Teacher punished for revealing her sex worker past on the Huffington Post

Melissa Petro was an art teacher at PS 70 in the Bronx for the past three years, but now she's been removed from her classroom and is under investigation because she wrote an article for the Huffington Post about the shutting down of Craiglist's "adult services" section in which revealed her brief stint as a prostitute. (She — like many sex workers who used the section, as well as many other people who realize that shutting down the "adult services" section doesn't really address any underlying problems associated with the dangers of sex work — does not approve of Craigslist's decision.)

Petro felt it was important to use her real name on the article to make her point:

In an off the record conversation, a sympathetic administrator kindly asked if I couldn't publish under a pseudonym. I wish, for her sake, I could. But for sake of the rights and integrity of myself and every other man or woman who makes or has made choices similar to mine, and then tries to make sense of these choices, I cannot.

Luckily for her, her employers and the parents of her students were totally cool about it and realized that she is no longer a prostitute and that she's teaching kids how to draw with multiple vanishing points on the horizon line, not how to turn tricks. Oh, wait, no they didn't:

Yocelyn Quezada said perhaps Petro had managed to turn her life around, but she still fumed that a former money honey was teaching two of her three kids.

"She's not a good role model. I do not want my daughters to find out about this," Quezada said, "and I do not want my daughters to be around that kind of person."

While using a fake name would certainly saved her a lot of grief, I have to admire Petro for taking a stand for the rights and protection of sex workers at the potential cost of her job. Petro is currently on administrative duty while the "investigation" is being completed.

Comments ( 14 )

She says in her article that she 'kept every penny'. I wonder if the IRS will investigate her for tax evasion. They should.

JJ commented on Sep 27 10 at 11:02 am

The outcome of this was inevitable - really, my wife has been self-policing her outfit/behavior in all public places for the past fifteen years of her teaching career for fear of upsetting a touchy parent who can't handle a little cleavage, leg, or drinking. Teaching requires a certain amount of lying in both word and deed - just like parenting.

VoR commented on Sep 27 10 at 11:06 am

Saying she didn't use a pseudonym for the sake of her "rights and integrity" was probably a response she came up with after the fact... hindsights 20/20.

Badland commented on Sep 27 10 at 11:07 am

It's nice to hear from some actual Christians in the Post's comment section. By "actual Christians" I don't mean the comments about how she's a degenerate, blah, blah, blah, I mean the couple a few rows down that say "let (s)he who is without sin cast the first stone." I seem to recall from when I actually used to show up on Sunday mornings that the J Man was big on letting people turn their lives around and do some good in the world (and also that there were far worse sins than having sex for money, such as, oh... I don't know, unfairly persecuting people who are trying to do some good).

Matt commented on Sep 27 10 at 11:33 am

I think it's okay to work as a prostitute and be employed at an elementary school, where kids aren't focussed on that, but not at a high school, where obviously we've seen more than one story of teacher-pupil liaisons.

bearman33 commented on Sep 27 10 at 12:15 pm

Also, is that Melissa Petro or Amy Fisher?

bearman33 commented on Sep 27 10 at 12:17 pm

Melissa, Melissa, any sentient being should know by now that you never reveal yourself to anyone. Better to lie than to let the spelling-challenged Yocelyns of the world smack you down. They're just looking for any excuse to make themselves feel good.

Twolane commented on Sep 27 10 at 12:43 pm

Dunno, bearman33. I can see some justification for not wanting a former sex worker to work with HS kids due to their awareness of what her past actually entailed, which could be a distraction for kids with sex on the brain 24/7. However, the implication that her past would make her more likely to fall into a student-teacher relationship makes some major assumptions about her ability to make good choices, know right from wrong, set boundaries, and control her own sexuality. Just because someone worked as a prostitute doesn't mean they are capable of any and all so called "deviant" behaviors.

Hooksexupsystem commented on Sep 27 10 at 12:49 pm

I agree with you Hooksexupsystem, i'm not saying she's a predator, i'm just saying in theory I would feel more comfortable with her teaching my ten year old than my fifteen year old, and it wouldn't even necessarily be her fault, but the fifteen year old could potentially create an uncomfortable situation, which wouldn't "arise" with the ten year old.

bearman33 commented on Sep 27 10 at 2:13 pm

All of you old boys out there with teenagers were probably previous customers, and you really just don't want to run into her in the halls of high skool academe. Too much 'splainin to do to wifey.

Twolane commented on Sep 27 10 at 3:48 pm

Many women, and men, work in the sex trades to put themselves through school. In fact I was told today by a colleague today that they know a student who is working as an escort to put herself through medical school. In my blog this week I am going to be writing about a student who worked as a pimp to put himself through school and now has a very respectable job. The issue here is the cost of education and what people have to do in order to afford it.
https://bigthink.com/blogs/dollars-and-sex

Marina Adshade commented on Sep 27 10 at 7:32 pm

is not verry cute woman:P

anonim commented on Sep 28 10 at 2:42 pm

Petro i was one of your students and what dum bich u r!!!!!lol

Shieniece commented on Sep 28 10 at 9:19 pm

I think that her past is her past. The school was wrong for letting her go. To the parents....you have hidden issues in your past so don't judge. As long as she's doing the right thing now. that's all should count.

revellisjones commented on Sep 29 10 at 9:50 pm

Teacher punished for revealing her sex worker past on the Huffington Post

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