POLITICS
Mayoral Hopefuls Divided on Sex Work Decrim
Sharp differences emerge among candidates in fi rst gathering of 2021 hopefuls
BY MATT TRACY
Seven candidates vying to
become the next mayor of
New York City presented
starkly different positions
on an important LGBTQ issue —
the decriminalization of sex work
— during a wide-ranging virtual
forum hosted by the Jim Owles
Liberal Democratic Club on October
13.
The mayoral hopefuls also
showed signs of disagreement on
other topics relevant to the queer
community, including whether the
city should abolish the NYPD’s vice
squad, which purports to fi ght human
traffi cking and quality of life
issues but has been ripped by advocates
and lawmakers alike who
have charged that the unit is a
hotbed of corruption and harasses
sex workers, as well as having a
history of entrapping or framing
gay men in adult establishments
and elsewhere.
The forum, which represented
the fi rst-ever gathering of 2021
candidates, featured one out gay
candidate — Brooklyn Councilmember
Carlos Menchaca, who
has yet to offi cially launch his
campaign — along with Maya Wiley,
a former counsel to Mayor Bill
de Blasio; City Comptroller Scott
Stringer; Brooklyn Borough President
Eric Adams; former Sanitation
Commissioner Kathryn Garcia;
Dianne Morales, a non-profi t
leader who formerly served as CEO
of Phipps Neighborhoods, an organization
that provides educational
and career resources to young
people and families in low-income
neigbhorhoods; and former Obama
administration offi cial Shaun
Donovan, who led the Department
of Housing and Urban Development
and was director of the Offi ce
of Management and Budget after
a fi ve-year stint in the Bloomberg
administration.
The forum offered each candidate
roughly a half an hour to
speak in front of an audience of
more than 1,000 Zoom-watchers
who were intent on learning more
about the candidates aiming to
lead the largest city in the nation.
The common thread among most
candidates was a willingness to
distance themselves from Mayor
Bill de Blasio, and every candidate
said they would replace the police
commissioner, though that is expected
with any new administration.
Adams, however, avoided taking
a pledge not to seek the current
mayor’s endorsement during the
campaign.
Adams also stood out by taking
the most conservative position
on sex work decriminalization
— a prominent LGBTQ issue due
in large part to the way in which
queer folks, especially trans women
of color, are disproportionately
targeted by law enforcement.
“No, I’m not in favor of decriminalizing
it,” Adams said when he
was asked by club president Allen
Roskoff where he stands on the issue.
The Brooklyn beep then reiterated
his opposition to the issue
for a second time, saying, “I want
to be clear. I don’t believe in the
decriminalization of it, I don’t.” He
further emphasized that he is taking
a hard-line stance on the issue
by rejecting the Nordic Model
— a half-measure that would only
remove criminal penalties for sex
workers and not others involved in
the sex trade.
“I don’t believe Nordic Model is a
good model,” Adams said.
The Nordic Model has long been
slammed by sex work activists and
numerous local advocacy groups
that have maintained that the approach
does not lead to safer conditions
for workers.
A handful of other candidates,
meanwhile, voiced support for that
very model — a sign that they are
aiming to compromise in order to
cater to a citywide constituency.
Garcia explicitly voiced support
for the Nordic Model, and Donovan,
who curiously described himself
as “the true progressive in this
race,” refused to reject the Nordic
Model and said he believes “there
JIM OWLES LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC CLUB
City Comptroller Scott Stringer prioritized LGBTQ issues in his opening statement and said he backs full
sex work decriminalization.
JIM OWLES LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC CLUB
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, speaking against a backdrop of Rainbow stripes, rejected sex
work decriminalization entirely and was the only candidate who expressed openness to an endorsement
JIM OWLES LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC CLUB are limited forms” of sex work de-
from Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Former de Blasio administration counsel Maya Wiley said she supports sex work decriminalization but
did not specify whether she supports the Nordic Model approach.
➤ MAYORAL FORUM, continued on p.28
October 22 - November 4,12 2020 | GayCityNews.com
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