DSW Newsletters Archives - Page 18 of 31

The Charge of Soliciting Prostitution

In this comprehensive guide to the charge of soliciting prostitution, DSW answers the most frequently asked questions about solicitation and other prostitution laws.

Is soliciting prostitution defined differently in every State?

Yes, the definition of soliciting prostitution in the criminal law varies in different jurisdictions. For example, states may define “anything of value” differently, and they may list specific sexual conduct that is encompassed in prostitution laws. In some states, soliciting prostitution is its own statute; in others, it is written into a prostitution law that encompasses the purchase and sale of sex alongside other related charges and definitions.

What is soliciting prostitution?

The dictionary describes solicitation as “the act of accosting someone and offering one's or someone else's services as a prostitute,” but legally speaking, what is soliciting prostitution? Soliciting prostitution is a criminal law in many states forbidding the offer to exchange anything of value for sexual acts; definitions vary by state. Because prostitution laws vary greatly from state to state, we’ve created this informational resource to help you find prostitution laws by state.

What is patronizing prostitution?

The dictionary defines “patronizing” as “to frequent as a customer,” but related to the legal framework around prostitution, what is patronizing prostitution? A patronizing prostitution charge arises out of the purchase of sexual services. Like solicitation, patronizing is codified differently around the country.
What is promoting prostitution?

The answer to the question “what is promoting prostitution?” may vary greatly state-to-state. It can refer to a number of acts related to prostitution that go beyond the basic purchase and sale of sex — for example, receiving money acquired through prostitution or owning a place where prostitution occurs.
What is compelling prostitution?

Explanations for soliciting, patronizing, and promoting prostitution are above — so what is compelling prostitution? Compelling usually refers to the use of force, fraud, and/or coercion to encourage another person to engage in prostitution; this is also known as human trafficking, though the language in compelling prostitution and trafficking laws differ in some states.

Is soliciting prostitution a felony?

People learning about prostitution laws may ask, is soliciting prostitution a felony? Again, it is best to consult the laws in your state. However, soliciting is usually a misdemeanor crime.

Can I face jail time for soliciting prostitution?

Possible jail time for soliciting prostitution differs from state to state, so it is important to look to the laws in your state. Because soliciting tends to be a misdemeanor, jail sentences are less than a year at maximum.
What happens when someone is arrested for solicitation of prostitution?

Just because someone is arrested for solicitation of prostitution does not mean they will be sent to jail. Usually prosecutors can choose to only require a defendant to pay a fine.
How long can you go to jail for prostitution?

People often ask, “how long can you go to jail for prostitution?” There is no simple answer because laws may vary state to state and depend on the facts of the case. Generally, prostitution crimes involving adults are misdemeanors so they are not associated with large fines or significant jail time. Further, many jurisdictions have begun implementing diversion programs such as Human Trafficking Intervention Courts to minimize punishments and instead connect sex workers with social services.
Is soliciting prostitution online legal?

Soliciting prostitution online is illegal and, in fact, a federal law enacted in 2018 called the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA/FOSTA) allows websites to be held liable for hosting advertisements for sexual services. SESTA/FOSTA shut down many websites that were used for the solicitation of prostitution such as Backpage and parts of Craigslist. Decriminalize Sex Work supports the full repeal of SESTA/FOSTA, which was supposed to prevent the online exploitation of trafficked persons. In effect, these laws have hurt the people they intended to help, pushing sex workers and trafficking victims into more dangerous and exploitative situations.
Solicitation of prostitution text message correspondence

As with other forms of communication, solicitation of prostitution text message correspondence can also be illegal when it falls under the local statutory definition of soliciting.

What is a prostitution sting?

In discussing prostitution laws, one of the questions that inevitably arises is: what is a prostitution sting?

How do prostitution stings work?

There are a few different answers to the question: why do prostitution stings work? Stings can take different forms, but ultimately are a tool that law enforcement uses to arrest people under prostitution laws. Prostitution stings can go after people seeking to buy sex or people seeking to sell it.
How to tell if it’s a prostitution sting

If you are wondering how to tell if it’s a prostitution sting, unfortunately there is no easy answer. Since there are many strategies for policing around prostitution, the answer could differ depending on where you are or what they are looking for.

