New York event Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Decriminalize Sex Work

Black Lives Matter

Black people nationwide continue to be harassed and murdered by law enforcement, with little to no consequences. We know that this systemic disregard for Black lives is neither new nor accidental, but rather a symptom of the endemic racism that shapes the society we live in. The movement to decriminalize sex work is all too familiar with how police routinely target and violate Black and brown bodies.

People of color, particularly trans women of color, are overwhelmingly stereotyped by law enforcement, brutalized, and arrested for sex-work-related crimes. We know that the criminalization of sex work fails to protect trafficking survivors, compromises access to resources, endangers public health, and allows violence against sex workers to go unchecked. Black trans and cis women selling sexual services have historically been targets of violence. Police are often the perpetrators of this violence, or they turn a blind eye, labeling the crimes as “NHI” (no human involved).

DSW stands in solidarity with Black Lives Matter:

* We are marching in the streets to demand divestment from law enforcement, police accountability, and justice for far too many unjust murders.

* We are supporting incredible community fundraisers to provide aid and space for Black sex workers. These funds include, but are not limited to, a donation page for Gizelle Marie of the NYC Stripper Strike to help create housing and resources for strippers and other sex workers of color nationwide, the G.L.I.T.S. lease fundraiser to provide housing and healthcare for transgender people of color who have been recently released from Rikers Island, and The Black Sex Worker Collective donation drive, which also has a housing initiative.

* We are working with legislators to support bills that defend Black lives, such as the repeal of the ban on loitering for the purposes of prostitution (“Walking While Trans”) in New York state.

When sex work is criminalized, racism thrives. People of color are systematically excluded from harm reduction services, such as healthcare and violence prevention. Instead, individuals are criminalized for trying to survive in a world that fails to make space for them. This month is Pride Month; there is no pride for some of us without justice for all of us.

DSW Newsletter Archive

Corporate Pride Events Can’t Happen This Year. Let’s Keep It That Way. | Buzzfeed News

Hero of the Month: Ceyenne Doroshow, Celebrating Pride Through Justice

DSW’s Hero of the Month for June is Ceyenne Doroshow — activist, organizer, and a cornerstone of the international sex worker and transgender, gender-nonconforming, nonbinary (TGNCNB) rights movements. Ceyenne, a Black transwoman, is also the 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. helps to address the barriers to health and human rights faced by transgender sex workers through crisis support, health care, housing access, advocacy, and public education. Building off of Ceyenne’s deep network of advocates and service providers, the organization works to improve the safety and equity of TGNC sex workers in NYC.

Ceyenne and G.L.I.T.S. have received widespread acclaim for their recent work, both with supporting sex workers and other communities ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the protests against senseless state-sponsored violence directed at Black people in our country. She has emerged as one of the preeminent figures in the national movement for Black trans lives. For example, Ceyenne helped organize the historic 20,000+ person rally in support of Black trans lives in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, on June 14.

The Brooklyn Liberation Rally was part of the larger Black Lives Matter and police-accountability movement that has been mobilizing across the country. This day of action, in particular, highlighted the pervasive violence, discrimination, and harassment that transgender people of color are routinely subjected to at the hands of law enforcement. The rally was co-sponsored by G.L.I.T.S., The Marsha P. Johnson Institute, The Okra Project, For the Gworls, and Black Trans Femmes in the Arts.

Ceyenne was one of six speakers at the rally, including Raquel Willis of Out magazine, Ianne Fields Stewart of The Okra Project, and the sister of Layleen Polanco, a transwoman who was killed at Rikers Island. The enormous crowd that gathered filled the Brooklyn Museum Plaza, spilling down the Eastern Parkway towards Grand Army Plaza. “I love each and every one of my trans family members. I love you, and I want you to live,” Ceyenne declared to the audience, which cheered so dramatically that she had to pause her speech to wait for the noise to die down. “I want you to breathe and sustain. I want you to stand tall and proud and Black and live. We have always been last, but that’s not going to happen anymore.”

In the march that followed, protesters demanded justice for Layleen Polanco, Tony McDade, Riah Milton, and countless other Black trans people who have been senselessly murdered across the country. Ceyenne and other leaders have been speaking out about these injustices for decades. People are starting to listen.

