at least— in defense of my job. I also realize it is a not a question of whether an individual can, at one time, have been a sex worker and, today, be a teacher. The reality is that a person can, as I have served at my current position competently for a nearly three years. For me, it is a question of whether society is ready to adapt their schema to accommodate our reality.
It would be better, I suspect, if I were ashamed.
In an off the record conversation, a sympathetic administrator kindly asked if I couldn’t publish under a pseudonym. I wish, for her sake, I could. But for sake of the rights and integrity of myself and every other man or woman who makes or has made choices similar to mine, and then tries to make sense of these choices, I cannot. I learned along the way that “you are only as sick as your secrets.” My writing and performing my work has been my salvation. I wrote myself out of the hell of secrecy and into the body of the woman I am today, capable of making meaning of myself and my experience— more than qualified to manage a classroom and teach kids about art but also, like anyone else, to be more than just my job.
DeMint has not been shy about his vision.
Last week, he single-handedly threatened to stop all legislative activity
in the Senate as it worked to pass a flurry of legislation before
recessing ahead of the election. He has also criticized Democrats and
Republicans alike, chastising GOP leadership on occasion and bucking
them regularly to support more conservative, Tea Party-favored
candidates in Republican primaries. During the summer of 2009, DeMint
also famously said
that if Republicans could stop President Barack Obama from implementing
his proposal health insurance reform overhauls, it would be his
�Waterloo.�
For years, a few, select special interest groups on
the right and left have specialized in the conduit approach to political
fund-raising, including the conservative Club for Growth and the liberal groups ActBlue, MoveOn.org and EMILY�s List. Politicians using their leadership PACs for such activity are comparatively novel.
Individual donors must still abide by campaign contribution limits even
if they send money through conduit organizations, giving no more than
$2,400 per election to candidates.
But political committees aren�t as restricted in the amount of cash they may transfer from one individual.
For
example, DeMint�s leadership PAC directly donated the legal maximum of
$10,000 to Rubio�s Senate campaign in Florida -- money raised from
donors to his PAC who can give no more than $5,000 per year. But the
committee has also been able to bundle more than $240,600 to Rubio�s
campaign from a bevy of individual donors. And by acting as a conduit
organization, it can demonstrate additional clout.
So far this
election cycle, ActBlue has bundled more than $31.4 million. MoveOn.org
has bundled more than $9.2 million. EMILY�s List has bundled about $3.9
million, and the Club for Growth has bundled about $3.3 million.
In terms of all other groups reporting this activity, Hoyer�s
leadership PAC ranks next at $1.3 million, followed by DeMint�s $1.04
million. The only other federal lawmaker who so far this cycle has
reported at least six-figures worth of conduit contributions is Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), with $168,800, coming via his Mountaineer PAC.
These bundles from Rockefeller�s PAC benefited just two lawmakers, West Virginia Democratic Reps. Nick Rahall, who is in a competitive re-election bid this year, and Alan Mollohan, who lost in a Democratic primary in May.
�Sen.
Rockefeller has supported Congressmen Mollohan and Rahall for years,
and he wanted to help them raise money,� Jamie Smith, Rockefeller�s
communication director told OpenSecrets Blog. �Mountaineer PAC
collected money at an event and forwarded it to the respective
campaigns. The contributions were reported according to FEC regulations
as conduit contributions.�
Hoyer�s conduit giving has been more
prolific. He�s reported bundling conduit contributions for more than 100
candidates this cycle. His top beneficiaries include the following
Democrats:
- Rep. Frank Kratovil (D-Md.): $56,500 and counting
- Rep. Scott Murphy (D-N.Y.): $36,750 and counting
- Rep. Debbie Halvorson (D-Ill.): $29,500 and counting
- Rep. Suzanne Kosmas (D-Fla.): $27,500 and counting
- Rep. Walt Minnick (D-Idaho): $26,100 and counting
part of his job as majority leader, Mr. Hoyer raises and contributes
money to Democratic candidates,� Katie Grant, a spokesperson for Hoyer,
told OpenSecrets Blog in a statement. Grant declined to elaborate further about his direct contributions or bundling of conduit contributions.
Hoyer has also reported transferring conduit contributions to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
He�s also reported donating $1.08 million from his leadership PAC and
campaign committee to other Democrats -- ranking him the No. 3 lawmaker
in such direct contributions, according to an analysis by the Center for
Responsive Politics.