How could the laws around solicitation of prostitution change?

The above explains the criminalization of some prostitution-related crimes. There are several other legal models that have been proposed to change prostitution laws. Partial decriminalization (also known as the Nordic model, the entrapment model, the end demand model, and the equality model) seeks to abolish laws prohibiting the sale of sex but continue criminalizing soliciting and purchasing prostitution. Legalization makes prostitution a regulated trade. Total decriminalization abolishes all prostitution laws concerning the consensual sale and purchase of sex between adults.

How to stop prostitution according to Nordic model advocates

The goal of Nordic model advocates is to stop prostitution. The Nordic model of prostitution is based on the theory that if the purchase of sex, but not its sale, is criminalized, then there will no longer be any demand for paid sexual services and the sex trade will cease to exist. They also believe that prostitution denigrates women and that clients of the sex industry are inherently harmful. However, research on the Nordic model of prostitution has shown that it does not stop or significantly reduce prostitution, but it does make sex work more dangerous for sex workers.

What are Nordic model misconceptions about soliciting prostitution?

Nordic model advocates believe that soliciting prostitution will no longer happen if it is criminalized because there will be no demand for sex work. However, Nordic model research show that the sex trade continues to operate under both criminalization and partial decriminalization because full service sex work is an important source of income for many people, and regardless of criminalization people still have the desire or need to purchase or sell sex. Further, research also shows that the Nordic model harms the health and safety and well-being of sex workers.

What is the difference between sex trafficking and prostitution?

The discussion about changing prostitution laws often brings up questions about stopping sex trafficking, so what is the difference between sex trafficking and prostitution? Prostitution refers to the laws governing adult consensual sex work, which is a transaction between two consenting adults. Sex trafficking, which falls under the umbrella of human trafficking, involves the use of force, fraud, and/or coercion to have another person engage in prostitution for the trafficker’s benefit. No legal model, including total decriminalization, advocates for the abolishment of anti-trafficking laws because trafficking is distinct from prostitution.

What does research indicate about the effects of legalizing prostitution?

When learning about the different legal models around prostitution laws, many wonder “what does research indicate about the effects of legalizing prostitution?” Legalization refers to the sex trade becoming like other forms of commerce that are regulated by the government. While legalization creates avenues to stable employment for some sex workers, there are still barriers to access for others who are unable to work in regulated brothels. Legal brothels also allow for worker exploitation because brothel owners control the working conditions. Even where prostitution is legalized, the sex trade continues to exist outside of regulated spaces.
Under legalization, what happens if I solicit a prostitute?

If you solicit a prostitute outside of a legal brothel in a place where prostitution is legal, you are still committing a crime because prostitution is only legal within brothels.
How is porn not prostitution?

People unfamiliar with the language around sex work may ask, how is porn not prostitution? It is important to remember that “prostitution” is a strictly legal term that only refers to the laws governing the purchase and sale of sex. “Sex work” is an umbrella term for various kinds of work, including full service sex work that is punishable under prostitution laws. Sex work can also refer to stripping, porn acting, phone and webcam services, and more.

Is soliciting for prostitution considered sex trafficking?

Soliciting for prostitution where both parties are under no form of coercion is a prostitution crime. If there is force, fraud, or coercion involved, then it is classified as trafficking.

Please consider supporting the movement for total decriminalization of prostitution.

The total decriminalization of prostitution is the only model that recognizes prostitution as a victimless crime that will continue to exist whether or not it is criminalized. Decriminalization allows those engaged in adult consensual sex work to operate free of the danger of exploitation and unnecessary involvement in the criminal legal system. Your donations to Decriminalize Sex Work help us lobby state legislatures to change laws and improve public attitudes towards sex work and decriminalization.

DSW’s Ceyenne Doroshow Is Grand Marshal of NYC Pride

The New York City Pride Parade, one of the most famous celebrations of Pride Month and historically the largest parade in the world, canceled its in-person festivities last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, the parade so central to New York’s identity was back with a vengeance. The celebrations were streamed on news stations to minimize crowding, but that did not stop the city from showing up with pride in many colors.

