A Brothel for Toowoomba
It seems that, because of State legislation, we have a legal brothel in our city. However, the brothel is not the real issue.

It’s just the result of a community not awake to the need to stand together, strengthen family life, and resist the sexualisation of the culture our city.

For starters, we need to lobby the State Government to return the decision making power to the local community so that we can choose whether we want a brothel or not.

Secondly, as we lobby we should request that our politicians consider the Swedish model if they are really concerned for the welfare of this ‘industry’. In Sweden, the law does not prosecute the prostitute, only the men who seek to purchase a sexual service. The result has been a dramatic decline in street prostitution. Brothels are illegal.

The harm done to all involved in prostitution is well documented. The sexualising of our culture is having a profound effect on community, especially on young women. Those working with teenage girls across our city report a whole raft of side effects leaving the girls unhappy about themselves, depressed and only too often, suicidal.

Failing to oppose the existence of a brothel in our city would be another signal from community leaders that it is acceptable for men to use women for sexual gratification. Toowoomba, we can do better for our young women.

It’s time that we as community leaders stood together with a clear message of how precious our young women are to us, and how we intend to protect them from undue sexual pressures. We stand committed to support them in their pursuit of a positive destiny for their lives. We need to put strategies in place to ensure this occurs.

For those of us who are parents and grandparents, I would like to ask a question: what sort of heritage do we want to leave for our children and grandchildren?

Toowoomba City Church