DSW Newsletters Archives - Page 22 of 31

ACLU Research Brief Points to Decriminalization

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) released a research brief entitled “Is Sex Work Decriminalization the Answer? What the Research Tells Us.” Developed in consultation with local advocates and sex-worker-rights affiliates, the report reviews existing evidence on the impact of sex work decriminalization and criminalization, and what this data tells us about the development of public policy. Growing evidence points to the potential benefits of full decriminalization.

The ACLU has advocated for the decriminalization of sex work for more than 40 years. The organization bases its position on the empirical health and safety outcomes of decriminalization, as well as qualitative evidence from the experiences of sex workers themselves. As the issue grows in national and local recognition, this research brief is intended to consolidate conclusive findings on the impact of different legislative models. The report ultimately finds that “research points to negative impacts of criminalization on the physical safety, health, and financial well-being of sex workers.” These indicators are amplified when looking at the impact of criminalization on marginalized communities such as lesbian/gay/bisexual and transgender/gender-nonconforming individuals, people of color, immigrants, and those without adequate financial resources.

We hope that policymakers will heed the ACLU’s expert recommendations: fully decriminalizing consensual adult sex work, limiting police presence within the sex work community and ensuring consequences and accountability for those who physically and sexually abuse sex workers, repealing laws and policies that prevent sex workers from safely screening their clients online, and removing barriers to HIV prevention and other healthcare. We cannot overstate the implications of this report for the holistic safety of our communities. Sex worker rights are human rights.

DSW Newsletter Archive

DSW Welcomes New Director of Communications

Ariela Moscowitz is joining DSW as the director of communications. We are thrilled to welcome an incredible nonprofit professional with years of experience advocating for social equity on behalf of marginalized communities to our team. Ariela is committed to changing hearts, minds, and ultimately, laws to protect sex workers and trafficking survivors.

For the past seven years, Ariela has worked at Americans for Immigrant Justice as the director of community relations. Americans for Immigrant Justice is a nonprofit law firm based in Miami, dedicated to protecting the human and legal rights of immigrants through a combination of direct service, advocacy, and impact litigation. As director of community relations, she managed all of the organization’s development- and communications-related activities.

Ariela has a long history of working with marginalized groups and “a particular interest in working to promote access to justice for those who might otherwise be denied it.” She has previously worked as an advocate at domestic violence shelters and at an organization providing emergency, transitional, and permanent housing to unhoused women and children. Ariela currently lives in Miami, FL, with her son.

DSW Newsletter Archive

DSW Featured at Woodhull Freedom Foundation’s Sexual Freedom Summit

DSW’s J. Leigh Brantly and Melissa Broudo spoke on a panel entitled “Fighting for Decriminalization in the Era of COVID and Black Lives Matter” at the Woodhull Freedom Foundation’s (WFF) 11th annual Sexual Freedom Summit. The event featured human rights advocates, educators and researchers, professionals, movement leaders, and organizational partners all “working towards a time when sexual freedom is fully recognized as a fundamental human right.” This year, the summit took place online, bringing attendees together virtually to explore the intersection of sexual and human rights, identify policy goals, and craft strategies moving forward. The panel contextualized the path toward decriminalization within the pandemic and a national focus on Black Lives Matter and racial justice.

Broudo and Brantly were joined by Monica Jones, a transgender and sex-worker-rights advocate and leader whose activism has shed light on the profiling of trans women of color by law enforcement across the country. The panelists highlighted the unprecedented political context that we are now operating within, and what this means for decriminalization advocacy. Broudo gave an overview of the national initiatives to support the health, safety, and human rights of sex workers. She noted that for the first time politicians are paying attention to decriminalization across the U.S.

Brantly discussed specific legislation being proposed in New England resulting from collaborations between harm-reduction organizations and sex-worker-rights advocates. The bills include the repeal of Loitering for the Purpose of Engaging in a Prostitution Offense (S.2253/A.654), also referred to as the Walking While Trans ban in NY, to combat racist and transphobic stereotyping by law enforcement; the expansion of vacatur laws protecting survivors of human trafficking; immunity from arrest for witnesses and victims of crime who are participating in sex work; and legislation to ensure that all people, regardless of profession, have access to safe healthcare.