DSW’s own Ceyenne Doroshow was named a Grand Marshal of this year’s event, leading the parade that kicked off on 25th Street, processed down 5th Avenue, before making a right into the West Village, past the Stonewall Memorial, and ending just before the Christopher Street Pier. Melissa Broudo, J. Leigh Oshiro-Brantly, Rebecca Cleary, and Frances Steele of DSW processed just behind her. Doroshow, a cornerstone figure of the international transgender and sex worker rights movements, was interviewed by Angelica Ross of Pose before commencing the march.

Ceyenne Doroshow is the founder and executive director of Gays and Lesbians Living in a Transgender Society (G.L.I.T.S.) Inc. The Organization works to provide holistic care to LGBTQ sex workers and recently broke ground on the first-ever trans-owned and run housing cooperative for transgender sex workers. In addition, Doroshow is on the board of SWOP Behind Bars, the Caribbean Equality Project, the SOAR Institute, the Sex Workers Project, TGJIP of San Francisco, and the New York Transgender Advocacy Group (NYTAG). Doroshow was honored to act as Grand Marshal for Pride. In an interview with ABC 7, she said, “I've been doing this work for 30 years, not wanting to be a part of just one thing, but wanting to be a part of the bigger picture … making sure people get what they need. So Pride to me and being a part of this year looks very different. It's kind of a hot and spicy feeling or a sweet and spicy feeling.”

DSW staffers also took part in the Queer Liberation March that occurred later that day. The Reclaim Pride Coalition organized the parade as a protest to the Heritage Pride March two years ago. It began at Bryant Park and processed down 7th Avenue with rainbow flags and signs that included "Liberation and Justice." Later, the celebration continued in and around Greenwich Village.

The week before Pride, Governor Cuomo signed the Gender Recognition Act (GRA) into law in New York State. The GRA recognizes non-binary gender designation on official documentation and eases the process of name changes and birth certificate alterations. J. Leigh Oshiro-Brantly and Frances Steele attended the ceremony.

As DSW’s work highlights, LGBTQ justice is intimately connected with sex worker rights, health, and safety, an intersection that organizers and policy-makers have increasingly recognized. This year’s event is a reminder of how far we have come since the Stonewall Uprising inaugurated NYC Pride in 1969. It also recognizes how far we have to go. Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, two leaders of Stonewall, marched for sex worker rights and the abolition of HIV/AIDS, as well as LGTBQ pride, but sex workers are still criminalized and abused across the country. To address issues of gender equity and diversity and sexual identity justice, we must decriminalize consensual adult sex work as a legitimate form of labor that allows resource access for disenfranchised and marginalized individuals.

DSW Newsletter Archive

DSW Staff Featured in Documentary on Decriminalization

DSW’s J. Leigh Oshiro-Brantly, Melissa Broudo and Ceyenne Doroshow are featured in “Sex Work is Work,” a powerful short-film that explores the push for the decriminalization of sex work. Produced by BRIC TV, the documentary features Broudo and Oshiro-Brantly, along with sex worker Nikki Sweet, explaining why decriminalization is critical to the health and safety of individual sex workers and communities more broadly.

BRIC is a leading arts and media institution anchored in Downtown Brooklyn whose work spans contemporary visual and performing arts, media, and civic action. For over forty years, BRIC has shaped Brooklyn's cultural and media landscape by presenting and incubating artists, creators, students, and media makers.

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Hero of the Month: Elisa Crespo

Elisa Crespo is fighting for a world where all people feel “included, safe, seen, and heard.” Right now, she is focusing on the rights and dignity of Black and Brown transgender women, but her quest for tolerance and inclusivity seems boundless. Crespo took a big step this year — running for the NYC Council. Had she been elected, she would have been the first transgender woman of color to occupy a seat on the council. Though Crespo is open about her identity, she is explicit that her desire to run for political office was not about identity but policy. She remains hopeful that individuals who have not previously seen their identities represented in the spaces she occupied during her campaign will know that they matter.

