Illinois Man Buys Sex on Honeymoon

Photo by Jeremy Keith

 Maybe you’ve seen the story today. A man from Illinois was busted after allegedly soliciting sex while he was on his honeymoon in Orlando. It’s a nightmare scenario—a newly married man betraying his wife while on vacation together. Of course it’s getting a lot of attention. It’s dramatic and terrible.

And yet. Within the world of men who buy sex, it’s seen as entirely normal. When CAASE interviewed men who buy sex in Chicago, we found that men who buy sex do have wives and girlfriends, and they know that buying sex can cause harm to their relationships. In that study:

• 62% of men interviewed said they had a regular sex partner (girlfriend or wife).
• 75% of men interviewed thought that harm is done to a marriage if a man buys sex, even if his wife doesn’t know about it.

We don’t know what motivated this particular man to buy sex, but it’s time to have more honest conversations about the realities of demand. That's why CAASE is talking to young men sooner about these issues, and raising awareness about the role of demand in perpetuating the sex trade.

Why do you think demand is usually ignored, but this story is getting so much attention?