The event and Ceyenne’s work has been covered by CNN, Jezebel, GQ, Teen Vogue, Vogue, U.S. News and World Report, and other news outlets. To support the work of GLITS and the movement they’re building, please visit their donation page here.

DSW Newsletter Archive

International Whore’s Day 2020: Virtual and Vibrant

The 45th annual celebration of International Whore’s Day (IWD) departed from the usual, where sex workers and their allies don red attire and march through city streets across the country. This year, the IWDNYC Coalition collaborated with Kink Out Events to launch an online rally and social media takeover honoring protests for sex worker rights around the world. The live stream featured NYC-based sex workers, organizers, and activists who spoke about survival, community, and resilience in a criminalized industry.

Speakers included Ceyenne Doroshow of G.L.I.T.S. and DSW, who highlighted her organization’s harm-reduction work, providing relief to sex workers amidst the pandemic; Aneesha and Alisha of the Black trans-led organization, SWOP Bronx; Bianney Garcia of Make the Road, a formerly undocumented, Mexican-born, trans human rights activist who survived 18 months on Rikers Island after a transphobic attack; and so many more inspirational figures.

IWD commemorates an eight-day occupation by over 100 sex workers at Saint-Nizier Church in Lyon, France, in 1975. The strike called attention to the increasing violence against sex workers perpetrated by the French government. They demanded an end to fines, stigma, and police harassment — and the release of 10 sex workers who had been imprisoned a few days earlier for solicitation. The movement was widely covered by international media, prompting support from labor and feminist organizations. Eight days after the occupation began, the police forcibly removed the protesters from the church, but their mark had already been made.

DSW tuned in to the NYC event, along with hundreds of other participants. Attendees also participated in the social media rally, flooding feeds with stories of survival and expressions of respect for sex worker communities. We were honored to be part of this incredible event — led by sex workers and supported by allies — utilizing the power of art and storytelling to spread public awareness around the issues facing our community.

DSW Newsletter Archive

Lobbying in the Time of COVID?

DSW participated in Equality New York’s LGBTQI Virtual Day of Action. Community experts led panels and webinars on the movement’s policy priorities for this legislative session to improve the lives of LGBTQI New Yorkers and their families. After opening remarks from elected officials, including Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), state Sen. Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan) and Assemblymembers Felix Ortiz (D-Brooklyn), Richard Gottfried (D-Manhattan), and Harry Bronson (D-Rochester), webinars were held on the loitering repeal (“Walking While Trans”) bill, the Transgender Prisons and Jail Protection bill, and a law regarding comprehensive sexuality education.

Lobbying meetings for these pieces of legislation, along with the LGBTQI Long-Term Care Facility Residents Bill of Rights, took place in the afternoon. DSW’s Melissa Broudo facilitated a legislative meeting with Assemblymember Joseph Lentol (D-North Brooklyn). Along with DSW’s Frances Steele, the group advocated for the passage of the Repeal of Loitering for the Purpose of Prostitution, a dangerous and discriminatory law used overwhelmingly to target transgender people of color in New York state.

The day of action was a resounding success under unprecedented circumstances. The following day, the lieutenant governor voiced her official support for repealing the loitering statute, stating, “We have to repeal the ban on walking while trans. It’s a buzz word but it is also just people exercising their human right to be who they are, where they want to be and they should not be harassed by that … [it’s] something that legislatively we need to take up, absolutely.”

Thank you, Lt. Gov. Hochul, for your support on this critical initiative to ensure that no individual is criminalized on the basis of their identity.

DSW Newsletter Archive

DSW Joins Virtual Town Hall With Movement Experts

DSW’s Melissa Broudo and J. Leigh Brantly were featured in the latest edition of New Pride Agenda’s virtual town-hall series, titled “Let’s Talk Sex & Sex Work.” The webinar brought together activists, policy experts, and community members to explore the economic and cultural impacts of social distancing for LGBTQ+ people in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

LGBTQ+ communities are feeling the effect of social distancing in innumerable ways in response to COVID-19. Those who express themselves sexually, as well as those who work in the sex industry, face significant challenges, ranging from loss of work to social isolation. These realities can resurface past experiences of homophobia and transphobia, creating barriers to accessing health and safety resources.

