Hawaii Passes Historic Change to Prostitution Law

On July 2, 2019, with the passage of SB1039, Hawaii became the first state in the U.S. to allow a person to have a prostitution conviction erased without being a victim of trafficking. The previous law only expunged sex-work convictions after 6 years if there was conclusive proof of coercion or victimization. Sen. Laura Theilan (D) said that "The days of the scarlet letter are over. People who have been in prostitution should not have an onerous burden on them once they leave that job."

DSW supports the law but cautions its encouragement of conflating sex work with victimization. The best way to combat trafficking and promote safety remains full legalization so that sex workers who wish to find new employment can do so without shame or stigma, regardless of their reasons for entering the trade.

Hawaii Governor David Ige signs SB1039 into law on Tuesday, July 2. (image: CNN.com)

Hawaii Governor David Ige signs SB1039 into law on Tuesday, July 2. (image: CNN.com)

DSW Newsletter #4 (July 2019)

“Gay Panic” Defense Can No Longer Be Used to Excuse Murder, a Win for Trans Sex Workers

Just before the June 30, 2019, kickoff of the World Pride March in New York City, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed A2707, a new law that bans the "gay and...
Read More
“Gay Panic” Defense Can No Longer Be Used to Excuse Murder, a Win for Trans Sex Workers

Queer Liberation March: Pride Without Barriers in NYC

June 30, 2019 DSW attended the Queer Liberation March and political rally that followed on June 30, organized by the Reclaim Pride Coalition to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of the...
Read More
Queer Liberation March: Pride Without Barriers in NYC

Tiffany Cabán: Champion of Sex Workers’ Rights

Campaigning for district attorney of NYC, Tiffany Cabán initially declared victory on election night, June 25, 2019, but a full recount is currently ongoing due to how close the original...
Read More
Tiffany Cabán: Champion of Sex Workers’ Rights

California To Pass Bill for the Health and Safety of Sex Workers

On July 1, 2019, the California Assembly passed SB 233 54-13. SB 233 is an act to amend section 1162 of the penal code by prohibiting the arrest of a...
Read More
California To Pass Bill for the Health and Safety of Sex Workers

Hawaii Passes Historic Change to Prostitution Law

On July 2, 2019, with the passage of SB1039, Hawaii became the first state in the U.S. to allow a person to have a prostitution conviction erased without being a...
Read More
Hawaii Passes Historic Change to Prostitution Law

Mexico City’s Decriminalization Law Not Yet Implemented

Mexico City lawmakers voted 38-0 on May 31, 2019, to decriminalize prostitution in the nation's capital city. Rep. Temistocles Villanueva from the ruling center-left Morena Party says that the law...
Read More
Mexico City’s Decriminalization Law Not Yet Implemented
“Gay Panic” Defense Can No Longer Be Used to Excuse Murder, a Win for Trans Sex Workers “Gay Panic” Defense Can No Longer Be...
Queer Liberation March: Pride Without Barriers in NYC Queer Liberation March: Pride Without Barriers...
Tiffany Cabán: Champion of Sex Workers’ Rights Tiffany Cabán: Champion of Sex Workers’...
California To Pass Bill for the Health and Safety of Sex Workers California To Pass Bill for the...
Hawaii Passes Historic Change to Prostitution Law Hawaii Passes Historic Change to Prostitution...
Mexico City’s Decriminalization Law Not Yet Implemented Mexico City’s Decriminalization Law Not Yet...

DSW Newsletter Archive

California To Pass Bill for the Health and Safety of Sex Workers

On July 1, 2019, the California Assembly passed SB 233 54-13. SB 233 is an act to amend section 1162 of the penal code by prohibiting the arrest of a person for misdemeanor drug- or prostitution-related offenses if that person is reporting a specified crime including assault, domestic violence, extortion, human trafficking, sexual battery or stalking. It also repeals section 781.1 of the Evidence Code, which allows condoms to be admissible as evidence in the prosecution of prostitution crimes. The bill was first introduced in February 2019 by sponsor Sen. Weiner (D), who has said the legislation is "about protecting victims and increasing public safety. … The last thing we need is for sex workers to be further victimized when they report a crime." The ease and safety of condoms access is also a driving factor. A study by Human Rights Watch found that fear of arrest often overwhelmed workers’ need to protect themselves from STDs and pregnancy. A Los Angeles-based sex worker reported using plastic bags (Clark-Fory, 2019).

