I’m glad to see more people becoming aware of sex trafficking recently. I’ve seen some good articles and videos teaching us about how prevalent it is and ways we can spot it.

But I’m not too happy to see how it’s been wielded, especially by Covid-19 anti-mask skeptics.

I’ve also seen people try to make us all feel guilty for focusing so much on social distancing and mask-wearing, when child sex trafficking is a bigger issue.

Of course it’s a bigger issue. That doesn’t negate the call to fight a pandemic.

I know a few people who have come down with Covid-19. I knew someone who died from it. I don’t know a single person I’m aware of who was ever a victim of or a perpetrator of sex trafficking. But I know both of these things are very real.

What I’m not going to do is deny that human trafficking is real. What I’m not going to do is claim that the pandemic is worse because I have more anecdotal evidence of it happening.

What I’m also not going to do is make myself or someone else feel guilty because I’ve spent all this time and energy wearing masks and distancing from others, only to do next to nothing to immediately and actively rescue children from sex traffic rings. I don’t know where they are. I don’t know where I would go. I just know what I know. It happens to be that I, as an average citizen, know enough to do what I can. For the pandemic, it’s easy. For human trafficking, what I assume I can do is also easy. I pay attention to how people treat kids when I’m around them. I take cues from my wife who, as a counselor, is good at spotting abuse. I keep an ear out for a child screaming in danger. That’s about all that many of us know we can do. But if a professional organization recommends that I try another tactic to help them combat this evil, I’ll probably listen.

I wouldn’t have known exactly how to fight the pandemic without the CDC and other professionals. I would have guessed washing my hands, wearing a mask, and avoiding crowded places. But the specifics I needed to be told. The same goes for trafficking or any other societal issue. I knew pretty intuitively that if I were to see a dad leave his four-year-old alone in a pool changing room and say “I’ll be back in a few minutes,” that I should probably confront the dad and/or remain in there and make sure another adult doesn’t come yank the child away. Recently, thanks to articles I’ve read, I’m also more aware that I should pay attention so that if another adult comes in and specifically approaches the child to ask, “are you lost?” that this does not mean automatically that they’re a helpful adult. They could be a predator, and worse—the father could have set this up himself.

But again, I’ve never encountered that. At least I hope I haven’t. But I’m not going to use this info to make anyone feel bad for focusing on what they know to do about another issue. Because I didn’t know until someone educated me.

I get what’s going on. This rise in information is being used by some people as a political jab. “How come you care so much about the flu but not about children?” There’s a partisan weight to it. If you’re pulling for Trump and don’t like Clinton, for example, you can argue that Trump wasn’t so bad for minimizing the pandemic, especially since Clinton has been accused of covering up the Epstein scandal.

But that’s the problem. You don’t have proof that Hillary Clinton ordered the kill on Epstein. If a photo of them together is your proof, then what would you do with a photo of Trump and Epstein? Yes, they’ve hung out too.

Obviously child sex trafficking came to Hollywood. That doesn’t mean everyone in Hollywood is a part of it. It’s in America. Does that mean every American is a part of it? If it was discovered in your hometown, does that mean you’re a part of it? You sicko. You’re part of a ring.

I’m having to address this because I’ve seen people sharing ridiculous memes telling me that it’s hypocritical to listen to Tom Hanks, one of the first celebrities to get Covid-19. Why? Because he has an international travel pass and once got a medal from Obama, who is in league with Clinton, who was in league with Epstein, which means Tom Hanks is part of a child sex trafficking ring. That’s your proof?

You’re willing to let your brain go to these great lengths for this conspiracy. How do I know you’re not clinging to this theory about Tom Hanks so they you can feel better about not wearing a mask to Wal-Mart? Where is your proof?

So if you think you’re better than your political opponents because they seem to care more about a flu bug and you clearly care more about stopping children from being sold to strangers, what have you actively done to show it? Before recently, too? How many children do you know you saved? See now why it’s easier to just do your best and try to help society? Can you not just wear a mask and also been the lookout for predators?

It is perfectly compatible to try to combat a pandemic AND combat child trafficking. It’s just that more of us have seen and know what we can do now to help fight a pandemic, and what we’re sadly realizing is how hard it is to identify when child trafficking is happening right around us. So don’t go and politicize it, please.