The webinar was hosted by Cecilia Gentili, co-chair of NEW Pride Agenda and founder and CEO of Trans Equity Consulting. Experts who spoke on the panel also included Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, deputy commissioner for the Division of Disease Control of the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; Ceyenne Doroshow, DSW consultant and founder and executive director of G.L.I.T.S.; and Jose, an HIV+ sex worker and advocate. The discussion combined the varying expertise of panelists to highlight gaps in services, explore potential solutions, and provide a space to share resources.

View the full webinar here.

DSW Newsletter Archive

DSW Participates in TGNC/NB Advocacy Day in NY

The New York State legislature is following social distancing protocol, and advocacy groups have organized virtual lobbying meetings to continue their activism. Through their work with the New York Gender Diversity Coalition and other organizations, DSW’s J. Leigh Brantly helped organize an historic day of activism. Transgender, Gender-Non Conforming, Non-Binary (TGNC/NB) Advocacy Day is an annual event where activists, community members, and policy experts from across the state travel to Albany to fight for legislative action on behalf of the TGNC/NB community. This year, thanks to the hard work of movement organizers like J, the community still met, albeit from a distance.

The event began with an address on the state of TGNC rights in New York State. Panels spanned topics of “Sex Work and COVID-19,” “TGNC Healing and Grief,” and lobbying. Brian Romero from the Walking While Trans Coalition taught a webinar on the legislative process in New York State. Jason Walker from the New York Transgender Advocacy Group (NYTAG) led a Twitter town hall in which participants used social media to advocate for two of the most critical active bills supporting TGNC/NB rights this session: the Gender Recognition Act (SB0056/A3457) and the Loitering for the Purpose of Prostitution repeal bill (SB2253/A654), also known as the “Walking While Trans Ban.”

DSW’s Melissa Broudo facilitated the webinar panel, “Beyond the Transaction: TGNCNB Sex Work and COVID-19.” Panelists included Ceyenne Doroshow, from GLITS and DSW consultant; J. Leigh Brantly of DSW, NYTAG, the Sharmus Outlaw Advocacy & Rights (SOAR) Institute, and Gays and Lesbians Living in a Transgender Society (GLITS); TS Candii of The Walking While Trans Coalition; and Kiara St. James of NYTAG. The discussion explored how COVID-19 has significantly impacted the sex-worker community; the ways this community has used mutual aid and emergency organizing to mitigate vulnerabilities; and the unique stress this puts on TGNC/NB sex workers.

DSW Newsletter Archive

DSW Rallies With Activists To Pass the #WalkingWhileTrans Repeal

On International Sex Worker Rights Day, the Walking While Trans Coalition gathered at the Million Dollar Staircase in the Albany Statehouse to speak out about trans rights in New York state. DSW’s J. Leigh Brantly joined activists representing the New York Transgender Advocacy Group (NYTAG) and the Sharmus Outlaw Advocacy and Rights (SOAR) Institute.

The coalition has been advocating tirelessly for the repeal of section 240.37 of New York’s state law. The statute criminalizes loitering for the purpose of prostitution, and its overbroad and vague language has led to discriminatory enforcement. Since §240.37 was enacted in 1976, its implementation has overwhelmingly relied upon profiling and false arrests of cisgender and transgender women of color, as well as feminine gender-nonconforming people of color.

The Walking While Trans Ban Coalition — which is composed of sex workers, human rights organizations, and advocates in New York state and beyond — is fighting this unconstitutional law. Senate Bill 2253 and Assembly Bill 654, to repeal § 240.37, are being sponsored by State Senator Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan) and Assemblymember Amy Paulin (D-Westchester), respectively.

In a legislative memo endorsing the repeal, the New York Civil Liberties Union describes how the statutes make it a violation for anyone to publicly and repeatedly “‘beckon’ to, stop, or attempt to stop passers-by; to try to engage them in conversation; or to signal to motor vehicles ‘for the purpose of’” engaging in, patronizing, or promoting prostitution. The discriminatory application of this law is based on perceptions of what a prostitute “looks like,” according to stereotypes of dress, perceived gender identity, sexuality, race, and place of activity. This classification unconstitutionally codifies into law racist, sexist, and socio-economically coded ideas of criminality.