SB 233 is en encouraging first step towards combatting the vulnerability of sex workers and “creating a social and political environment in California where people can seek help when they are victims of violence” says Dr. Alexandria Lutnick, senior research scientist with Aviva Consulting). Many cities, such as San Francisco and New York, have taken local action to implement these policies already, but it is important that they be initiated xx state for community and individual protection. The bill is now in the Senate with assembly amendments pending. DSW's directors have sent letters of support encouraging California Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign SB 233.

State Senator Scott Wiener (photo: sd11.senate.ca.gov)

DSW Newsletter #4 (July 2019)

“Gay Panic” Defense Can No Longer Be Used to Excuse Murder, a Win for Trans Sex Workers

Just before the June 30, 2019, kickoff of the World Pride March in New York City, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed A2707, a new law that bans the "gay and...
Read More
“Gay Panic” Defense Can No Longer Be Used to Excuse Murder, a Win for Trans Sex Workers

Queer Liberation March: Pride Without Barriers in NYC

June 30, 2019 DSW attended the Queer Liberation March and political rally that followed on June 30, organized by the Reclaim Pride Coalition to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of the...
Read More
Queer Liberation March: Pride Without Barriers in NYC

Tiffany Cabán: Champion of Sex Workers’ Rights

Campaigning for district attorney of NYC, Tiffany Cabán initially declared victory on election night, June 25, 2019, but a full recount is currently ongoing due to how close the original...
Read More
Tiffany Cabán: Champion of Sex Workers’ Rights

California To Pass Bill for the Health and Safety of Sex Workers

On July 1, 2019, the California Assembly passed SB 233 54-13. SB 233 is an act to amend section 1162 of the penal code by prohibiting the arrest of a...
Read More
California To Pass Bill for the Health and Safety of Sex Workers

Hawaii Passes Historic Change to Prostitution Law

On July 2, 2019, with the passage of SB1039, Hawaii became the first state in the U.S. to allow a person to have a prostitution conviction erased without being a...
Read More
Hawaii Passes Historic Change to Prostitution Law

Mexico City’s Decriminalization Law Not Yet Implemented

Mexico City lawmakers voted 38-0 on May 31, 2019, to decriminalize prostitution in the nation's capital city. Rep. Temistocles Villanueva from the ruling center-left Morena Party says that the law...
Read More
Mexico City’s Decriminalization Law Not Yet Implemented
“Gay Panic” Defense Can No Longer Be Used to Excuse Murder, a Win for Trans Sex Workers “Gay Panic” Defense Can No Longer Be...
Queer Liberation March: Pride Without Barriers in NYC Queer Liberation March: Pride Without Barriers...
Tiffany Cabán: Champion of Sex Workers’ Rights Tiffany Cabán: Champion of Sex Workers’...
California To Pass Bill for the Health and Safety of Sex Workers California To Pass Bill for the...
Hawaii Passes Historic Change to Prostitution Law Hawaii Passes Historic Change to Prostitution...
Mexico City’s Decriminalization Law Not Yet Implemented Mexico City’s Decriminalization Law Not Yet...

DSW Newsletter Archive

Queer Liberation March: Pride Without Barriers in NYC

June 30, 2019

DSW attended the Queer Liberation March and political rally that followed on June 30, organized by the Reclaim Pride Coalition to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of the Stonewall riots. The march took place on the same day as the NYC Pride Parade, which also hosted World Pride this year, but without corporate sponsors or police officers present. The Reclaim Pride Coalition, represented in a WBUR interview by their attorney and former executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union Normal Siegel, wants to ensure that Stonewall50 lives up to the original spirit and intent of the first marchers in the June 1969 uprising: "the freedom to be who you are and to take pride in that." The message of the Queer Liberation March is to stand "in solidarity with other oppressed groups, to demand social and economic justice worldwide."

Reclaim Pride Coalition Art Build

The Wednesday before Pride, the coalition hosted an art build in which all kinds of activists got their heads and hearts together to make art, signs, posters and banners for the Queer Liberation March and Rally. The build united criminalized bodies against corporate control, erasure, and violence and provided an understanding of the breadth of the movement and the identities for whom it holds significance. DSW Communications Director Kaytlin Bailey attended and collaborated on two signs representing our message: “Listen to sex workers” and “Prostitution isn’t the problem, it’s the patriarchy.”

