How to Be Safe: You Can't Play the Game if You Don't Know the Rules

[ShysterJon]

Hello. How are you? If you're a hobbyist, are you still hung over from New Year's? If you're a provider, have you paid your January rent?

Nearly every day, I'll get messages from members asking questions about laws and policies regarding the hobby when those questions are answered at length in posts stickied to the top of the legal forum.

What, you didn't know Eccie has a legal forum? It's called:

A Question of Legality

Every Eccie member should take the time to read the stickied posts. The ass you save may be your own.

[FunInDFW]

Ugh, safety harping... You're THE OHSA of hobbying. Does a certificate come with all this training?

[ShysterJon]

When I write about dangerous communications, I'm mainly referring to you bad girls. If you're desperate, or greedy, or high, you get careless. I don't mean that as a knock -- I'm just stating the truth based on decades of experience and hundreds of cases. If I took all the police offense reports I've read where a provider was careless in communicating and made a stack, the stack would be taller than me. And I'm not talking about John Law being sneaky or subtle. I'm talking about him coming right out and asking something like, "How much extra for Greek?," and the provider answering with a dollar figure. If you do that, you've committed the offense of prostitution under Texas law, although no money has changed hands and no sexual conduct has occurred.

If you're a provider and you're reading this and thinking, I'd never do that, rethink your SOP. The jails are full of providers who thought they were too smart to be ensnared in the simplest of traps. If the "hobbyist" tries to turn the conversation to money or sex acts, you must have the discipline to punt and move on to the next target. I love you all and I don't want your fine asses sitting in cells.

[Bonferroni]

Many thanks SJ for the great information. The stickies on the site are must reads for new as well as seasoned folks in the hobby.

[Anna Cola]

Safety tips are always appreciated!
Xoxo