DSW was honored to participate in this historic event. There is no better way to honor International Sex Worker Rights Day than to fight for the human rights of our most vulnerable community members. When merely “looking like a sex worker” means you can be arrested arbitrarily, no one is free.

DSW Newsletter Archive

Honoring Our Movement: International Sex Worker Rights Day

Sex workers and allied communities celebrated International Sex Worker Rights Day, a holiday that commemorates the tireless efforts of harm-reduction advocates around the world. The holiday began in India in 2001 when over 25,000 sex workers from around the world gathered there for a festival organized by Durbar Mahila Samanwaya. The Durbar is a Kolkata-based group that translates to “The Unstoppable Women’s Synthesis Committee.”

Every year on March 3, sex workers and activists organize protests, gatherings, art shows, and lectures across the globe to raise awareness about the human rights abuses sex workers face. Events shine a light on the resilience of the sex work community, the strides activists have made, and the battles to come.

This year, DSW collaborated with several organizations to honor the work of NYC-based groups. J. Leigh Brantly, of DSW and the New York State Gender Diversity Coalition, joined the #WalkingWhileTrans Coalition in Albany to advocate for S2253/A654. This bill, endorsed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), would repeal the criminalization of loitering for the purpose of prostitution.

DSW’s Kaytlin Bailey was a featured guest on the Twitter chat #SexTalkTuesday discussing #sexworkerrights on International Sex Workers Rights Day. The conversation is a weekly inclusive dialogue around sex and sex-positive topics hosted by Sssh for Women (@ssshforwomen).

DSW also attended “Our Right to Thrive,” a pop-up art show and silent auction featuring the artwork of sex workers from around the world. The event benefited the outreach initiatives of Sex Worker’s Outreach Project Brooklyn (SWOP Brooklyn) and Lysistrata Mutual Care Collective’s crisis fund for sex workers. The show was a fantastic way to conclude the commemoration of sex worker rights and to celebrate such a resilient community.

DSW Newsletter Archive

NY Gender Diversity Coalition Introduces Legislative Platform

The New York State Gender Diversity Coalition, led by the New York Transgender Advocacy Group (NYTAG) including 35+ NY nonprofit organizations, met with NY state legislators in Albany concerning the coalition’s 2020 legislative platform. NYTAG is a trans-led organization that advocates tirelessly for more inclusive gender-based policies, benefitting transgender and gender non-conforming/non-binary (TGNCNB) individuals. This is accomplished by reaching out to community leaders, educating health practitioners, and influencing policymakers.

DSW is honored to be a part of this critical coalition. Issues affecting the TGNC community are deeply intertwined with sex workers’ rights. Because of discrimination and marginalization in most employment sectors, many TGNC individuals—particularly transgender women of color—have or will engage with sex work as one of the only viable options for supporting themselves

Of the six bills in NY state, a repeal of the loitering bill (A654/S2253) will be introduced by Brad Hoylman (D-WF) in the Senate and Amy Paulin (D-Scarsdale) on the Assembly side. This legislation would amend a statute that currently criminalizes loitering for the purpose of prostitution, a profiling bill that disproportionately affects trans women of color.

Advocates refer to the current law as “walking while trans,” signifying the propensity of police to target trans women, especially those of color, for standing on sidewalks, wearing certain clothing, or motioning at passing cars. “Walking while trans” is one of the most harmful laws used to systematically marginalize sex workers and transgender individuals. Even though they rarely result in convictions, arrests are traumatic stigmatizing events, and are perceived to be a type of “stop and frisk” for transgender people and women of color.

A 2019 report by the National Center for Transgender Equality found that 58% of transgender individuals who interacted with police officers in the last year experienced harassment, abuse, or other mistreatment.

The survey also found that, nationally, 33% of police interactions with transgender women of color result in arrests on prostitution charges.

All of the proposed bills seek to protect the rights and safety of NY’s most vulnerable communities, eliminate discrimination, and reduce state-sponsored violence. Because of demographic overlap and criminalization, many of the injustices addressed by these bills have an enormous impact on the rights of trans sex workers—especially the loitering bill. You can read the coalition’s one-pager, posted on NYTAG’s website.