Other House leaders have also utilized this
more traditional approach in providing financial assistance to fellow
party faithful. But unlike bundling unlimited amounts of conduit
contributions, these direct contributions to campaigns cannot exceed
$5,000 per election.
House Minority Whip Eric Cantor
(R-Va.) ranks No. 1 with more than $1.2 million in contributions to
fellow Republicans from his leadership PAC and campaign committee
combined since January 2009. House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) ranks No. 2, with more than $1.1 million in such contributions.
Beyond Hoyer, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
(D-Calif.) ranks No. 4, with $898,000 in contributions so far this
election cycle to fellow Democrats. And House Minority Leader John Boehner
(R-Ohio), who is poised to become speaker should Republicans wrest
control of the House from Democrats, ranks No. 5, with $862,000 in
contributions.
"The speaker works very hard to make sure that
members have the resources they need to get their message out to
voters," Jennifer Crider, a spokeswoman for Pelosi, told OpenSecrets Blog.
"The hope is that members have what they need to fight back against
shady outside groups who are coming in and misleading voters in their
districts."
"Rep. Clyburn believes it's important to elect
candidates who share his vision for the country and the need to keep
moving our country forward. An important part of that effort is raising
money for candidates, so they can run effective campaigns," Adam Hodge, a
spokesman for Clyburn, told OpenSecrets Blog. "Rep. Clyburn hopes that his efforts will help the Democrats maintain our majority this fall."
Spokespeople for Cantor and Boehner did not respond to multiple messages seeking comment for this story.
Here
is a table showing the top 20 lawmakers making the most contributions
to their political brethren from their leadership PACs and campaign
committees this election cycle:
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October 26, 2010...2:01 pm. News Article “. There was a news article today in the Boulder Camera by Laura Snider titled. Boulder scientists: Space tourism could contribute to climate change. The article includes the text ...
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BREAKING NEWS: James Cameron's Next Films Are 'Avatar 2' & '3' BREAKING NEWS: James Cameron's Next Films … TV Pitch Season Coming To An End � Michael Jackson Song 'Thriller' In Center Of Pic Auction Michael Jackson Song 'Thriller' In ...
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<b>News</b> Article “ « Climate Science: Roger Pielke Sr.
October 26, 2010...2:01 pm. News Article “. There was a news article today in the Boulder Camera by Laura Snider titled. Boulder scientists: Space tourism could contribute to climate change. The article includes the text ...
BREAKING <b>NEWS</b>: James Cameron's Next Films Are 'Avatar 2′ & '3′ For <b>...</b>
BREAKING NEWS: James Cameron's Next Films Are 'Avatar 2' & '3' BREAKING NEWS: James Cameron's Next Films … TV Pitch Season Coming To An End � Michael Jackson Song 'Thriller' In Center Of Pic Auction Michael Jackson Song 'Thriller' In ...
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For the past few years, Melissa Petro has been teaching art at P.S. 70 in the Bronx—and more recently, she's been writing about her past as a former sex worker in various publications. Earlier this month, she wrote on the Huffington Post, "From October 2006 to January 2007 I accepted money in exchange for sexual services I provided to men I met online in what was then called the 'erotic services' section of Craigslist.org." Now, the Department of Education has reassigned her during its investigation as P.S. 70 parents say things like "She's not a good role model."
That mother also tells the Post, "I do not want my daughters to find out about this and I do not want my daughters to be around that kind of person," while another says, "I don't want nobody that used to do that to be around my kid. People like that should not be allowed to be anywhere near children."
Petro, who has a MFA in creative nonfiction from the New School, wrote on The Rumpus over the summer about being a stripper in Mexico (she didn't mention the Craigslist sexual services work) and how her past was catching up with her present, thanks to the Internet:
I recently had the experience at my job of being warned by a colleague that other coworkers have begun Googling me. The concern is that I’m an elementary school teacher (teaching art/creative writing at a public school in the South Bronx) as well as a writer, and my writing- at least that which has been published and is therefore “Google-able”- is primarily about my experiences as a sex worker, which occurred some time prior to my becoming a teacher.Since becoming a teacher I have known- hoped, even- that this would be a conversation I’d someday be compelled to have, and while I’ve done nothing at work to encourage such controversy, as a writer and an activist, not to mention former stripper, I’ve never been one to shy away from publicity. I welcome this debate in particular, not only because it explores issues of freedom of speech and the rights of workers to live self-determined lives outside of the workplace, but because, ultimately, here is another opportunity to call into the light the persistent and erroneous insinuation that once a prostitute always a whore- not “whore” in the pro-industry reclamative sense of the word but in its opposite, everything society has told me I am from the moment I first bared my breasts at a tit club, if not before...
