There is considerable controversy among social justice groups about how best to approach sex work. It is absolutely not verboten to suggest that sex work can be empowering rather than oppressive. Controversial, but certainly not forbidden.
One time a woman working at a prominent NGO in human trafficking told me that prostitution was oppressive to the woman. I told her that although that may be the case some of the time, there are women out there doing it by choice. She got really angry at me and went on an emotional tirade.
It's definitely one of those "touchy" PC subjects where honest debate is difficult without being shamed and called "sexist".