We implore NY’s state legislators to pass these bills, which would provide a safer and more just society in NY state. If you’re a NY resident, please email or call your two state legislators to express your support of the pending bills via DSW’s Take Action page.

June 2020

DSW’s Frances Steele, J. Leigh Brantly, and Melissa Broudo (left to right) march for Black lives in NYC. (Photo: DSW, 2020)

Gizelle Marie — dancer, community activist, and founder of the NYC Stripper Strike — is raising money to support Black sex workers. (Photo: Tasha J. Fierce, 2020)

The G.L.I.T.S. fundraiser raised $1 million to provide safe and stable housing for trans people of color in NYC. (Photo: G.L.I.T.S., 2020)

DSW Newsletter #15 (June 2020)

June 14, 2020

Surrounded by her G.L.I.T.S. staffers, activists, and movement allies, Ceyenne delivered a moving speech to thousands of protesters gathered at Brooklyn Museum Plaza. (Photo: G.L.I.T.S., 2020)

A view from the podium at the rally for Black Trans Lives. (Photo: DSW, 2020)

L to R: Melissa Broudo, Ceyenne Doroshow, and J. Leigh Brantly march to support justice and pride. (Photo: DSW, 2020)

L to R: Ceyenne Doroshow, Ceyenne’s friend Shamar, Melissa Broudo, and J. Leigh Brantly catch some shade before marching.

Shamar, Melissa Broudo, and J. Leigh Brantly join the silent march after listening to Ceyenne’s speech.

DSW Newsletter #15 (June 2020)

June 2, 2020

This year’s digital rally was streamed in four languages, including ASL. (Image: IWD, 2020)

Protesters pictured inside Saint-Nizier Church in 1975 during the eight-day strike. (Photo: Carole Rousopoullos / Centre Audiovisuel Simone de Beauvoir, 1975)

Demonstrations for International Whore’s Day filled the West Village of Manhattan in 2018. (Photo: Danielle Blunt, 2018)

DSW Newsletter #15 (June 2020)

May 7, 2020

Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul released her statement of support for the “Walking While Trans” repeal bill following the LGBTQI Day of Action. (Image: DSW, 2020)

DSW Newsletter #14 (May 2020)

April 25, 2020

The New Pride Agenda hosted a virtual town hall series on issues facing the LGBTQ+ community during the pandemic. (Image: The New Pride Agenda, 2020)

DSW Newsletter #14 (May 2020)

April 21, 2020

Kiara St. James, Executive Director of the New York Transgender Advocacy Group (NYTAG), gives opening remarks to participants.

DSW’s J. Leigh Brantly speaks on the webinar, “Beyond the Transaction: TGNCNB Sex Work and COVID-19.”

DSW Newsletter #14 (May 2020)

March 3, 2020

State Senator Jessica Ramos (D-Queens) speaks at the March 3 press conference, endorsing the repeal of Walking While Trans. (Photo: Vince Marrone, 2020)

Attorney and activist Jared Trujillo of the Walking While Trans Coalition delivers a statement. (Photo: Vince Marrone, 2020)

TS Candii and fellow #WalkingWhileTrans activists read aloud personal stories of people who have been harmed by §240.37. (Photo: Vince Marrone, 2020)

DSW Newsletter #12 (March 2020)

March 3, 2020

DSW’s J. Leigh Brantly is pictured with a story from the Walking While Trans Coalition at the March 3 press conference. (Photo: DSW, 2020)

L to R: DSW’s Melissa Broudo, Ryan Wall of Legal Aid Society’s Exploitation Intervention Unit, Jillian Modzeleski of Brooklyn Defender Services, and DSW’s Kaytlin Bailey are pictured at “Our Right to Thrive.” (Photo: DSW, 2020)

DSW Newsletter #12 (March 2020)

January 8, 2020

DSW and NYTAG pictured in Albany at the beginning of NY state’s 2020 legislative session. From left to right: J. Leigh Brantly of DSW and NYTAG, Amanda Babine of NYTAG, Tanya Asapansa-Johnson Walker of NYTAG, and (front) Melissa Broudo of DSW and the SOAR Institute.

The Albany Statehouse (Photo: NYTAG)

DSW Newsletter #10 (January 2020)