The following letter was published by Guelph's student newspaper, The Ontarion, on Feb. 7, 2013

Dear Editor:

Re: Sugar Coated Relationships, January 31, 2013

I was appalled to hear of a university professor here in Guelph  pushing the notion that prostitution for students is no big deal. She argues that giving sex for money has existed, “throughout the history of human relationships.”  But stealing, lying, killing, raping, etc. have also been around for quite some time, so the longevity argument for prostitution is not particularly compelling.

Dr. Ruth Neustifter defends the idea of students prostituting themselves for tuition because after all it’s “nothing new” and not something “necessarily negative.”  She goes on to support the practice because after all, even though it is sex work,”that doesn’t make it good or bad.” I find these comments absolutely appalling.

Way to go professor—you have turned thousands of years of history on its head.  Has it not been the norm for most of recorded history to discourage girls from prostitution? Tragically in our endarkened age respecting all things sexual we seem to be going in the other direction.  But allow me to pose this simple question, “Would you encourage your daughters to work as prostitutes to pay for tuition?” And if not, how dare you encourage young women who are someone else’s daughters to step into this degrading and enslaving lifestyle in order to earn a few dollars.

As an evangelical minister I recently heard from a former sex trade worker who spoke at one of our meetings in Guelph. Her story is one of enslavement, victimization, and brutality. Katrina (I share her name with her permission) was formerly a sex-trade worker who escaped the snares of prostitution and now openly shares her story to protect the vulnerable from getting enslaved and to help those who want out. Her story can be accessed at (risingangels.ca) . It is well worth reading.

I long for the day when our universities might once again be places of light and wisdom. If that’s too much to hope for—may they at least be a safe place for our daughters. 

Royal Hamel, Guelph