Jones talked about her impressive work in Arizona and compared U.S. policies to places like New South Wales, Australia, and New Zealand, where sex work is decriminalized. She highlighted the incredible strides these countries have made in terms of safety and health outcomes, combating trafficking, and aiding collaboration between sex workers and law enforcement.

DSW looks forward to continuing to collaborate with WFF and others to combat the criminalization and stigmatization of sex workers and related communities. You can watch the full panel on WFF’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

DSW Newsletter Archive

Hero of the Month: Henri Tolbert of The Ishtar Collective

DSW’s sex worker Hero of the Month is Henri Tolbert, co-founder and co-director of The Ishtar Collective (TIC), the first Vermont-based anti-trafficking and sex worker rights organization. Tolbert is a second-generation sex worker who has close to ten years of lived experience in the industry. Like most, Tolbert’s time as a sex worker is nuanced and deeply personal; they were kind enough to share some details about their experiences with us.

For their first few years in sex work, Tolbert worked to survive. They were in and out of strip clubs as they struggled with a variety of substance dependency issues. Tolbert describes how, through that admittedly dark time in their life, “in those hen house dressing rooms, I found incredible moments of solidarity and support with the other femmes prepping [ourselves] for work.” Encouraged by this mutual support network, Tolbert’s lifestyle changed, and so did their participation in sex work. Without the desperation of survival, they were able to pivot and have more agency over their work. Tolbert notes that “not everyone’s walk in this line of work is constructive.” They feel privileged that the sex industry provided them with a network of such encouraging friends and co-workers.

The Ishtar Collective’s origin story was a result of this motivation to make things better. As Tolbert recalls, they were working behind the counter at a liquor store in Montpelier, “whining to myself about how hard it was to get in touch with state reps who were pushing for a [bill to fully decriminalize sex work] here in Vermont when this vision in periwinkle hair appeared.” The vision turned out to be a real human being, DSW’s J. Leigh Brantly, who was in the capital to assist in the passage of that very same decriminalization bill. Brantly and Tolbert kept in touch and eventually cobbled together the building blocks of what became TIC.

The organization is run by and for current and former sex workers, industry allies, and human trafficking survivors local to VT. Though only founded at the beginning of the year, TIC has already opened up relationships and dialogue with state representatives, regional activists like the Erotic Laborers Alliance of New England (ELA-ONE), and anti-violence organizations like Mosaic Vermont and the Pride Center of Vermont. In September, The Ishtar Collective was asked to host a “teach-in” on sex work and racial justice during the recent Black Lives Matter Encampment protests in Burlington, VT. Through advocacy, direct services, and community education, the collective supports the intersectional issues of sex work, LGBTQIA+, race, class, gender, and disability equity.

DSW has partnered with TIC, not only on the decriminalization bill (H.569) in VT but also on H.568, a bill to provide immunity to victims or witnesses of crimes who are participating in sex work at the time of the encounter. The legislation also creates a study commission to review and modernize current VT laws governing sex work. Neither bill was made law this session due to the legislative priorities of COVID-19, but we are hopeful for progress later this year.

Tolbert is deservedly proud of what TIC has created. “Every member is gifted with individual skills, boundaries, and aspirations. One thing I know for sure,” they say, “is that when we come together to talk shop, the bone structure of what we do feels sourced in joy and big picture focus for a better quality of life for not just sex workers, but all marginalized communities.”

DSW Newsletter Archive

‘The Oldest Profession’ Podcast Returns

DSW’s Kaytlin Bailey will be departing the organization at the end of the month to more directly focus her energy on her burgeoning production company, Old Pro Productions, Inc., which aims to “tell better sex worker stories.” This month Bailey is relaunching her podcast, “The Oldest Profession,” which she originally created in 2017. By the time she joined DSW as communications director in 2018, Bailey had drawn a committed audience inspired by her irreverent humor, honesty, and wit.

