An Open Letter to Mr. Richard Gere

Dear Mr. Gere:

First we would like to commend you on your wonderful performance as a male prostitute in the movie "American Gigolo" and your character's sympathetic attitude toward prostitutes in "Pretty Woman."

According to press reports, in your meeting with Taipei Mayor Chen Shui-bian on January 9th, the Mayor has jokingly called himself a "Taiwanese Escort-Dancer" as a respectful acknowledgement of your role in "American Gigolo." This seemingly friendly gesture hides the cruel fact that the Mayor has time and again violated the basic human rights and work rights of Taipei's sex industry workers.

Since September of last year, with his ambition to turn Taipei into an idealistic world-class city, the Mayor has exacted extremely rigid and over-conservative anti-obscenity measures which culminated in abruptly revoking Taipei's remaining 128 middle-aged licensed prostitutes' right to work, subjecting these women to near house-arrests by constant police surveillance, and forcing three of them into committing suicide out of financial desperation. With the support of labor unions and feminist groups, the sex workers have braved long-standing social stigma to put up a long struggle against such inhuman treatment. They have time and again suffered police brutality as they tried to plead their case with the Mayor, and their plight has raised the consciousness of the general public toward the dangers of the Mayor's iron-hand rule against the poor. Taipei City Council has since recanted its revocation of the licenses and has given approval that the prostitutes may continue to work at their old jobs. The Mayor, however, has pig-headedly refused to execute the Council's decision.

In many ways, the Mayor's treatment of the poor in Taipei city is no different from the Chinese government's treatment of autonomy-minded people on Mainland China. As the Chinese government has no concern for the people's wish for freedom except for its own political ends, Taipei Mayor has shown little concern for the destitute prostitutes except for his own personal ambition--he has recently made known his ultimate goal to become the chairman of the opposition party and perhaps even the president of Taiwan. It is saddening to see that you have been barred from learning all the facts about the Mayor before meeting with him, just as many people are still meeting with the Chinese leaders without knowing all the facts about the Tibetan people.

We believe that the wisdom and mercy you have learned through Buddhism will enable you to understand the pains and humiliation that the 128 prostitutes have suffered at the hands of Taipei Mayor. We hope you would take the time during your brief but significant stay to exert your influence on the Mayor on behalf of the weak and the poor prostitutes of Taipei. The Mayor's phone number is 02-25149900. We believe the powerful will always need a reminder from the wise and the merciful.

Mr. Gere, you have humbly expressed that the nature of religion is care. During your merciful visit to Taiwan, we sincerely hope you would show some care for the licensed prostitutes of Taipei.

Taipei Legal Prostitutes Alliance
January 11, 1998

This picture, with the inscriptions "Mercy and Wisdom will liberate all life from pain," was sent to the Taipei Mayor in November of 1997 in an effort to plead with him to be merciful with the legal prostitutes by granting us a two-year grace period while we rearrange our lives. The mayor cold-heartedly refused our plea as well as the spirit of the inscriptions.

口號：
西藏要自主，公娼要人權
支援西藏獨立，擁護公娼自主

Freedom for Tibet, Autonomy for Taipei Sex Workers
Human Rights for Sex Workers