Crespo is frustrated that in New York City, seemingly one of the most progressive cities in the world, Black and Brown transgender women are not represented in the social and political spaces where the decisions that significantly impact their lives are made. While many of the issues LGBTQIA individuals face are not unique to them, the solutions to these issues have to be intentional, strategic, and specific to LGBTQIA communities to have the necessary impact. Legislation on critical issues such as housing, employment, and education still regularly obscures those who are already marginalized and fighting for access. “Those who have struggled the most often have the best solutions,” says Crespo.

Crespo will assume a new role as executive director of The New Pride Agenda, an organization whose “purpose is civic engagement and public policy advocacy on behalf of New York’s diverse LGBTQIA community.” She has laid out an ambitious agenda for the organization and the state. Crespo admits that pursuing electoral politics took some of her time and energy away from working with policymakers to make the change she is so desperate to see and is ready to hit the ground running in her new role.

Combining her lived experience, education, organizing experience, and fierce determination, she is “excited to build coalitions” and to “hold elected officials accountable.” Crespo ultimately wants to see communities thrive but recognizes how much groundwork there is to be done to create better material conditions for people, first and foremost.

Two years ago, the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) became law in New York. It added gender identity and gender expression as protected classes under the state's human rights and hate crime laws and banned discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations based on gender identity and gender expression. The fact that it was legal in New York to discriminate against an individual because of their gender identity or expression up until 2019 is one of the myriad reasons that transgender individuals, especially women of color, remain so vulnerable. Crespo became a sex worker at a young age and experienced the “horror of the criminal justice system as a trans woman of color.” She credits the LGBTQIA community with helping her access feelings she had denied herself for so long in order to survive and for encouraging her to look towards her future — a challenging thought for trans women of color who are murdered at alarming rates.

Crespo is determined to fix this. Her priorities at New Pride Agenda include specific reforms that will bring immediate relief to those in need and long-term investments in future generations. She plans to seek protections for incarcerated individuals and to continue fighting to decriminalize sex work. She mentions scholarships and apprenticeship programs as examples of plans to help individuals move from simply surviving towards thriving. Crespo wants schools to adopt comprehensive, inclusive, age-appropriate sexual education curriculums that will reduce stigma at an early age and allow LGBTQIA children to feel safe and accepted, along with reducing sexual violence. DSW staffers J. Leigh Oshiro-Brantly, Frances Steele, Crystal DeBoise, and Melissa Broudo have an article coming out in the Charleston law review this year detailing how essential inclusive sex education is to the fight against human trafficking.

We must “teach children at a young age that no matter who people go to bed with or who they go to bed AS … everyone deserves to be treated with dignity,” says Crespo. She laments that queer youth still feel alone and experience suicidal thoughts at much higher rates than non-queer youth but knows that this opportunity to educate people can help change that. Crespo encourages allies to speak out and take the initiative and for those feeling unseen and unheard to ask for help. “A closed mouth doesn’t get fed,” she says. Crespo has blazed a trail for many people who never thought they could aspire to a public life and have felt powerless to change the trajectory of their own lives away from the margins.

DSW Newsletter Archive

Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Is Marked With Intersectional Pride Series

Each of the panels presented as part of Tulsa 100: Remember, Activate, Heal was impactful, educational, and transformative. If you missed them or want to rewatch them, they are available at the links below. J. Leigh Brantly-Oshiro, DSW’s research and project manager, conceived of the Intersectional Pride Series. Along with NY-based, national, and Tulsa-based organizations, they brought together individuals with a wide breadth of knowledge and experience to participate in the three-day event.

June 1: The Legacy of Black Art in Oklahoma | WATCH NOW

A virtual panel discussion featuring “Transcend” artists Nathan Lee, Brenna King-Sabbi, Suzanne Thomas, and Skip Hill, and moderated by “Tulsa 1921” filmmaker Marlon Ladd about the legacy of Black art in Oklahoma. Introduction by “Transcend” filmmaker J. Leigh Oshiro-Brantly, Consultant for New York Transgender Advocacy Group and Research and Project Manager for Decriminalize Sex Work.