Old Pro Productions produces “The Oldest Profession” in addition to Bailey’s one-woman show, “Whore’s Eye View,” which is currently in development. Additionally, the production company has spearheaded a national art build — partnering with local sex workers in five major U.S. cities — culminating in a virtual event on January 25, 2021, the anniversary of the first sex worker-led protest in the U.S.

While we are sad to say goodbye, DSW could not be more excited to see where Bailey’s work will take both the organization and our movement. Her tireless advocacy, public performances, personal essays, and op-eds, featured in various local and national publications, have raised awareness and made this issue accessible to a broader audience of allies. As a former sex worker, Bailey will continue to push people in power to listen to sex workers and stop the arrests.

Keep up with the latest news and entertainment from Old Pro Productions by signing up for its newsletter. You can also support the podcast on Patreon, where you’ll find exclusive content, event invites, and merchandise.

DSW Newsletter Archive

DSW’s Melissa Broudo Honored by National Trans Visibility March

DSW’s Melissa Broudo received the Lou Sullivan Award from the National Trans Visibility March (NTVM) for her outstanding commitment to defending the rights of transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) individuals and communities throughout her legal career. The NTVM Torch Awards is an annual event that “recognizes distinguished achievements and honors individuals whose work has impacted the lives of TGNC communities across the nation.” Those who are recognized have demonstrated excellence in challenging the social structures that disenfranchise TGNC communities, through advocacy, journalism, policy work, education, and public service.

Broudo’s work demonstrates her commitment to human rights, harm reduction, and the empowerment of all, particularly regarding gender equity and diversity. She decided to attend law school with the distinct goal of fighting for the full decriminalization of consensual adult prostitution. Earning her Juris Doctor (JD) from Georgetown University Law School and her Master of Public Health (MPH) from Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health, Broudo has dedicated over 20 years to advocating for sex workers and survivors of human trafficking.

As a senior staff attorney at the Sex Workers Project (SWP) at the Urban Justice Center, Broudo won the first-ever vacatur motion for a survivor of human trafficking and provided technical expertise on these critical motions throughout the state and country. She co-founded the Sharmus Outlaw Advocacy and Rights Institute (SOAR) with longtime colleague and friend Crystal DeBoise (now also with DSW). SOAR furthers policy, advocacy, and capacity building efforts that support the rights of sex workers and survivors of human trafficking. Broudo has been a board member of Gays and Lesbians Living In a Transgender Society (G.L.I.T.S.) since the organization’s founding in 2016. Through her work at SOAR, G.L.I.T.S., and other organizations, Broudo has been featured extensively in the media regarding sex work and #MeToo, the NYC Stripper Strike, and the criminalization of sex workers. She is a tireless advocate for policies that further a rights-based approach to the sex industry.

The intersection between sex worker rights and LGBTQ rights, specifically TGNC justice movements, is significant. TGNC individuals, particularly trans women of color, are overwhelmingly profiled as sex workers, suffering the most severe consequences of criminalization and stigma. Whether litigating to vacate the convictions of trafficking victims or speaking about gender diversity and sexual liberation, Broudo never fails to center those who are most impacted. She accepted the award at the virtual ceremony with words of unity and strength for those fighting for justice at this challenging moment.

Broudo was honored alongside other notable leaders such as Alphonso David from the Human Rights Campaign, Aryah Lester from the Transgender Strategy Center, Taylor Chandler from Us Helping Us, JT Perez from Alianza of New Mexico, and so many more.

DSW Newsletter Archive

DSW Co-Hosts Anti-Trafficking Event in VT

DSW partnered with The Ishtar Collective (TIC), a local sex worker rights organization in VT, to host a luncheon in Montpelier that brought together state legislators, advocates, sex workers, and trafficking survivors from around the northeast U.S. The event, “Sex Work vs. Trafficking,” centered on a recent VT bill (H.568), which TIC and DSW collaborated on with Representatives Maxine Grad (D-Washington 7) and Selene Colburn (P-Chittenden 6-4), who sponsored the legislation.

