JANET MOCK
She worked in the sex industry in order to fund her transition and has since gone on to write a book about her experience.
She is a hero for sex workers, especially trans sex workers.
MARGARET CHO
Comedian, actress, writer, producer, singer/songwriter, and passionate advocate for anti-racism, anti-bullying, and pro-LGBTQAI+ rights and visibility.
She has also been public about her experiences in the sex industry.
DONNA CASTLEBERRY
Donna Castelberry was killed by an undercover vice police officer in Columbus, Ohio.
She was trapped in the back seat and shot three times.
JIM NORTON
“By keeping prostitution illegal and demonizing all of its parties, we (you) are empowering pimps and human traffickers and anyone else who wants to victimize sex workers because they feel helpless under the law. Give sex workers rights. Give johns a break.”
Mark Your Calendars
March 3: International Sex Workers Rights Day International Sex Worker Rights Day began in 2001 when over 25,000 sex workers gathered...
The Truth About the Equality Model
February 20, 2021 Sex workers in countries where the Equality Model1 has been implemented are frequently harassed and threatened by law...
DSW Staff Share Their Expertise
February 5, 2021 Charleston Law School invited DSW’s legal director, Melissa Broudo, to join their 13th Annual Law Symposium - SEXUAL...
A Victory Decades in the Making: New York Repeals the Walking While Trans Ban
February 3, 2021 After nearly fifty years of wreaking havoc on marginalized communities, the criminalization of loitering for the purpose of...
Mark Your Calendars for January 29
JANUARY 29, 2021 – New York Anti-Trafficking Network & Start Coalition Teach-In The New York Anti-Trafficking Network and the START Coalition...
Washtenaw County Decriminalizes Consensual Sex Work
January 15, 2021 In a major win for sex workers and other marginalized populations, Washtenaw County’s new prosecutor announced their office...
January Is Human Trafficking Awareness Month
January 11, 2021 In a 2016 report, Amnesty International called on countries around the world to decriminalize consensual, adult sex work...
DSW Staff Share Their Expertise
January 9, 2021 PornHub invited DSW’s legal director, Melissa Broudo, to share her expertise on legal issues related to sex work...
Hero of the Month: Alex Andrews
January 7, 2021 Alex Andrews is on a mission and she’s happy to have you get in her way. She’ll ask...
Mark Your Calendars for December 17
December 17, 2020 – International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers We’ve gathered a small sampling of the events taking...
NYC Council Repeals ‘Walking While Trans’ Ban
December 10, 2020 In a historic vote, the NYC Council unanimously voted to repeal Resolution 0923: Loitering for the Purpose of...
Hero of the Month: Mataoe Aiden James Nevils
December 8, 2020 Seeking medical care can be scary and stressful for anyone. Now imagine that you know you need medical...
The Palermo Protocol: 20 Years Later
November 24, 2020 The conflation of consensual adult sex work and human trafficking remains a harmful paradigm that continues to be...
Transgender Day of Remembrance Summit
November 19, 2020 The New York Transgender Advocacy Group (NYTAG) hosted a Transgender Day of Remembrance Virtual Summit on November 19...
G.L.I.T.S. Opens First Housing Complex of its Kind
November 18, 2020 G.L.I.T.S. (Gays and Lesbians Living in a Transgender Society) unveiled their brand new housing complex — the first housing...
Mark Your Calendars
November 19-20, 2020 The New York Transgender Advocacy Group (NYTAG) is hosting a Transgender Day of Remembrance Virtual Summit on November...
Hero(es) of the Month: Jet Setting Jasmine and Other Sex Workers Get Out the Vote
November 9, 2020 For a group too often overlooked and discounted in the political sphere, sex workers more than fulfilled their...
ACLU Research Brief Points to Decriminalization
October 21, 2020 The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) released a research brief entitled “Is Sex Work Decriminalization the Answer? What...
DSW Welcomes New Director of Communications
October 15, 2020 Ariela Moscowitz is joining DSW as the director of communications. We are thrilled to welcome an incredible nonprofit...
DSW Featured at Woodhull Freedom Foundation’s Sexual Freedom Summit
October 15, 2020 DSW’s J. Leigh Brantly and Melissa Broudo spoke on a panel entitled “Fighting for Decriminalization in the Era...
Hero of the Month: Henri Tolbert of The Ishtar Collective
October 14, 2020 DSW’s sex worker Hero of the Month is Henri Tolbert, co-founder and co-director of The Ishtar Collective (TIC),...
‘The Oldest Profession’ Podcast Returns
October 5, 2020 DSW’s Kaytlin Bailey will be departing the organization at the end of the month to more directly focus...
DSW’s Melissa Broudo Honored by National Trans Visibility March
October 2, 2020 DSW’s Melissa Broudo received the Lou Sullivan Award from the National Trans Visibility March (NTVM) for her outstanding...
DSW Co-Hosts Anti-Trafficking Event in VT
September 22, 2020 DSW partnered with The Ishtar Collective (TIC), a local sex worker rights organization in VT, to host a...
The Second Anniversary of Sex Worker Pride
September 14, 2020 Sex workers and allies celebrated the second anniversary of Sex Worker Pride. The holiday was launched last year...
De Blasio To Change NYC Sex Work Policy
September 2, 2020 NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio has changed his stance on sex work, moving away from full criminalization and...
Hero(es) of the Month: Honoring the Dancers of the Lusty Lady
September 1, 2020 In 1996, the Lusty Lady in San Francisco became the first strip club in the country to successfully...
OnlyFans’ New Policy Endangers Sex Workers During COVID-19
August 27, 2020 OnlyFans, a subscription service that online sex workers use to post content, recently instituted sweeping policy changes that...