The Rally: Rights and Safety for All

Well before the march started, crowds had gathered at Sheridan Square, holding signs and sporting black, pink and gold attire. The energy and love in the streets was breathtaking. The march took place along the historic root, up Sixth Avenue and into Central Park, where a First Amendment political rally took place from 1-4pm, addressing the biases, homophobia and stereotyping of the LGBTQIA community that persist today. As the crowd walked up town, a moment of silence was held at 11am to commemorate those in the LGBTQIA* community lost to violence, stigma, racism, HIV/AIDS, and lack of access to safety or health care, particularly trans women of color.

The coalition wants to highlight that, though progress has been made, the queer and trans communities, especially individuals of color, are still stereotyped, harassed and criminalized on a day-to-day basis. The march was open to the public, without sidewalk barriers or police presence. It concluded on the great lawn of Central Park. The rally hosted speakers, performers and a display of the artwork that community members and allies had made for the event. Speakers included Larry Kramer and Jason Walker from ACT UP, Black Trans Media Representatives Sasha Alexander and Olympia Sudan, and many more. DSW feels so privileged to have been able to participate and see the wonderful community this march created.

Queer Liberation March route (reclaimpridenyc.org)

Marchers on Sixth Avenue in NYC. (photo: Leandro Justin)

DSW's Communications Director Kaytlin Bailey stands with all criminalized bodies—immigrants, trans people, black & brown people, the LGBTQ community & sex workers—at the Queer Liberation March on the Great Lawn at Central Park (June 30, 2019).

DSW Newsletter #4 (July 2019)

“Gay Panic” Defense Can No Longer Be Used to Excuse Murder, a Win for Trans Sex Workers

Just before the June 30, 2019, kickoff of the World Pride March in New York City, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed A2707, a new law that bans the "gay and...
Read More
“Gay Panic” Defense Can No Longer Be Used to Excuse Murder, a Win for Trans Sex Workers

Queer Liberation March: Pride Without Barriers in NYC

June 30, 2019 DSW attended the Queer Liberation March and political rally that followed on June 30, organized by the Reclaim Pride Coalition to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of the...
Read More
Queer Liberation March: Pride Without Barriers in NYC

Tiffany Cabán: Champion of Sex Workers’ Rights

Campaigning for district attorney of NYC, Tiffany Cabán initially declared victory on election night, June 25, 2019, but a full recount is currently ongoing due to how close the original...
Read More
Tiffany Cabán: Champion of Sex Workers’ Rights

California To Pass Bill for the Health and Safety of Sex Workers

On July 1, 2019, the California Assembly passed SB 233 54-13. SB 233 is an act to amend section 1162 of the penal code by prohibiting the arrest of a...
Read More
California To Pass Bill for the Health and Safety of Sex Workers

Hawaii Passes Historic Change to Prostitution Law

On July 2, 2019, with the passage of SB1039, Hawaii became the first state in the U.S. to allow a person to have a prostitution conviction erased without being a...
Read More
Hawaii Passes Historic Change to Prostitution Law

Mexico City’s Decriminalization Law Not Yet Implemented

Mexico City lawmakers voted 38-0 on May 31, 2019, to decriminalize prostitution in the nation's capital city. Rep. Temistocles Villanueva from the ruling center-left Morena Party says that the law...
Read More
Mexico City’s Decriminalization Law Not Yet Implemented
“Gay Panic” Defense Can No Longer Be Used to Excuse Murder, a Win for Trans Sex Workers “Gay Panic” Defense Can No Longer Be...
Queer Liberation March: Pride Without Barriers in NYC Queer Liberation March: Pride Without Barriers...
Tiffany Cabán: Champion of Sex Workers’ Rights Tiffany Cabán: Champion of Sex Workers’...
California To Pass Bill for the Health and Safety of Sex Workers California To Pass Bill for the...
Hawaii Passes Historic Change to Prostitution Law Hawaii Passes Historic Change to Prostitution...
Mexico City’s Decriminalization Law Not Yet Implemented Mexico City’s Decriminalization Law Not Yet...

DSW Newsletter Archive

“Gay Panic” Defense Can No Longer Be Used to Excuse Murder, a Win for Trans Sex Workers

Just before the June 30, 2019, kickoff of the World Pride March in New York City, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed A2707, a new law that bans the "gay and transgender panic" defense from being used in murder cases prosecuted in New York State. The panic defense has historically been utilized to lessen charges in the case that the defendant alleges his or her violent actions with in response to the unwanted advances of someone of the same sexual orientation. The defense has also been used in the murder trials of transgender victims. New York is the sixth state to ban the use of such a defense, the first being California in 2014.