This bill would provide limited immunity from criminal prosecution for individuals who are a “victim of or witness to a crime that arose from his or her involvement in human trafficking.” Individuals would be able to report such crimes to law enforcement without fearing arrest or other punitive action. It would also create a Sex Work Study Committee that would review the current state laws governing prostitution to modernize them to promote human rights, public health, and safety for all. Although the legislation passed the House in February of this year, it later died in the Senate.

Despite this setback, DSW was incredibly encouraged by the thoughtfulness of advocates and legislators who participated in the event and are hopeful about the bill’s prospects for the next session. J. Leigh Brantly of TIC and DSW spearheaded the event, with TIC’s Henri Tolbert and DSW’s Frances Steele, Melissa Broudo, Crystal DeBoise, and Kaytlin Bailey all joining remotely to facilitate a discussion of how to identify and fight trafficking, build coalitions to support legislation, and more. Organizational allies from NH were also in attendance, and DSW lobbyist Adam Necrason joined to discuss momentum moving forward. Thank you to all who made this special event possible!

DSW Newsletter Archive

The Second Anniversary of Sex Worker Pride

Sex workers and allies celebrated the second anniversary of Sex Worker Pride. The holiday was launched last year by the Global Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP) to celebrate the achievements of our movement and allow sex workers the chance to share stories of self-determination and survival.

This event extends to all groups who are marginalized by criminalization, discrimination, and stigma. The sex worker rights movement celebrates the diversity within our community as a sign of its strength. In particular, the intersection between LGBTQIA pride and sex worker rights is recognized. Umbrella Lane, a Glasgow-based direct service and advocacy organization in the U.K., released a video to celebrate their pride event.

In 2019, organizations around the world hosted parades and celebrations. This year, social distancing limited the events that could be held, but the meaning is no less poignant. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a severe impact on sex workers’ ability to survive. Many have pivoted to online work where possible, bolstered by mutual aid funds started by community organizations like SWOP Brooklyn, Red Canary Song, Trans and Gender Diverse Community Financial Assistance Programs in King County, WA, SWOP Behind Bars, and many more.

As we honor the rights and dignity of all workers and all identities, please consider donating to an organization that supports these values, whether that be DSW or another organization.

DSW Newsletter Archive

De Blasio To Change NYC Sex Work Policy

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio has changed his stance on sex work, moving away from full criminalization and toward support of the Entrapment Model, according to a statement he made in response to questions about the arrest and prosecution of Layleen Polanco. De Blasio announced he does not believe that sex workers should ever be arrested but that “the people who are organizing and profiting from that sex work should be.”

The Entrapment Model — often referred to as “End Demand” or the “Nordic Model” — is a form of policing in which the sale of commercial sex is not criminalized, but purchasing sex still is. While many claim that the Entrapment Model supports sex workers, where and when it has been implemented, violence against sex workers remains.

Polanco was a 27-year-old transgender woman sent to Rikers Island on prostitution and drug possession charges last year. She died from seizure complications while in solitary confinement. Polanco’s death brought attention to much of the violence and abuse faced by sex workers, particularly transgender sex workers of color, in NY State and across the country.

The mayor’s statement is a step in the right direction. Still, he fails to differentiate between criminals who exploit and abuse sex workers, and nonviolent clients and non-abusive third parties whom sex workers often work with or hire for protection. De Blasio ignores the reality that people often engage in sex work by choice.

Last year, the mayor came out staunchly against the decriminalization of sex work. Around the same time, Manhattan DA Cy Vance Jr. and Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez committed to reducing the amount of prostitution-related charges prosecuted, even as “policing of sex work continues.” NY sex worker advocates disagree with the district attorneys’ claims that they support partial decriminalization by offering community-based services to sex worker defendants. Charges are dismissed only if services mandated by the prosecution are completed.

