by 
Thank you for saddling the massage therapy profession with the derogatory term Illicit Massage Business. (Sarcasm) Your 2017 report Human Trafficking in Illicit Massage Businesses (no longer on your website but found on archive.org) started referring to these businesses as Illicit Massage Businesses.
The use of these words implies that massage and the massage therapy profession are the problems, not human traffickers and prostitutes hiding behind our profession. The use of these words puts ALL law-abiding, licensed massage therapists at risk for harassment and assault. Massage therapist have had to put safety practices in place. We have people sending us naked photos and asking for happy endings. We have people acting out their fetishes on the massage table.
The media has continued to use these words along with the words Massage Parlor to future entangle massage with these illicit businesses.
The language we use is very important. The old don’t think about a pink elephant – What are you thinking about?
We ask that you stop calling them Illicit Massage Businesses and call them what they are: brothels disguised as massage (BDAM), Sex Parlor, sexually oriented businesses disguised as massage businesses (SOBDMB), illicit businesses. Please notify the media, legislators and the public.