In 1944, 19-year-old Lucien Carr used it to excuse the murder of 33-year-old David Kammerer, whom he stabbed in Riverside Park and dumped into the Hudson River. Carr alleged that Kammerer had been following him around the country making continual, unwanted sexual advances. His killing was depicted in the media as an honorable response to such a threat. Though convicted of murder, Carr pled guilty to a lessened charge of manslaughter and served only two years. The defense has been used dozens of times since then, as an outgrowth of the traditional legal doctrine of "provocation," or that the victim is partially responsible for a crime by eliciting it through some offensive action (Suk Gersen, 2019).

The memory of institutionalized violence against the LGBTQIA community lingered as the world commemorated the 50-year anniversary of the Stonewall riots on June 30. In 2018, a federal bill to ban the "gay and trans panic" defense nationwide died in a U.S. House committee. The New York bill is a step towards protecting the health, safety, and very humanity of every individual in the United States, but we still have a long way to go.

The #DecriminalizeSexWork movement has played a vital role in speaking out about the criminalization of trans and queer bodies, especially for women of color and those involved in the sex trade. Grassroots activism has been vital to the passage of this bill. We are fighting against the unjustifiable deaths of those who are most vulnerable, such as Layleen Polanco, a 27-year-old transgender woman who died in her jail cell on June 7 at Rikers, where she was being held, unable to make a $500 bail resulting from a prostitution arrest in August 2017. Polanco is the tenth transgender woman of color to be found dead in the U.S. in 2019. Decriminalization is necessary to combat state-sponsored violence, such as that condoned by the "gay panic" defense. Our path forward is to focus on public health and harm reduction and to stop the murders of innocent people.

After signing A2707 to ban “gay/trans panic” legal defense in NY, Gov. Cuomo marched in the New York City Pride parade. (photo: Brittany Newman/NYT, 2019)

DSW Newsletter #4 (July 2019)

“Gay Panic” Defense Can No Longer Be Used to Excuse Murder, a Win for Trans Sex Workers

Just before the June 30, 2019, kickoff of the World Pride March in New York City, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed A2707, a new law that bans the "gay and...
Read More
“Gay Panic” Defense Can No Longer Be Used to Excuse Murder, a Win for Trans Sex Workers

Queer Liberation March: Pride Without Barriers in NYC

June 30, 2019 DSW attended the Queer Liberation March and political rally that followed on June 30, organized by the Reclaim Pride Coalition to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of the...
Read More
Queer Liberation March: Pride Without Barriers in NYC

Tiffany Cabán: Champion of Sex Workers’ Rights

Campaigning for district attorney of NYC, Tiffany Cabán initially declared victory on election night, June 25, 2019, but a full recount is currently ongoing due to how close the original...
Read More
Tiffany Cabán: Champion of Sex Workers’ Rights

California To Pass Bill for the Health and Safety of Sex Workers

On July 1, 2019, the California Assembly passed SB 233 54-13. SB 233 is an act to amend section 1162 of the penal code by prohibiting the arrest of a...
Read More
California To Pass Bill for the Health and Safety of Sex Workers

Hawaii Passes Historic Change to Prostitution Law

On July 2, 2019, with the passage of SB1039, Hawaii became the first state in the U.S. to allow a person to have a prostitution conviction erased without being a...
Read More
Hawaii Passes Historic Change to Prostitution Law

Mexico City’s Decriminalization Law Not Yet Implemented

Mexico City lawmakers voted 38-0 on May 31, 2019, to decriminalize prostitution in the nation's capital city. Rep. Temistocles Villanueva from the ruling center-left Morena Party says that the law...
Read More
Mexico City’s Decriminalization Law Not Yet Implemented
“Gay Panic” Defense Can No Longer Be Used to Excuse Murder, a Win for Trans Sex Workers “Gay Panic” Defense Can No Longer Be...
Queer Liberation March: Pride Without Barriers in NYC Queer Liberation March: Pride Without Barriers...
Tiffany Cabán: Champion of Sex Workers’ Rights Tiffany Cabán: Champion of Sex Workers’...
California To Pass Bill for the Health and Safety of Sex Workers California To Pass Bill for the...
Hawaii Passes Historic Change to Prostitution Law Hawaii Passes Historic Change to Prostitution...
Mexico City’s Decriminalization Law Not Yet Implemented Mexico City’s Decriminalization Law Not Yet...