“It is long past time that we dispel the myth that people arrested on prostitution charges, nearly all of whom are Black, Latinx, and Asian transgender and cisgender women are “rescued” by police officers and benefit from being arrested and prosecuted or placed into court-ordered diversion programs,” said Jillian Modzeleski in a statement on behalf of Brooklyn Defender Services around the mayor’s comments. “At the same time we must dispel other myths that NYPD focuses on traffickers, which is belied by arrest data, and that criminalization keeps people safe.” Modzeleski confirmed that the mayor appears to support the Nordic Model, which contributes to the stigmatization and criminalization of many parts of sex work, putting workers themselves at risk.

“I give the DA offices a lot of credit in trying to reduce the harm for prosecuting these offenses, but prosecuting these offenses is still prosecuting them. It is tying programs and services and a better disposition to a court process. That is not decriminalization,” Kate Mogulescu, an assistant professor of clinical law at Brooklyn Law School and a fellow member of the New York Anti-Trafficking Network with DSW, told the NY Daily News.

De Blasio concluded his statement saying that the changes to the way NYC polices sex work “need to deepen.” DSW hopes that the mayor will follow through on his promise to stop the arrests of those who do sex work in earnest and commit to significant change.

DSW Newsletter Archive

Hero(es) of the Month: Honoring the Dancers of the Lusty Lady

In 1996, the Lusty Lady in San Francisco became the first strip club in the country to successfully unionize, making history for the entire informal labor sector, including sex work. Despite the club’s closure in 2013, “Lusties,” as the dancers call themselves, remain a symbol of resilience and empowerment in an industry so often criticized for exploitation.

Siobhan Brooks, a dancer in the Lusty Lady peep show who went on to earn her Ph.D. in Sociology, played a pivotal role in unionization. Brooks observed that the club hired very few women of color and rarely allowed Black women to work in the private booth section, where dancers made larger tips. She raised her concerns with management and was told that "[B]lack women make the club lose money." In response, Brooks filed a racial discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Employees voted in favor of unionizing, and the club was organized by the Exotic Dancers Union, an affiliate of Service Employees International Union (SEIU). The next year the Lusty Lady hired more Black women than it ever had before. Brooks later authored “Organizing From Behind the Glass,” an account of the successful unionizing effort, for the January 1997 issue of Z Magazine.

In 2001 Roger Forbes, a strip-club magnate and partner in Déjà Vu, a company that owns most of the adult theaters and clubs in San Francisco, bought the building and doubled the rent. The owners were facing incredible pressure to close. In response, dancers at the Lusty Lady pooled together $400,000 and purchased the club. For the next 10 years, the Lusty Lady functioned as a worker-run cooperative known for defying stereotypes of tanned, blonde strippers favored by traditional club management.

The Lusties are the inspiration for a growing number of “Stripper Strikes” across the country. In Minneapolis, New York City, Portland, and beyond, dancers began organizing to oppose racist hiring practices, wage theft by management, and a lack of labor and safety protection in clubs. We Are Dancers USA, a national harm-reduction and advocacy organization, was founded in 2018 to empower strippers across the country in response to a gap in resources tailored explicitly to dancers. The organization grew out of We Are Dancers NYC, a local organization founded by dancers and allies, including DSW’s Melissa Broudo.

The NYC Stripper Strike partnered with Broudo and DSW colleague Crystal DeBoise to raise awareness around discrimination and exploitation in city clubs, gaining support from the International Women’s Strike. In response to a report by the Minneapolis Health Department that raised concerns about many city clubs, SWOP Minneapolis partnered with Minnesota State University to successfully pass a city ordinance protecting strippers’ rights in 2019. In Portland, the Haymarket Pole Collective’s grassroots activism has spurred the city’s clubs to adopt mandatory anti-racism training, enforce fair labor practices, and maintain racial equity in hiring practices.

