The Hollywood chapter of the National Organization for Women has offered its support to Mayor Mike McGinn's campaign against sex trafficking on Village Voice Media's Backpage.com.

Seattlecrime.com has obtained a letter sent by Hollywood N.O.W. President emeritus Lindsey Horvath to McGinn this morning:

 July 22, 2011  

Mayor Mike McGinn: 

We are writing to thank you as well as to offer our support for your continued efforts to end sex trafficking in the Village Voice & their subsidiary publications.   

Human trafficking is an international epidemic.  According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), an estimated 12.3 million people are enslaved in forced labor, bonded labor, forced child labor, sexual servitude, and involuntary servitude at any given time around the world.   

The Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking reports that the CIA estimates as many as 15,000-17,000 men, women, and children are trafficked into the United States annually, with Los Angeles being one of the top three points of entry.  Their research confirms that immigration agents estimate 10,000 women are being held in Los Angeles’ underground brothels; this does not include the thousands of victims in  domestic work, sweatshops or other informal industries. 

Additionally, the US Department of Justice reports that 83% of the victims of confirmed sex trafficking  incidents from 2008-2010 were identified as US citizens. 

Las Vegas law enforcement believes that advertisements encouraging people to participate in clandestine sexual behavior have contributed to the increase of trafficking and slavery in their City.  We know that this type of advertising is not limited to Las Vegas.  A variety of publications throughout the United States contribute to and participate in the trafficking epidemic through their classified ads.   

We are asking that the US Conference of Mayors follow in your footsteps and resolve to discontinue advertising in the Village Voice and its subsidiary outlets until further investigation confirms that neither sex trafficking nor child prostitution are taking place in these publications.  Furthermore, we are asking that the Mayors recommit their efforts to identify and eradicate sex trafficking in their respective communities. 

As an organization dedicated to helping achieve equality for all women, Hollywood NOW believes these are important steps in protecting women and girls as well as empowering all survivors of sex trafficking to come forward and seek assistance.  

Along with the under-signed community leaders, Hollywood NOW asks that the US Conference of Mayors join us in our efforts. 

 

Sincerely, 

Lindsey Horvath, President Emeritus, Hollywood NOW  

Eve Ensler, Founder, VDay: The global activist movement to end violence against 

women & girls 

Patti Giggans, Executive Director, Peace Over Violence 

Councilmember John Heilman, City of West Hollywood 

Yvonne Moore, President, Long Beach & South Bay NOW 

Zoe Nicholson, President, Pacific Shore NOW 

Torie Osborn, Former Senior Advisor to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa 

Melinda Tremaglio, President, Palm Springs NOW 

Jess Weiner, Author/Self-Esteem Expert/Brand Strategist 

Ruth Williams, Director of Advocacy, National Council of Jewish Women – LA 

 As we posted earlier, McGinn also met with the mayors of seven other cities in Los Angeles today in an attempt to gather additional support for his anti-juvenile prostitution campaign.

In case you're curious, here's a list of the Hollywood types that have supported N.O.W. in the past:

Margie Adam	Melissa Etheridge	Julianne Moore
Christina Aguilera	Morgan Fairchild	Alanis Morissette
Jennifer Aniston	Edie Falco	Kathy Najimy
Curtis Armstrong	Frances Fisher	Alyson Palmer
Elaine Aronson	Calista Flockhart	Joe Pantoliano
Bea Arthur	Jane Fonda	Mary-Louise Parker
Ed Asner	Bonnie Franklin	Adrian Pasdar
Kevin Bacon	Janeane Garofalo	Pink
Alec Baldwin	Ana Gasteyer	Martha Plimpton
William Baldwin	Indigo Girls	Doris Roberts
Meredith Baxter	Annabeth Gish	Paul Rudd
Shari Belafonte	Whoopi Goldberg	Susan Sarandon
Maria Bello	Lauren Graham	Campbell Scott
Polly Bergen	Maggie Gyllenhaal	Kyra Sedgwick
Thora Birch	Lisa Gay Hamilton
Amy Brenneman	Ben Harper	Cybill Shepherd
Betty Buckley	Ed Harris	SONiA
Jessica Capshaw	Salma Hayek	Fisher Stevens
Lynda Carter	Marg Helgenberger	Gloria Steinem
Stockard Channing	Isabella Hofmann	Julia Stiles
Jill Clayburgh	Helen Hunt	Corky & Mike Stoller
Kate Clinton	Amy Jo Johnson	Sharon Stone
Glenn Close	Kathryn Joosten	Amber Tamblyn
Cindy Crawford	Ashley Judd	Mary Testa
Sheryl Crow	Catherine Keener	Charlize Theron
Alan Cumming	Carole King	Uma Thurman
Tyne Daly	Swoosie Kurtz	Heather Tom
Blythe Danner	Christine Lahti	Stanley Tucci
Kristin Davis	Sanaa Lathan	Kathleen Turner
Ossie Davis	Sharon Lawrence	Ted Turner
Dana Delany	Lisa Loeb	Sarah Weddington
Laura Dern	Amy Madigan	Bradley Whitford
Ani DiFranco	Natalie Maines	Alfre Woodard
Illeana Douglas	Wendie Malick	Thom Yorke
Denise Dowse	Joshua Malina	Amy Ziff
Fran Drescher	Camryn Manheim	Elizabeth Ziff
Kirsten Dunst	Frances McDormand
David Eigenberg	Ewan McGregor
Hector Elizondo	Marilyn McIntyre
Emme	Sarah McLachlan
Eve Ensler	Moby
Giancarlo Esposito

That's right, folks. The Seattle Weekly/Village Voice Media/Backpage.com now have Glenn Close, Joey Pants, Obi-Wan Kenobi and the ghost of Bea Arthur all up in their shit.

More as this develops.