June 2: Sex Work Decriminalization and Incarceration in Oklahoma | WATCH NOW

Live-streamed panel celebrating International Sex Workers’ Day co-presented by Decriminalize Sex Work and moderated by sex worker advocate and Decriminalize Sex Work Legal Director Melissa Broudo, featuring filmmaker and former police officer, Marlon Ladd, sex worker and advocate Mistress Mia Darque, former Tulsa DA and former public defender Chase Overstreet, and Still She Rises criminal defender Janay Clougherty discussing the current state of sex work decriminalization and incarceration in Oklahoma.

June 3: “Healing With Pride” | WATCH NOW

Virtual panel co-presented with Oklahomans for Equality, moderated by healing justice facilitator and LGBTQ+ ally, Quraysh Ali Lansana, featuring LGBTQ+ advocate and board advisor for Oklahomans for Equality, Dani Byrd, licensed therapist and co-chair of the Central Oklahoma Two-Spirit Society, Kelley Blair, Latinx Outreach and Library Services Coordinator at Oklahomans for Equality, Donovid Sekulits, and other Oklahoma-based LGBTQIA2S+ leaders discussing the ways the LGBTQIA2S+ community finds healing and resilience within our community.

Learn more about the significance of the centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre and the history of Black Wall Street in Greenwood, Oklahoma.

Watch a Virtual Film Screening

Tulsa 1921, directed by Marlon Ladd

These films were discussed during the June 1 panel, “The Legacy of Black Art in Oklahoma.”

Presented in collaboration with:

The CODE Foundation
Inclusion in Art
Living Arts of Tulsa
New York Transgender Advocacy Group
OSU Center for Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation
Diversity Center of Oklahoma
Still, She Rises Tulsa
Oklahomans for Equality

DSW Newsletter Archive

Mark Your Calendars

New York Transgender Advocacy Group (NYTAG) and many other advocacy partners from across the country are gathering in Tulsa, OK, for Tulsa 100, An Intersectional Pride Series. DSW and NYTAG’s J. Leigh Oshiro-Brantly conceived of the event on their journey to “REMEMBER, ACTIVATE, and HEAL.” Join the myriad different events taking place over the three days in person in Tulsa or virtually from anywhere in the world!

What: Three days of in-person and virtual events will honor the memory and legacy of Black Wall Street and Oklahoma's BIPOC LGBTQIA+ and Art Communities. Taking place over the first week of Pride Month 2021 and the centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre, as well as International Whore’s Day, the events will include streamed conversations with Oklahoma Black artists, advocates in criminal legal reform, leaders in the BIPOC community, trans, queer, and sex work community, and will feature healing and art therapy for BIPOC, LGTBQIA+, and Tulsa residents.

When: June 1-3, 2021

Where: Living Arts of Tulsa Gallery, the Greenwood District of Tulsa, OK and live on Zoom.

Register here: www.bit.ly/nytagtulsa100

Among the important discussions taking place is “Sex Work Decriminalization and Incarceration in Oklahoma,” moderated by Melissa Broudo, DSW’s legal director. The panelists include Marlon Ladd (Langston University professor, Black filmmaker, former Oklahoma VICE police officer), Chase Overstreet (former Tulsa assistant DA and former public defender), Mistress Mia Darque (black queer sex worker/‍advocate), and Janay Clougherty (criminal defender from Still She Rises, Tulsa).

DSW Newsletter Archive

NY Senate Passes the START Act

The New York State Senate passed the Survivors of Trafficking Attaining Relief Together (START) Act (S.674/‍A.459), which would provide greater protections for survivors of human trafficking by allowing them to clear convictions related to their exploitation, known as vacatur. Currently, survivors of trafficking can only petition the court to clear convictions for prostitution but not other offenses their traffickers forced them to commit. The START Act now awaits the Governor’s signature. It had previously passed the New York State Assembly five times.

