At the XXX Breakout Session (part of the TogetherLA Conference) on Friday, Craig Gross of XXX Church and Kim Biddle of Saving Innocence shared testimonies and insight into the world of sexual exploitation and their work to prevent and address this problem in society.
Kim Biddle, founder and Executive Director of Saving Innocence, began the seminar. Saving Innocence is an organization based in Los Angeles that prevents, rescues, and restores victims of human trafficking in the LA and Orange County areas. The organization works directly with the city government to combat sex trafficking.
Biddle shared the corrupting nature of human trafficking, explaining that the average age of entry into human trafficking is 12 years old. Most of the girls are trapped in the system of sex trafficking against their will she shared.
A major problem with local governments’ response to the problem is lack of experience and knowledge of human trafficking, explained Biddle. Saving Innocence trains local law enforcement to properly address cases of sex trafficking.
Kim Biddle, the founder of Saving Innocence, shared her insight on the realities of the sex trafficking industry in Los Angeles.
“Sex trafficking cannot be seen as prostitution,” said Biddle. She shared an instance when a police officer in Hollywood came across a “john” (a term for solicitors) having intercourse with a 14-year-old girl who was trafficked. The officer gave the 40-year-old solicitor a citation; the "john" had to sit through several courses about the harmful health effects of prostitution. The girl, however, was incarcerated because the officer labeled her a prostitute despite her status as a minor. “She was treated like a criminal, not a victim,” Biddle said. “She should have been taken to a hospital.”
When money is involved, police no longer treat cases of rape like they should be treated said Biddle. “Why is money a changing factor?” she said. In any other situation, the girl would have been treated as a victim of statutory rape and given care. Saving Innocence aims to equip local governments and law enforcement to recognize human trafficking and effectively treat these cases. Biddle stated that in order for change to occur, solicitors of sex trafficking must be held accountable for their crimes. The 40-year-old solicitor was not forced to register as a sex offender.
The founder later explained the need for the church to address, rather than shy away from, the issue of sex trafficking. “As a church we must love the orphan,” she said. “We need to give [the victims] a context of love.” Biddle hopes to rally the churches and engage them in the fight against human trafficking.
Saving Innocence has rescued numerous girls from sex trafficking and embraced them in an environment of stability and security; the organization makes certain the girls are restored and stay with them through the whole process, said Biddle. The organization continues to give care to the victims until they are fully restored; some take as long as five years to fully recover from the effects of human trafficking.
Craig Gross of XXX, or Triple X, Church then spoke of the nature of the porn industry, the effects on society, and ways Christians can address the issues. Triple X Church is dedicated to helping fight addiction to pornography and ministering to those currently involved professionally in pornography.
Pornography is a different beast than human trafficking because it is a legally legitimate industry said Gross, founder of the ministry. It is a professional industry where employees and employers are bound by contract. Therefore, workers in the porn industry are seen as adults who have made conscious decisions to enter it.
Triple X Church is a ministry for those currently involved in the porn industry. It has helped porn stars exit their lives in the porn industry and find confidence in Christ’s love. “No one in the industry dreamt of being in it. No one wants to be in it,” said Gross. “They often don’t believe in their worth … they’re searching for something.” He described the adult film profession as “brutal” and without compassion. Triple X Church conducts ministry by holding booths at adult film conventions in order to directly introduce itself to those within the industry. According to Gross, the porn industry does not offer love and comfort in times of hardship.
Craig Gross from Triple X Church shared the effects of pornography and the realities of those within the porn industry.
“When something tragic happens [to them], they go to Triple X Church. We try to show them Christ’s love,” said Gross.
Gross expanded on the dangers of pornography for the individual. Triple X Church, which was originally founded to help youth group members with porn addictions, strives to help those addicted to porn. “Pornography is in secret,” said Gross. Nine out of ten people who work with Triple X Church to cut their addiction to pornography are often placed in that situation after being “caught”, he said. Porn is dangerous because it pushes the boundaries of sexual culture by lowering the threshold for satisfaction and stimulation. Mainstream movies such as 50 Shades of Grey give individuals a desire for more explicit content, which leads pornography. Once pornography is no longer satisfying, individuals seek other means of sexual satisfaction which eventually feeds sex trafficking and prostitution, said Gross.
The Triple X Church founder then acknowledged the growing ease of access to porn. The younger generation has the ability to access adult content through their smartphones. Gross and his wife do not allow their fourteen-year-old son to have a smartphone. Parents need to be involved in the discussion and speak with their children about the topic of pornography and sex. “Kids don’t talk to their parents about what parents don’t talk about with their kids,” said Gross. He discussed the need for parents to break this cycle of silence and stop being “clueless” about their children’s exposure to such content.
The session concluded with a time for questions. In the final section, Biddle stressed the importance of raising men in a “culture of love, not one of sexual perversion”. She described the impact individual actions of men can have on culture and women. Porn gives men the idea that they are weak, that their actions do not have consequence of power, said Biddle. Men need to realize that they have power and that their actions have big consequences not only for themselves, but also for those around them. “We need to stop dehumanizing both genders,” said Biddle.
Gross informed the audience about Triple X Church’s sister ministries such as Strip Church, a women-based ministry that focuses on strip clubs. He also mentioned applications from Triple X Church such as iParent, which informs parents about current applications and summarize the potential dangers they may pose for children.
When battling pornography, there must be both a Gospel-centered and practical approach, said Gross and Biddle. Biddle explained the need to differentiate between religion and relationship. Instead of sin management and focusing our efforts on stopping individual occurrences of sin, “we need to focus our energy and mind on our identity and value in Christ,” she said.
