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P E R S P E C T I V E : L e t t e r F r o m T h e E d i t o r
Time to Get Specifi c About
Sex Work Decriminalization
Advocates for sex work decriminalization gathered in a State Assembly hearing room in 2019 to unveil the
comprehensive decriminalization bill known as the Stop Violence in the Sex Trades Act.
BY MATT TRACY
The recent passage of legislation
repealing the
“walking while trans” ban
marked a major step forward
for advocates of sex work decriminalization,
but that measure is
in the rear-view mirror — and now
it’s time for lawmakers as well as the
media to get specifi c on comprehensive
sex work decriminalization.
Last summer, Mayor Bill de Blasio
offered a vague response when
asked about his stance on sex work
decriminalization, which is one of
the most prominent LGBTQ issues
in New York City. A year later, the
mayor is largely singing the same
tune: While he now says the NYPD
should stop arresting sex workers
and is encouraging the State
Legislature to take action on sex
work reform, he won’t answer questions
from Gay City News about his
stance on full decriminalization or
on proposed state legislation that
would broadly decriminalize consensual
sex work for all parties involved.
This distinction between ending
sex worker arrests and full decriminalization
is an important one because
many sex workers at the forefront
of decriminalization advocacy
have consistently made clear that
true sex work reform means removing
criminal penalties for not just
MATT TRACY
sex workers, but also for buyers and
others who facilitate sex work. Why?
Because if some parties are being
policed, there is a risk of police interaction
among other parties — including
the sex workers themselves
— and any risk of police engagement
further pushes sex work underground.
This, in turn, hampers efforts
to address traffi cking, which is
where criminal justice efforts should
be focused.
Yet even though de Blasio has not
gone as far as voicing support for
comprehensive decriminalization, his
endorsement of some reform prompted
media outlets to run headlines incorrectly
stating that the mayor is on
board with decriminalization. That
could send confl icting messages to
constituents and sex workers — and
it shows the effects that such vague
messaging has on public perception
of the issue.
De Blasio’s approach is representative
of a pattern among many other
elected offi cials who have been reluctant
to clarify their position on the
issue. For a little while, the “walking
while trans” battle bought them
some time to put off clarifying their
stance on comprehensive decriminalization.
Politicians rightfully jumped
on board the legislative effort to repeal
the “walking while trans” ban
because it was a no-brainer bill that
wiped out an old loitering law used
to discriminate against transgender
individuals of color for baseless reasons.
The limited scope of that repeal
allowed electeds to show their support
for a sex work-related issue without
going all the way.
Sex work decriminalization advocates
now have a prime opportunity
to ramp up pressure on lawmakers
to take the plunge and embrace full
sex work decriminalization or run
the risk of misleading their constituents.
All indications point to de Blasio
backing an approach that only
calls for reducing penalties for sex
workers. One of the state lawmakers
championing this approach is
Senator Liz Krueger of Manhattan,
who was, according to several media
outlets, planning to propose a
bill, dubbed The Sex Trade Survivors
Justice and Equality Act, that would
remove criminal penalties for sex
workers. It has been approximately
two months since some outlets and
advocacy groups stated that it was
already introduced, but it turns out
that has not happened — something
confi rmed to Gay City News by a
Krueger spokesperson.
Other elected offi cials, most importantly
in the New York State Legislature,
have made it abundantly
clear they support full decriminalization
— and this brings some
much-needed transparency to their
constituents because the state, not
the city, will determine what legal
reforms are enacted.
A bill that would comprehensively
decriminalize sex work is led by
Brooklyn State Senator Julia Salazar
and is co-sponsored by out gay
State Senator Jabari Brisport and
his Brooklyn colleague Zellnor Myrie,
Robert Jackson of Manhattan, Jessica
Ramos of Queens, and Gustavo
Rivera and Luis R. Sepúlveda of
the Bronx. State Assemblymember
Richard Gottfried of Manhattan is
carrying that legislation in the Assembly
and has the support of 14
lawmakers, including out gay Assemblymember
Daniel O’Donnell of
Manhattan. Many other lawmakers
across different levels of government
have also voiced explicit support for
comprehensive decriminalization.
But some other elected are avoiding
the issue entirely — and sloppy
reporting in the media further confuses
what the real debate is about.
Rather than dancing around the
question, political leaders should do
their constituents and sex workers a
favor and get to the point.
MARCH 25 - APRIL 7 , 2 16 021 | GayCityNews.com
/GayCityNews.com
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