DSW is proud to be a part of the Lusty Lady’s legacy, building equity and empowerment for all workers.

October 21, 2020

(Photo: ACLU)

The ACLU has long been one of the nation’s leading advocates for the full decriminalization of sex work. (Photos: @aclu_nationwide/Instagram)

DSW Newsletter #20 (November 2020)

October 15, 2020

Ariela Moscowitz will be DSW’s director of communications. (Photo: Courtesy of Ariela Moscowitz, 2020)

DSW Newsletter #19 (October 2020)

October 15, 2020

(Photo: Woodhull Freedom Foundation)

Left to right, from top: Monica Jones, J. Leigh Brantly, Melissa Broudo, and a sign language interpreter presented at the Sexual Freedom Summit via Zoom. (Photo: DSW)

DSW’s J. Leigh Brantly holds up a sign reading “Sex Work is Essential Work” as the panel comes to a close. (Photo: DSW)

DSW Newsletter #20 (November 2020)

October 14, 2020

Members of The Ishtar Collective pose outside of an event in Montpelier, VT, in September. (Photo: TIC, 2020)

Henri Tolbert is co-founder and co-director of The Ishtar Collective. (Photo: Courtesy of Henri Tolbert, 2020)

Henri Tolbert and DSW’s J. Leigh Brantly, co-founders of The Ishtar Collective, introduced the organization at their launch party earlier this year. (Photo: TIC, 2020)

DSW Newsletter #19 (October 2020)

October 5, 2020

New episodes of “The Oldest Profession” can be accessed via Patreon. (Photo: Oldest Profession Podcast/Instagram, 2020)

Kaytlin Bailey has been with DSW since its inception in 2018 and was advocating for sex workers’ rights long before. (Photo: DSW/Instagram, 2019)

DSW Newsletter #19 (October 2020)

October 2, 2020

The Torch Awards is an annual event honoring those who have worked to support TGNC communities in the U.S. (Photo: NTVM, 2020)

Melissa Broudo delivered her acceptance speech over video during the remote ceremony. (Photo: Courtesy of Melissa Sontag Broudo, 2020)

DSW Newsletter #19 (October 2020)

September 22, 2020

(Photo: DSW/Instagram, 2020)

Luncheon attendees gather for a group photo after the event. (Photo: TIC, 2020)

DSW and TIC members enjoy a socially-distanced drink and dinner to celebrate following the luncheon. (Photo: DSW, 2020)

DSW Newsletter #19 (October 2020)

September 14, 2020

Ashodaya Mandya, an organization founded in India last year, hosted a Sex Worker Pride march in 2019. (Photo: NSWP)

(Photo: @jess_the_fairy/Instagram)

DSW Newsletter #18 (September 2020)

September 2, 2020

Last year, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio said he was “not comfortable with” the idea of decriminalizing sex work, although city prosecutors claimed it was already happening. (Photo: Barry Williams/NY Daily News)

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez says he “believes in decriminalization,” though his office’s actions do not fully reflect that position. (Photo: Brooklyn Eagle)

Layleen Polanco (left) pictured with her sister, Melania Brown, shortly before Polanco’s arrest in 2019. (Photo: Courtesy of Melania Brown/NBC News)

DSW Newsletter #18 (September 2020)

September 1, 2020

The facade of the Lusty Lady in San Francisco shortly before the club closed in 2013. (Photo: Sarah Rice, Special to The Chronicle, 2013)

Siobhan Brooks, a former dancer at the Lusty Lady, is now an associate professor of African American studies at California State University, Fullerton, and continues to advocate for sex worker rights. (Photo: NY Times, 2019)

Gizelle Marie (left), founder of the NYC Strippers Strike, marches for stripper labor rights with DSW’s Melissa Broudo. (Photo: SOAR Institute, 2018)

Performers from the Lusty Lady represent the Exotic Dancers Union at the 2008 May Day March in San Francisco. (Photo: LA Times, 2008)

DSW Newsletter #18 (September 2020)