DSW Newsletter Archive

Tiffany Cabán: Champion of Sex Workers’ Rights

Campaigning for district attorney of NYC, Tiffany Cabán initially declared victory on election night, June 25, 2019, but a full recount is currently ongoing due to how close the original count was after absentee ballots were figured in. The process is expected to take a few weeks.

If victorious, Canán would be the first queer Latina Democratic nominee for District Attorney in Queens. It will be a huge victory for sex workers. The 31-year-old former public defender has served New York County and the Legal Aid Society for 6 years. Ms. Cabán campaigned on a platform of criminal-justice reform, including the decriminalization of sex work.

Cabán’s win, over Democratic organization-backed Melinda Katz, was recalled after Board of Education representatives began tallying paper votes after the primary. The BOE predicts the recount, which began on July 9, will take a minimum of 10 days. Democratic nominees historically run unchallenged in Queens, so the winner will likely serve as the next District Attorney.

Despite this upset, Cabán’s campaign has been heralded as one of the most stunning victories of the new anti-establishment Democratic Party, paralleling Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s defeat of powerful Queens Democratic machine candidate Joe Crowley almost a year ago (Nixon, New York Magazine). In a speech at the New Visions Democratic Club debate in Jackson Heights on April 29, Cabán asserted, “Who I am and what I fight for has been shaped by my experiences in over-policed, over-criminalized and resource-starved communities.” Her platform encompasses the reversal of economic and racial inequality in policing, increasing funding for schools rather than prisons, an end to mass incarceration and the war on drugs.

This election has exciting implications for the work of DSW and the broader #decrimsexwork coalition. A memo instructing fellow DAs not to prosecute sex workers and their customers has been pledged as one of Cabán’s first priorities if she were to take office. Not only would this change the lives of sex workers in Queens, increasing rights and safety through the legitimization of their work, but it shows the effects of decriminalization to be real and meaningful. In a Vice article, former Manhattan assistant DA Marie Solis describes how, when the District Attorney declines to prosecute an offense, it functions as a demonstrative trial run for how decriminalization can improve public safety—and pushed for legislative action, as with the decriminalization of marijuana possession. The decriminalization model, proposed by DecrimNY and endorsed by Cabán, would repeal parts of New York penal code that criminalize prostitution and especially target transgender women of color (Solis, Vice).

At DSW, we believe the current decriminalization bill could use improvements, and we are excited by the possibility of promoting them with the help of our supporters. DSW is humbled and inspired by the hard work of so many in this community that made such a historic campaign possible—and honored to be involved in this exciting step towards rights and safety for all.

Tiffany Cabán campaigns in New York City on the day of her District Attorney Democratic Primary election. (photo: Seth Wenig/AP, 2019)

DSW Newsletter #4 (July 2019)

“Gay Panic” Defense Can No Longer Be Used to Excuse Murder, a Win for Trans Sex Workers

Just before the June 30, 2019, kickoff of the World Pride March in New York City, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed A2707, a new law that bans the "gay and...
Read More
“Gay Panic” Defense Can No Longer Be Used to Excuse Murder, a Win for Trans Sex Workers

Queer Liberation March: Pride Without Barriers in NYC

June 30, 2019 DSW attended the Queer Liberation March and political rally that followed on June 30, organized by the Reclaim Pride Coalition to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of the...
Read More
Queer Liberation March: Pride Without Barriers in NYC

Tiffany Cabán: Champion of Sex Workers’ Rights

Campaigning for district attorney of NYC, Tiffany Cabán initially declared victory on election night, June 25, 2019, but a full recount is currently ongoing due to how close the original...
Read More
Tiffany Cabán: Champion of Sex Workers’ Rights

California To Pass Bill for the Health and Safety of Sex Workers

On July 1, 2019, the California Assembly passed SB 233 54-13. SB 233 is an act to amend section 1162 of the penal code by prohibiting the arrest of a...
Read More
California To Pass Bill for the Health and Safety of Sex Workers

Hawaii Passes Historic Change to Prostitution Law

On July 2, 2019, with the passage of SB1039, Hawaii became the first state in the U.S. to allow a person to have a prostitution conviction erased without being a...
Read More
Hawaii Passes Historic Change to Prostitution Law