...This article is not—not yet, at least— in defense of my job. I also realize it is a not a question of whether an individual can, at one time, have been a sex worker and, today, be a teacher. The reality is that a person can, as I have served at my current position competently for a nearly three years. For me, it is a question of whether society is ready to adapt their schema to accommodate our reality.
It would be better, I suspect, if I were ashamed.
In an off the record conversation, a sympathetic administrator kindly asked if I couldn’t publish under a pseudonym. I wish, for her sake, I could. But for sake of the rights and integrity of myself and every other man or woman who makes or has made choices similar to mine, and then tries to make sense of these choices, I cannot. I learned along the way that “you are only as sick as your secrets.” My writing and performing my work has been my salvation. I wrote myself out of the hell of secrecy and into the body of the woman I am today, capable of making meaning of myself and my experience— more than qualified to manage a classroom and teach kids about art but also, like anyone else, to be more than just my job.
DeMint has not been shy about his vision.
Last week, he single-handedly threatened to stop all legislative activity
in the Senate as it worked to pass a flurry of legislation before
recessing ahead of the election. He has also criticized Democrats and
Republicans alike, chastising GOP leadership on occasion and bucking
them regularly to support more conservative, Tea Party-favored
candidates in Republican primaries. During the summer of 2009, DeMint
also famously said
that if Republicans could stop President Barack Obama from implementing
his proposal health insurance reform overhauls, it would be his
�Waterloo.�
For years, a few, select special interest groups on
the right and left have specialized in the conduit approach to political
fund-raising, including the conservative Club for Growth and the liberal groups ActBlue, MoveOn.org and EMILY�s List. Politicians using their leadership PACs for such activity are comparatively novel.
Individual donors must still abide by campaign contribution limits even
if they send money through conduit organizations, giving no more than
$2,400 per election to candidates.
But political committees aren�t as restricted in the amount of cash they may transfer from one individual.
For
example, DeMint�s leadership PAC directly donated the legal maximum of
$10,000 to Rubio�s Senate campaign in Florida -- money raised from
donors to his PAC who can give no more than $5,000 per year. But the
committee has also been able to bundle more than $240,600 to Rubio�s
campaign from a bevy of individual donors. And by acting as a conduit
organization, it can demonstrate additional clout.
So far this
election cycle, ActBlue has bundled more than $31.4 million. MoveOn.org
has bundled more than $9.2 million. EMILY�s List has bundled about $3.9
million, and the Club for Growth has bundled about $3.3 million.
In terms of all other groups reporting this activity, Hoyer�s
leadership PAC ranks next at $1.3 million, followed by DeMint�s $1.04
million. The only other federal lawmaker who so far this cycle has
reported at least six-figures worth of conduit contributions is Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), with $168,800, coming via his Mountaineer PAC.
These bundles from Rockefeller�s PAC benefited just two lawmakers, West Virginia Democratic Reps. Nick Rahall, who is in a competitive re-election bid this year, and Alan Mollohan, who lost in a Democratic primary in May.
�Sen.
Rockefeller has supported Congressmen Mollohan and Rahall for years,
and he wanted to help them raise money,� Jamie Smith, Rockefeller�s
communication director told OpenSecrets Blog. �Mountaineer PAC
collected money at an event and forwarded it to the respective
campaigns. The contributions were reported according to FEC regulations
as conduit contributions.�
Hoyer�s conduit giving has been more
prolific. He�s reported bundling conduit contributions for more than 100
candidates this cycle. His top beneficiaries include the following
Democrats:
- Rep. Frank Kratovil (D-Md.): $56,500 and counting
- Rep. Scott Murphy (D-N.Y.): $36,750 and counting
- Rep. Debbie Halvorson (D-Ill.): $29,500 and counting
- Rep. Suzanne Kosmas (D-Fla.): $27,500 and counting
- Rep. Walt Minnick (D-Idaho): $26,100 and counting
part of his job as majority leader, Mr. Hoyer raises and contributes
money to Democratic candidates,� Katie Grant, a spokesperson for Hoyer,
told OpenSecrets Blog in a statement. Grant declined to elaborate further about his direct contributions or bundling of conduit contributions.
