Drawing the line between prostitution and charity

Last week, Charlize Theron sold a passionate, 7-second kiss for $140,000 to raise money at a live charity auction for OneXOne in San Francisco.

A couple days a go, a "die hard Phillies fan" was arrested and charged with prostitution. 

Theron, who sold her kiss to a woman, and as the steamy coverage would suggest, definitely stepped up to the plate (it's a baseball pun, get it?), was commended by the media, even Fox News pundit Bill O'Reilly.

Our hardball hooker Susan Finkelstein, on the other hand, became sort of a laughing stock among talk show hosts and news reporters.

The differences between the two are obvious. Theron did it for charity in a safe, public place. There were also no genitals involved (though one of the two could've probably copped a feel pretty easily).

What Finkelstein did was selfish and put herself, and potentially the sex-starved ticket-holder, in danger (you gotta assume a middle-aged woman trading sex over the internet probably contracted an STD or two at some point in her life).

I don't think Theron did anything wrong. In fact, I can't say I wouldn't smooch a lesbian for $140,000 for charity (or for me...). 

As far as Finkelstein is concerned, I definitely wouldn't sleep with anyone for money or tickets or whatever, but if she's dumb enough to put herself in that position, I guess I don't really have a problem with it. I think the police have better things to do. Even patrolling real hookers on street corners would be a better use of their time than surfing for internet crazies.

But in the end, they are both exchanging some physical manifestation of sexuality for monetary value. It's just a little confusing. When is it ok? Where's the line? Would it have been different if a man had bought the kiss? I think it's very possible the whole situation would've been looked at as sketchy rather than selfless if that were the case.

Is it ok when it's just a kiss? What if it's just a kiss alone in the bedroom? What if Theron had offered a kiss and a squeeze in one of the three primal areas?

It's just confusing, is all. Not that it really applies to most people's day-to-day life, but it's something to think about. Is kissing a whole different category, or was Theron and exception to the rule?