DSW Welcomes New Director of Communications
Ariela Moscowitz is joining DSW as the director of communications. We are thrilled to welcome an incredible nonprofit professional with years of experience advocating for social equity on behalf of marginalized communities to our team. Ariela is committed to changing hearts, minds, and ultimately, laws to protect sex workers and trafficking survivors. For the past…Continue reading DSW Welcomes New Director of Communications
DSW Featured at Woodhull Freedom Foundation’s Sexual Freedom Summit
DSW’s J. Leigh Brantly and Melissa Broudo spoke on a panel entitled “Fighting for Decriminalization in the Era of COVID and Black Lives Matter” at the Woodhull Freedom Foundation’s (WFF) 11th annual Sexual Freedom Summit. The event featured human rights advocates, educators and researchers, professionals, movement leaders, and organizational partners all “working towards a time…Continue reading DSW Featured at Woodhull Freedom Foundation’s Sexual Freedom Summit
‘The Oldest Profession’ Podcast Returns
DSW’s Kaytlin Bailey will be departing the organization at the end of the month to more directly focus her energy on her burgeoning production company, Old Pro Productions, Inc., which aims to “tell better sex worker stories.” This month Bailey is relaunching her podcast, “The Oldest Profession,” which she originally created in 2017. By the…Continue reading ‘The Oldest Profession’ Podcast Returns
DSW’s Melissa Broudo Honored by National Trans Visibility March
DSW’s Melissa Broudo received the Lou Sullivan Award from the National Trans Visibility March (NTVM) for her outstanding commitment to defending the rights of transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) individuals and communities throughout her legal career. The NTVM Torch Awards is an annual event that “recognizes distinguished achievements and honors individuals whose work has impacted…Continue reading DSW’s Melissa Broudo Honored by National Trans Visibility March
DSW Co-Hosts Anti-Trafficking Event in VT
DSW partnered with The Ishtar Collective (TIC), a local sex worker rights organization in VT, to host a luncheon in Montpelier that brought together state legislators, advocates, sex workers, and trafficking survivors from around the northeast U.S. The event, “Sex Work vs. Trafficking,” centered on a recent VT bill (H.568), which TIC and DSW collaborated…Continue reading DSW Co-Hosts Anti-Trafficking Event in VT
Hero(es) of the Month: Honoring the Dancers of the Lusty Lady
In 1996, the Lusty Lady in San Francisco became the first strip club in the country to successfully unionize, making history for the entire informal labor sector, including sex work. Despite the club’s closure in 2013, “Lusties,” as the dancers call themselves, remain a symbol of resilience and empowerment in an industry so often criticized…Continue reading Hero(es) of the Month: Honoring the Dancers of the Lusty Lady
DSW’s Melissa Broudo Featured in Film Series on Inspirational Women
DSW’s Melissa Broudo was featured in “As a Woman,” an interview-based film series diving into the lives of six inspirational, female-identifying New Yorkers. Written and produced by Majella Productions, the documentary explores how these individuals relate to their womanhood, and the ways this identity impacts their lived experience. The production is a beautiful examination of…Continue reading DSW’s Melissa Broudo Featured in Film Series on Inspirational Women
Hero(es) of the Month: TS Candii, SX Noir, and Gizelle Marie Organize the Largest Sex Worker March in U.S. History
More than six hundred activists, community members, and allies, including DSW’s Ceyenne Doroshow and Frances Steele, filled Manhattan’s Times Square on a Saturday at 5 p.m. The crowd gathered for the Black Sex Worker Liberation March & Vigil. When the event concluded five hours later, it was conclusively the largest demonstration for sex worker rights…Continue reading Hero(es) of the Month: TS Candii, SX Noir, and Gizelle Marie Organize the Largest Sex Worker March in U.S. History
DSW Takes Action Against EARN IT
In our last newsletter, DSW reported on how the EARN IT Act, a bill that recently advanced out of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, threatens the very heart of online security and privacy. The legislation claims to go after the online sexual abuse of minors. In a world that is quickly digitizing — and becoming…Continue reading DSW Takes Action Against EARN IT
DSW’s Kaytlin Bailey on Sex Work and Police Reform
The Cape Cod, MA, chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America asked DSW’s Kaytlin Bailey to present on police reform, accountability, and gendered violence from a sex worker’s perspective. The talk started with a brief history of policing prostitution, and the social narratives we have constructed to allow police abuse to proliferate. Bailey then outlined…Continue reading DSW’s Kaytlin Bailey on Sex Work and Police Reform
DSW Supports Criminal Justice Reform Bills in New York
DSW’s Melissa Broudo and Frances Steele attended a rally in New York City supporting five state-level criminal justice reform bills that will be voted on — and hopefully passed — this legislative session. The rally featured impacted community members who shared personal experiences and state-wide data to explain the critical issues addressed by each bill….Continue reading DSW Supports Criminal Justice Reform Bills in New York
Fighting and Winning: Ceyenne Doroshow and the state of TGNCNB rights
DSW consultant, cornerstone figure of the transgender, nonconforming, nonbinary rights movement, and founder of Gays and Lesbians Living In a Transgender Society (G.L.I.T.S.), Ceyenne Doroshow set out to raise a million dollars to support trans women of color last month. The fundraiser reached its goal in one short week and the momentum has not stopped. The…Continue reading Fighting and Winning: Ceyenne Doroshow and the state of TGNCNB rights