RTE has defended its decision to feature a part-time prostitute in a new reality show.
Connected cast: L-R Alanna Diggin, Nicole McQuillan, Elayne Harrington, Venetia Quick, Anna Ryan, Kate McGrew. “We need less stigma, more support and more humanizing of these women [who work in the sex industry]. It should be seen as legitimate work”, says McGrew.
It is currently legal to pay for sex in Ireland but illegal to solicit or advertise sexual services.
In a statement released on Sunday the national broadcaster said it did not choose pole dancer Kate, aka Lady Grew, for the final line-up because of her escort work.
The statement said: “The cast of Connected represent a diverse set of views on contemporary Irish life and the position and role of women in Ireland today.
“Kate was originally chosen as she is a working performance artist and is also a migrant into Ireland so she has an ‘outsider view’ of the country.”