Hoyer has also reported transferring conduit contributions to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
He�s also reported donating $1.08 million from his leadership PAC and
campaign committee to other Democrats -- ranking him the No. 3 lawmaker
in such direct contributions, according to an analysis by the Center for
Responsive Politics.
Other House leaders have also utilized this
more traditional approach in providing financial assistance to fellow
party faithful. But unlike bundling unlimited amounts of conduit
contributions, these direct contributions to campaigns cannot exceed
$5,000 per election.
House Minority Whip Eric Cantor
(R-Va.) ranks No. 1 with more than $1.2 million in contributions to
fellow Republicans from his leadership PAC and campaign committee
combined since January 2009. House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) ranks No. 2, with more than $1.1 million in such contributions.
Beyond Hoyer, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
(D-Calif.) ranks No. 4, with $898,000 in contributions so far this
election cycle to fellow Democrats. And House Minority Leader John Boehner
(R-Ohio), who is poised to become speaker should Republicans wrest
control of the House from Democrats, ranks No. 5, with $862,000 in
contributions.
"The speaker works very hard to make sure that
members have the resources they need to get their message out to
voters," Jennifer Crider, a spokeswoman for Pelosi, told OpenSecrets Blog.
"The hope is that members have what they need to fight back against
shady outside groups who are coming in and misleading voters in their
districts."
"Rep. Clyburn believes it's important to elect
candidates who share his vision for the country and the need to keep
moving our country forward. An important part of that effort is raising
money for candidates, so they can run effective campaigns," Adam Hodge, a
spokesman for Clyburn, told OpenSecrets Blog. "Rep. Clyburn hopes that his efforts will help the Democrats maintain our majority this fall."
Spokespeople for Cantor and Boehner did not respond to multiple messages seeking comment for this story.
Here
is a table showing the top 20 lawmakers making the most contributions
to their political brethren from their leadership PACs and campaign
committees this election cycle:
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<b>News</b> Article “ « Climate Science: Roger Pielke Sr.
October 26, 2010...2:01 pm. News Article “. There was a news article today in the Boulder Camera by Laura Snider titled. Boulder scientists: Space tourism could contribute to climate change. The article includes the text ...
BREAKING <b>NEWS</b>: James Cameron's Next Films Are 'Avatar 2′ & '3′ For <b>...</b>
BREAKING NEWS: James Cameron's Next Films Are 'Avatar 2' & '3' BREAKING NEWS: James Cameron's Next Films … TV Pitch Season Coming To An End � Michael Jackson Song 'Thriller' In Center Of Pic Auction Michael Jackson Song 'Thriller' In ...
Small Business <b>News</b>: Social Media Secrets
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<b>News</b> Article “ « Climate Science: Roger Pielke Sr.
October 26, 2010...2:01 pm. News Article “. There was a news article today in the Boulder Camera by Laura Snider titled. Boulder scientists: Space tourism could contribute to climate change. The article includes the text ...
BREAKING <b>NEWS</b>: James Cameron's Next Films Are 'Avatar 2′ & '3′ For <b>...</b>
BREAKING NEWS: James Cameron's Next Films Are 'Avatar 2' & '3' BREAKING NEWS: James Cameron's Next Films … TV Pitch Season Coming To An End � Michael Jackson Song 'Thriller' In Center Of Pic Auction Michael Jackson Song 'Thriller' In ...
Small Business <b>News</b>: Social Media Secrets
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<b>News</b> Article “ « Climate Science: Roger Pielke Sr.
October 26, 2010...2:01 pm. News Article “. There was a news article today in the Boulder Camera by Laura Snider titled. Boulder scientists: Space tourism could contribute to climate change. The article includes the text ...
BREAKING <b>NEWS</b>: James Cameron's Next Films Are 'Avatar 2′ & '3′ For <b>...</b>
BREAKING NEWS: James Cameron's Next Films Are 'Avatar 2' & '3' BREAKING NEWS: James Cameron's Next Films … TV Pitch Season Coming To An End � Michael Jackson Song 'Thriller' In Center Of Pic Auction Michael Jackson Song 'Thriller' In ...
Small Business <b>News</b>: Social Media Secrets
Pssst. We've got something important to tell you about a new tool that can totally transform your business. In terms of upfront investment, there is no cost,
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