The START Act is vital legislation as a criminal record imposes life-long, detrimental effects, including limiting access to employment and educational opportunities, financial resources, and housing. A criminal record can also result in severe immigration consequences, including the threat of deportation and the inability to adjust immigration status or become a citizen. Over 100 organizations, including groups that advocate for racial justice, gender justice, immigation justice, survivors of violence, and LGBTQ+ rights, signed a letter of support for the START Act.

Decriminalize Sex Work is one of nearly twenty anti-trafficking organizations that comprise the START Coalition, a group of attorneys, social workers, and advocates who work directly with and on behalf of criminalized survivors of human trafficking. The Coalition, which is part of the New York Anti-Trafficking Network (NYATN), worked tirelessly for over five years to make the START Act law.

“This expansion is a true win for survivors, who should not be burdened with lifelong criminal records due to crimes they were forced to commit at the hands of their traffickers,” said DSW’s legal director, Melissa Broudo. Broudo filed and won the nation’s first ever vacatur motion in NY in 2010 and has since advised attorneys and legislators throughout the state and nation on vacatur.

DSW Newsletter Archive

Hero of the Month: Norma Jean Almodovar

A relentless activist for justice, truth, marginalized groups, and simple human decency, Norma Jean Almodovar is a force of nature. With incredible courage, grace, and a great sense of humor (she made Joan Rivers laugh hysterically), Almodovar has changed laws and the public perception of sex workers — both critical in reducing exploitation in the sex industry and improving the health and safety of sex workers. Almodovar’s website, where she compiles extensive research and analysis of arrests and police corruption, is called simply, PoliceProstitutionandPolitics. Until you know her story, it might be hard to imagine that any single person could be a traffic officer, a prostitute, and a politician, but Almodovar was all three. The title of her book, “Cop to Call Girl,” also sounds more likely to be fiction than fact, but Almodovar was a cop and a call girl and has based her advocacy on one simple premise — give people the facts.

“Don’t take my word for it,” says Almodovar. “Look at the numbers.” Almodovar launched “Operation Do The Math” in 2012 and has continued to release a new report on the government’s arrest data each year since. Her meticulous analysis continues to show that abolitionist and prohibitionists feminists greatly overestimate the numbers of minors and others coerced into the sex trade to the detriment of sex workers and victims of crimes. Almodovar, along with others working to improve the rights of sex workers and to decrease the rate of exploitation and trafficking in the sex industry, knows that the way to do this is to decriminalize sex work — and the proof is in the numbers. Almodovar is outraged by the “patronizing” views of abolitionists, who assume that sex work is inherently exploitative and that sex workers can’t “think for themselves.” Aside from this assumption being incorrect, it does nothing to reduce exploitation and increase safety for sex workers.

Operation Do The Math is only the most recent iteration of Almodovar’s fierce pursuit for justice and truth. In 1982, after ten years with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), Almodovar decided to become a call girl. She “wanted to make a social statement about the moral hypocrisy of our society — a society which seemed completely untroubled by the police corruption that permeated the LAPD, and yet demanded that law enforcement spend a significant portion of its resources to set-up and arrest women whose sole ‘crime’ was to accept money from men for acts of sex in which they could otherwise legally engage, even with thousands of men - provided the sex was free. The arrest and subsequent incarceration would brand them forever as a prostitute and destroy their lives — all in the name of protecting them from exploitation.” During this time, Almodovar continued to work on her book, “Cop to Call Girl,” an act of free speech that jeopardized her freedom and nearly her life.

For exposing the corruption she witnessed while on the LAPD, Almodovar was arrested for “pandering” after a former LAPD colleague expressed a fantasy of being a call girl as well to her. She testified that she said she set up Almodovar in an attempt to stop her book from being published. Almodovar had never been arrested before. To this day, in California, pandering still carries a minimum three to six-year prison sentence. Ira Reiner, the Los Angeles District Attorney at the time of Almodovar’s arrest said what she did, which did not result in harm to any individual was "worse than rape or robbery" and even more shocking that she had compounded her "crime" by writing a book which would cause "disrespect for law and order." Almodovar feared for her safety while incarcerated and again once she was released. She felt that the only way to protect herself was to be as public and vocal as possible and so that is exactly what she did.