Mexico City’s Decriminalization Law Not Yet Implemented

Mexico City lawmakers voted 38-0 on May 31, 2019, to decriminalize prostitution in the nation's capital city. Rep. Temistocles Villanueva from the ruling center-left Morena Party says that the law...
Read More
Mexico City’s Decriminalization Law Not Yet Implemented
“Gay Panic” Defense Can No Longer Be Used to Excuse Murder, a Win for Trans Sex Workers “Gay Panic” Defense Can No Longer Be...
Queer Liberation March: Pride Without Barriers in NYC Queer Liberation March: Pride Without Barriers...
Tiffany Cabán: Champion of Sex Workers’ Rights Tiffany Cabán: Champion of Sex Workers’...
California To Pass Bill for the Health and Safety of Sex Workers California To Pass Bill for the...
Hawaii Passes Historic Change to Prostitution Law Hawaii Passes Historic Change to Prostitution...
Mexico City’s Decriminalization Law Not Yet Implemented Mexico City’s Decriminalization Law Not Yet...

DSW Newsletter Archive

Mexico City’s Decriminalization Law Not Yet Implemented

Mexico City lawmakers voted 38-0 on May 31, 2019, to decriminalize prostitution in the nation's capital city. Rep. Temistocles Villanueva from the ruling center-left Morena Party says that the law is intended to help crack down on sex trafficking in the city, as well as recognizing that consenting adults have a right to engage in sex work.

Elvira Madrid, founder of a sex work rights group in Mexico, welcomes the change in the law. Other human rights groups also say that decriminalization will strengthen anti-trafficking public policy if appropriate legislation follows (Reuters, 2019). The law has not yet been implemented, but legislators are hopeful about results.

Decriminalize sex work

Asamblea_Legislativa_del_Distrito_Federal_Ciudad_de_México

DSW Newsletter #4 (July 2019)

“Gay Panic” Defense Can No Longer Be Used to Excuse Murder, a Win for Trans Sex Workers

Just before the June 30, 2019, kickoff of the World Pride March in New York City, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed A2707, a new law that bans the "gay and...
Read More
“Gay Panic” Defense Can No Longer Be Used to Excuse Murder, a Win for Trans Sex Workers

Queer Liberation March: Pride Without Barriers in NYC

June 30, 2019 DSW attended the Queer Liberation March and political rally that followed on June 30, organized by the Reclaim Pride Coalition to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of the...
Read More
Queer Liberation March: Pride Without Barriers in NYC

Tiffany Cabán: Champion of Sex Workers’ Rights

Campaigning for district attorney of NYC, Tiffany Cabán initially declared victory on election night, June 25, 2019, but a full recount is currently ongoing due to how close the original...
Read More
Tiffany Cabán: Champion of Sex Workers’ Rights

California To Pass Bill for the Health and Safety of Sex Workers

On July 1, 2019, the California Assembly passed SB 233 54-13. SB 233 is an act to amend section 1162 of the penal code by prohibiting the arrest of a...
Read More
California To Pass Bill for the Health and Safety of Sex Workers

Hawaii Passes Historic Change to Prostitution Law

On July 2, 2019, with the passage of SB1039, Hawaii became the first state in the U.S. to allow a person to have a prostitution conviction erased without being a...
Read More
Hawaii Passes Historic Change to Prostitution Law

Mexico City’s Decriminalization Law Not Yet Implemented

Mexico City lawmakers voted 38-0 on May 31, 2019, to decriminalize prostitution in the nation's capital city. Rep. Temistocles Villanueva from the ruling center-left Morena Party says that the law...
Read More
Mexico City’s Decriminalization Law Not Yet Implemented
“Gay Panic” Defense Can No Longer Be Used to Excuse Murder, a Win for Trans Sex Workers “Gay Panic” Defense Can No Longer Be...
Queer Liberation March: Pride Without Barriers in NYC Queer Liberation March: Pride Without Barriers...
Tiffany Cabán: Champion of Sex Workers’ Rights Tiffany Cabán: Champion of Sex Workers’...
California To Pass Bill for the Health and Safety of Sex Workers California To Pass Bill for the...
Hawaii Passes Historic Change to Prostitution Law Hawaii Passes Historic Change to Prostitution...
Mexico City’s Decriminalization Law Not Yet Implemented Mexico City’s Decriminalization Law Not Yet...

DSW Newsletter Archive