Belle de Jour Lawsuit

[cyclo 30131]

Many of you have probably seen Secret Diary of a Call Girl on tv. It was based upon a blog entitled Belle de Jour: Diary of a London Call Girl and two subsequent books Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl; and The Further Adventures of a London Call Girl. The author has also published The Sex Myth under her real name Dr. Brooke Magnanti. Dr Magnanti has a PhD in Forensic Science. She worked as an escort while she was finishing her PhD thesis.

 

There have been many discussions on cerb about discretion and whether we as sp's or clients are "out" as well as the potential complications that this business brings to the relationships of sp's and their so's. For those interested in a little weekend reading and a real life story, here's 4 articles that document this for Brooke Magnanti.

 

I know not everyone is going to read all of these, so here's the Coles Notes.

 

- An ex lover was going to "out" Brooke Magnanti as being Belle de Jour so she beat him to the punch by outing herself on her own terms.

 

- Another ex lover (Morris) now claims that she wasn't an escort, in part because "he would never sleep with a prostitute" and that he's suffered damage to his career and reputation since she's identified herself as Belle. He is suing her.

 

- Brooke Magnanti is ironically now required to defend herself in the lawsuit and show that she was in fact an escort. She has documentation to show her income, income tax statements, ads, her diary and his diary etc. She feels that her integrity as a writer has been questioned and that she's being called a liar and a fraud.

 

- An anonymous source has leaked a portion of Morris' diary to the Secret Courtesan blog and the excerpts show that the he knew she was an escort while they were together and wasn't happy about it.

 

- One of these articles also has a short interview with another ex lover who supports Magnanti's claim that she was an escort.

 

- The lawsuit has not been heard yet. A previous lawsuit that the ex lover (Morris) brought against a couple of newspapers was settled in his favour. As Magnanti has pointed out that was due to errors in their reporting, not to any inaccuracy in her story.

 

Pre-emptive Outing

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2009/nov/15/belle-de-jour-author-blogger-brooke-magnanti?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487

 

Lawsuit by Ex Lover

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/jul/28/brooke-magnanti-belle-de-jour-sued-ex-boyfriend

 

Magnanti's Response

http://sexonomics-uk.blogspot.ca/2013_08_01_archive.html

 

Copy of Ex Lover's Diary Published on The Secret Courtesan

http://maggiemcneill.wordpress.com/2013/09/24/diary-of-a-sad-man/

[Sweet Emily J 172062]

Thanks for sharing! :)

 

I follower her on Twitter, among several other high-profile escorts, and it is quite entertaning and enlightening!

 

She is @bmagnanti

[MightyPen 67414]

Wow! Thanks, I'll have to follow those links. I've known her story but not followed it lately.

 

I think her blog and the show based on it are part of a slow, gentle rehabilitation of the concept of escort services, though so far only among those who were already predisposed to hear out the argument.

 

It's a shame to see that even someone so prominent, well balanced, and plainly successful at her professions as Ms. Magnanti can be dragged into court by other people's ugly insecurities, hypocrisy and simpleminded terrors (about the judgement of others and a challenge to their artificial self-concept).

 

I'll follow this next turn in her remarkable life with interest.

[cyclo 30131]

Wow! Thanks, I'll have to follow those links. I've known her story but not followed it lately.

 

I think her blog and the show based on it are part of a slow, gentle rehabilitation of the concept of escort services, though so far only among those who were already predisposed to hear out the argument.

 

It's a shame to see that even someone so prominent, well balanced, and plainly successful at her professions as Ms. Magnanti can be dragged into court by other people's ugly insecurities, hypocrisy and simpleminded terrors (about the judgement of others and a challenge to their artificial self-concept).

 

I'll follow this next turn in her remarkable life with interest.

 

I think you're correct that her blog and resulting books/series have helped change the pubic perception of prostitution from the cliche of drugs, pimps and sleazy loser clients. She's been both congratulated and criticized for this. If her supporters and critics can both agree on this point, it's probably true lol.

 

I think her experience is also a cautionary tale on the complications which arise with fame and wealth... and those who want to get "their" cut.