Almodovar appeared on numerous national television shows, including Oprah and 60 Minutes, filmed during her eighteen months in jail, no doubt influencing public perception of sex workers and prostitutes. As she says, activism runs in her blood. In addition to the work she has done to expose corruption, Almodovar has had tremendous success in her formal advocacy for sex workers’ rights. After becoming close with Margo St. James, Almodovar revived the LA Chapter of Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics (C.O.Y.O.T.E.), which she continues to lead. In 1995, she traveled to the UN Fourth World Women's Conference in Beijing as a representative of C.O.Y.O.T.E and an official delegate of the US.

At the conference, Almodovar, along with colleagues from Thailand, Australia, Malaysia and England fought to add a single word to the Platform for Action. Almodovar points out that, “Every ten or so years, this document-which sets the course for legislation adopted in UN member countries- must be thoroughly discussed, every word in the document debated and finally accepted for the member nations' delegates to ratify.” Despite going up against well-funded opponents who had been afforded much more time to organize, Almodovar and her peers successfully made the change. Almodovar says, “the original text read, ‘… all prostitution and pornography are incompatible with the dignity and worth of the human person and must be eliminated.’ The final text in the same paragraph which was ratified by the UN delegates now reads, ‘… all FORCED prostitution and pornography. … ’ The new meaning … makes a world of difference for prostitutes around the world who have chosen their work and refuse to be bullied into believing they are ‘victims’ because they engage in sex work.”

That incredible achievement was almost thirty years ago and Almodovar hasn’t stopped advocating since. She remains a constant in the movement for sex workers’ rights and dignity. She celebrated her seventieth birthday this month and has no plans to slow down. She remains encouraged by younger activists and how far the movement for sex workers’ rights has come. Almodovar has never once regretted or felt ashamed by any of her decisions. She proudly wears the label “whore” and wishes that more people knew that before modern times, whores were revered and beloved for their unique ability to comfort and care for others.

Almodovar continues to research, advocate, appear publicly, and to lead the International Sex Worker Foundation for Art, Culture and Education (ISWFACE), which she launched in 1997. Through ISWFACE, Almodovar continues to make her research available to anyone interested in joining the movement. ISWFACE is completely volunteer led. Since COVID began, it has been just Almodovar along with her computers, printers, and servers working to ensure the public has access to the critical information she collects. Please visit ISWFACE to learn more and support Norma Jean’s incredible work.

DSW Newsletter Archive

Remembering Margo St. James

DSW was thrilled to sponsor the online international memorial for legendary sex worker rights activist, Margo St. James. In addition to sponsoring the event, DSW’s Melissa Broudo served on the planning committee and she, along with DSW’s J. Leigh Oshiro-Brantly, were two of the many sex workers’ rights activists who appeared in the “Celebration of Life” that premiered during the event. Old Pro Productions produced a fitting and moving tribute to St. James, who passed away on January 11, 2021. St. James was the founder of Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics (COYOTE) and St. James Infirmary Clinic serving sex workers in San Francisco. St. James was instrumental in building the activist scene in California, serving and protecting sex workers and LGBTQAI+ folx, and opening crucial litigation in Rhode Island (COYOTE v. Roberts), arguing that the state had too much authority over people’s personal sexual lives and choices. She was also famous for her successful and creative fundraising, such as the annual Hooker’s Ball.

Watch the online tribute, featuring sex workers’ rights activists from around the world here.

DSW Newsletter Archive

DSW Staff Share Their Expertise

New York Transgender Advocacy Group (NYTAG) hosted their annual advocacy day on April 28. The full day of programming included appearances from elected officials, a conversation with former New York City Council candidate and transgender-rights activist Elisa Crespo, and panels on TGNCNB Youth and the full decriminalization of sex work vs. the Entrapment/‍Equality/‍Nordic Model of governing sex work. DSW’s legal director, Melissa Broudo, moderated the latter panel and DSW’s research and project manager, J. Leigh Oshiro-Brantley appeared as a panelist.

