Advocacy Group Launches Grants Program for Decriminalizing Prostitution

NEW YORK (Dec. 1, 2020) – Decriminalize Sex Work (DSW) launched a $150,000 grants program to fund projects that will have a measurable impact on decriminalizing adult prostitution in the U.S. DSW runs the only grants portfolio that exclusively funds projects to decriminalize consensual adult prostitution in the U.S. Most grants will be directed to sex worker-led organizations working to change laws on the local and state levels.

DSW awarded grants to the following recipients:

● Ceyenne Doroshow — Founder and executive director of Gays and Lesbians Living in a Transgender Society (G.L.I.T.S.) in NYC. G.L.I.T.S. addresses the stigmatization and criminalization of trans people due to laws prohibiting sex work. Ceyenne is also a prominent leader in the Black Trans Lives Matter movement and has been featured in national news outlets such as Vogue, GQ , and The Wall Street Journal.

● The Ishtar Collective — Vermont’s first-ever anti-trafficking and sex-worker-rights organization run by current and former sex workers, industry allies and survivors of human trafficking local to Vermont.

● SWOP Behind Bars — A national organization that assists currently and formerly incarcerated sex workers.

“In a grossly underfunded movement, $150,000 of grant money has the potential to make a big impact on decriminalizing consensual adult prostitution,” said Crystal DeBoise, DSW’s director of strategic partnerships. “Our grants program will support local, on-the-ground activists who share a mission to decriminalize sex work, promote health and safety, and fight human trafficking.”

Organizations that advocate for sex workers’ rights and practical solutions to ending human trafficking are gravely underfunded. The lack of funding is a result of stigma and misunderstandings about these populations. Also, a large share of the federal money allocated to stopping human trafficking is misused by law enforcement to arrest consensual adult sex workers and their clients.

DSW accepts grants on a rolling basis. Applicants should submit a letter of intent on DSW’s website.

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Decriminalize Sex Work is a national organization pursuing a state-by-state strategy to end the prohibition of consensual adult prostitution in the United States. We work with local organizations, advocates, and lobbyists to build community support and convince legislators to stop prostitution-related arrests. Evidence shows that decriminalizing sex work will help end human trafficking, improve public health, and promote community safety.