We may consider coerced sex to be more traumatic than coerced labor, but it's a difference in degree, not in kind. The author is arguing "If sex is just labor then it's ok to coerce people to do it" which is absurd. It's not ok to coerce people to do labor or have sex.

It's not about saying if it's ok or not, of course it's not.

It's about stating a difference because sex work being seen a mainstream practice is arguably not a good thing. (be it legal or not, that's not related here)

That's not really the point. That statement is being used to illustrate the fact that sex is not "just labor." If it were "just labor" it wouldn't be any more traumatic than being forced to make coffee or being forced to answer phones. Which would also be traumatic, but not as traumatic as rape.

But whatever, clearly there's a group of people here on HN who are taking the hard line "sex work is just labor" position and there's not going to be a rational discussion here.

Like I said, the difference is in degree, not kind. There's no reason two things have to be exactly the same amount of traumatic in order to be considered the same kind of trauma.

Losing 10% of your net worth and losing 90% of your net worth are both traumatic. One is more so because it's to a larger degree, but it's not an entirely different thing, it's just a different amount. That's why we have different punishments for petty theft and grand larceny. Not because they're completely different crimes, but because they're different degrees of the same crime.

Bingo. Much clearer than how I said it haha

That difference is (should be) determined by the individual (owner of the body). That is the point, and you are missing it.

I'm not missing that point. I didn't address that point of individual choice at all. I was highlighting the cultural difference. If you would take two seconds to stop being so dismissive and pedantic maybe you could actually understand what other people are saying.

What are you even arguing then? What's the importance of highlighting that difference? My point was that ANY coercive act against someone else's body should be prohibited and punishable under the law. The law should NOT allow the majority (in this case society) to dictate what I can do with MY body. I'm not being pedantic. It sounds like you are arguing "rape is bad, therefore we need to remove partial ownership of your own body and decide what you can and cannot do with it." That "logic" is offensive to me. If that's not what you're saying, I apologize. Maybe I am reading you wrong.