Along with the the other esteemed panelists, Oshiro-Brantly discussed various legal frameworks for sex work. The panelists concurred that, as sex workers, they hope that New York and other US states will adopt full decriminalization. Though each panelist has unique and varied experiences, they all believe that no law should ever be enacted without input from impacted communities. The criminalization of sex work, whether full or partial, puts them and their communities at risk.

For more information on how these models differ and why full decriminalization is the only framework that leads to increased public health and safety and a reduction in exploitation, read our briefing paper Debunking the Entrapment Model, a.k.a. the End Demand Model.

TAKE ACTION! HELP DEFEAT ENTRAPMENT MODEL LEGISLATION.

Please send this letter to your State Representative and help reject the Entrapment Model before it gets a foothold in the United States. With your support, we can fully decriminalize consensual adult sex work across the country and improve the health and safety of our communities.

Is soliciting prostitution defined differently in every State?

What is soliciting prostitution?

What is patronizing prostitution?

What is promoting prostitution?

What is compelling prostitution?

Is soliciting prostitution a felony?

Can I face jail time for soliciting prostitution?

What happens when someone is arrested for solicitation of prostitution?

How long can you go to jail for prostitution?

Is soliciting prostitution online legal?

Solicitation of prostitution text message correspondence

What is a prostitution sting?

How do prostitution stings work?

How to tell if it’s a prostitution sting

How could the laws around solicitation of prostitution change?

How to stop prostitution according to Nordic model advocates

What are Nordic model misconceptions about soliciting prostitution?

What is the difference between sex trafficking and prostitution?

What does research indicate about the effects of legalizing prostitution?

Under legalization, what happens if I solicit a prostitute?

How is porn not prostitution?

Is soliciting for prostitution considered sex trafficking?

Please consider supporting the movement for total decriminalization of prostitution.

June 27, 2021

Ceyenne Doroshow pictured just before the parade commenced on Fifth Avennue (DSW 2021).

DSW’s Frances Steele, J. Leigh Oshiro-Brantly, Allison Kolins, Rebecca Cleary, and Melissa Broudo celebrate the conclusion of the Heritage Pride March (DSW 2021)

DSW’s Frances Steele, J. Leigh Oshiro-Brantly, Allison Kolins, Rebecca Cleary, and Melissa Broudo celebrate the conclusion of the Heritage Pride March (DSW 2021)

DSW and G.L.I.T.S. Inc. staffers carry the G.L.I.T.S. banner through Greenwich Village towards the end of the march (DSW 2021)

DSW Newsletter #27 (June 2021)

June 17, 2021

DSW’s J. Leigh Oshiro-Brantly and Melissa Broudo are featured in “Sex Work is Work”

DSW Newsletter #27 (June 2021)

June 13, 2021

Courtesy of Elisa Crespo.

DSW Newsletter #27 (June 2021)

June 1, 2021

June 1: The Legacy of Black Art in Oklahoma | WATCH NOW

June 2: Sex Work Decriminalization and Incarceration in Oklahoma | WATCH NOW

June 3: “Healing With Pride” | WATCH NOW

Watch a Virtual Film Screening

These films were discussed during the June 1 panel, “The Legacy of Black Art in Oklahoma.”

Courtesy of New York Trangender Advocacy Group.

DSW Newsletter #27 (June 2021)

June 1-3, 2021

Courtesy of NYTAG.

DSW Newsletter #26 (May 2021)

May 24, 2021

Courtesy of the START Coalition.

DSW Newsletter #26 (May 2021)

May 15, 2021

Norma Jean Almodovar on the cover of her book. Courtesy of Norma Jean Almodovar.

DSW Newsletter #26 (May 2021)

May 1, 2021

Courtesy of Old Pro Productions.

DSW Newsletter #26 (May 2021)

April 28, 2021

TAKE ACTION! HELP DEFEAT ENTRAPMENT MODEL LEGISLATION.

The Panel.

Courtesy of New York Transgender Advocacy Group (NYTAG).

DSW Newsletter #26 (May 2021)