John Buffalo Mailer, son of Norman Mailer, who co-founded the Village Voice in 1955, has joined the campaign calling for Village Voice Media to shutter its adult ad section because it can, and has, served as a tool for child sex trafficking. He writes:

While I understand firsthand the financial difficulties facing all print publications today, the fact of the matter is that Village Voice is making money from selling advertisements that others have used to buy and sell minors for sex.

Unfortunately, like those on both sides of this battle, the junior Mailer ignores the fact that adult women are sex trafficked too, making us wonder if anyone cares about sex slaves once they turn 18.

Read John Buffalo Mailer’s full statement after the jump.

The Village Voice was born out of the desire for an independent media voice for the people, a voice that had the freedom and authority to hold those who abuse power accountable for their actions. While I understand firsthand the financial difficulties facing all print publications today, the fact of the matter is that Village Voice is making money from selling advertisements that others have used to buy and sell minors for sex.

As my father’s son, knowing all of the hopes and dreams that went into the work of creating this particular paper, the Village Voice appears to have lost its way from the days when Dan Wolfe, Ed Fancher, and my father began it. For the sake of the Village Voice brand and for the sake of the legacy of a great publication, take down the adult section of Backpage.com, before the Village Voice must answer for yet another child who is abused and exploited because you did not do enough to prevent it.