DSW Newsletters Archives - Page 27 of 31

NY Gender Diversity Coalition Introduces Legislative Platform

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2019 In Review: DSW Concludes Its First Year

January 1, 2020 This month marks Decriminalize Sex Work’s first full calendar year as a national advocacy organization. It is hard to believe how fast it has gone! Since DSW’s...

NY Gender Diversity Coalition Introduces Legislative Platform

January 8, 2020 The New York State Gender Diversity Coalition, led by the New York Transgender Advocacy Group (NYTAG) including 35+ NY nonprofit organizations, met with NY state legislators in Albany...

VT Legislators Move Toward Supporting Sex Workers

January 3, 2020 A group of VT lawmakers introduced two historic bills for sex workers’ rights. The first bill, HB 569, would repeal current statutes that prohibit sex work. If...

DSW Honors International Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers

December 17, 2019 DSW joined sex-worker-rights activists around the world in honoring the International Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers, which takes place annually on December 17. This holiday...

DSW Staffers Participate in LGBTQI and Sex Worker Rights Panel

December 18, 2019 DSW’s Melissa Broudo and J. Leigh Brantly participated in the NY Transgender Advocacy Group’s LGBTQI Winter Cocktail Policy Series. Melissa and J spoke on a panel entitled...

DSW Attends Two Key Conferences

December 4-6, 2019 Kaytlin Bailey shared DSW’s work at the American Legislative Exchange Council’s (ALEC’s) Annual Policy Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona. ALEC is the largest voluntary membership organization of state...

DSW Newsletter Archive

VT Legislators Move Toward Supporting Sex Workers

A group of VT lawmakers introduced two historic bills for sex workers’ rights. The first bill, HB 569, would repeal current statutes that prohibit sex work. If passed, the bill would remove criminal penalties for consensual, adult prostitution in the state. Human trafficking—or any other form of coercion involving sex—would remain illegal.

State Rep. Selene Colburn (P-Burlington) introduced the legislation, which is co-sponsored by Rep. Diana Gonzalez (P-Winooksi), Rep. Maxine Grad (D-Moretown), and Rep. Emilie Kornheiser (D-Brattleboro).

Rep. Colburn understands the significant risks faced by sex workers in an illicit, underground economy. Colburn told the Vermont Digger that sex workers “should feel like they have the protection of the police if they need it.” These lawmakers understand that where sex work is criminalized, workers experience a heightened risk of sexual and physical violence by criminals posing as clients, the general public, and law enforcement.

If HB 569 is enacted into law, VT would become the first state to decriminalize sex work fully.

That bill will be considered in tandem with HB 568, which would provide immunity from prosecution for people who witness or are victims of violent crimes while involved in sex work or human trafficking. This bill would also create a study commission to seek expertise, examine existing data, and make policy recommendations relating to sex work in VT.

Both bills are heading to the House Judiciary Committee for review. DSW looks forward to providing support to VT activists and policy advocates. This landmark legislation is an essential step toward promoting the health, safety, and human rights of marginalized voices.

2019 In Review: DSW Concludes Its First Year

January 1, 2020 This month marks Decriminalize Sex Work’s first full calendar year as a national advocacy organization. It is hard to believe how fast it has gone! Since DSW’s...

NY Gender Diversity Coalition Introduces Legislative Platform

VT Legislators Move Toward Supporting Sex Workers

January 3, 2020 A group of VT lawmakers introduced two historic bills for sex workers’ rights. The first bill, HB 569, would repeal current statutes that prohibit sex work. If...

DSW Honors International Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers

DSW Staffers Participate in LGBTQI and Sex Worker Rights Panel

December 18, 2019 DSW’s Melissa Broudo and J. Leigh Brantly participated in the NY Transgender Advocacy Group’s LGBTQI Winter Cocktail Policy Series. Melissa and J spoke on a panel entitled...

DSW Attends Two Key Conferences

DSW Newsletter Archive

2019 In Review: DSW Concludes Its First Year

This month marks Decriminalize Sex Work’s first full calendar year as a national advocacy organization. It is hard to believe how fast it has gone!

Since DSW’s founding in the spring of 2019, our organization has:

1. Helped New Hampshire activists promote a study commission on sex work and human trafficking in the state, and offered expert testimony at numerous hearings;

2. Submitted an amicus brief on behalf of the Woodhull Freedom Foundation to support its constitutional challenge of SESTA/FOSTA;

3. Participated in a successful hearing with internationally recognized experts on the subject of sex work and trafficking in Rhode Island;

4. Hosted a Unity Reception at the Cornell Club in New York City, at which speakers included Dame Catherine Healy of New Zealand and Ceyenne Doroshow;

5. Provided expert testimony in a hearing to fully decriminalize sex work in Washington, D.C.;

6. Partnered with local sex worker rights advocates on legislative initiatives and community outreach efforts in NH, RI, WA, HI, CA, VT, and DC;

7. Established a grants program for sex worker rights activists and organizations around the country — five different individuals and organizations, spanning the country from Hawaii to New Hampshire, received grants to further the cause of decriminalizing sex work;

8. Attended and exhibited at the following national and international conferences:

South by Southwest 2019;
The Seattle Annual Sex Worker Summit;
Law and Society Association Conference;
National Conference of State Legislatures annual meeting;
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers 2019 Defending Sex Crimes Seminar;
Woodhull Freedom Foundation’s 2019 Sexual Freedom Summit;
2019 International Human Trafficking and Social Justice conference;
American Public Health Association’s annual international conference;
American Legislative Exchange Council’s 2019 policy summit;
and the National Organization for Women’s New York state conference.

DSW is gaining momentum. We have expanded our team from six to nine dedicated members and doubled our budget to accommodate a growing number of exciting initiatives. Through mailing lists, social media, and personal and professional partnerships, our outreach touches thousands of advocates around the world. We participate in coalitions and initiatives supporting sex workers, trafficking survivors, LGBTQ, TGNC, and migrant rights across the country.

This month we met with lobbyists working to pass two incredible decriminalization bills in Vermont, and we are assisting the New York Public Advocate’s office in drafting a Sex Worker Bill of Rights. DSW has expanded its grants program to better serve the incredible work activists are already pursuing nationwide.

It is because of supporters like you that DSW can have the impact that it does. Thank you for believing in this organization and following our journey. If you are able, please consider donating via DSW’s website to help us continue fighting for the rights, health, and safety of sex workers and their communities in the United States.

2019 In Review: DSW Concludes Its First Year

January 1, 2020 This month marks Decriminalize Sex Work’s first full calendar year as a national advocacy organization. It is hard to believe how fast it has gone! Since DSW’s...

NY Gender Diversity Coalition Introduces Legislative Platform

VT Legislators Move Toward Supporting Sex Workers

January 3, 2020 A group of VT lawmakers introduced two historic bills for sex workers’ rights. The first bill, HB 569, would repeal current statutes that prohibit sex work. If...

DSW Honors International Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers

DSW Staffers Participate in LGBTQI and Sex Worker Rights Panel

December 18, 2019 DSW’s Melissa Broudo and J. Leigh Brantly participated in the NY Transgender Advocacy Group’s LGBTQI Winter Cocktail Policy Series. Melissa and J spoke on a panel entitled...

DSW Attends Two Key Conferences

DSW Newsletter Archive

DSW Staffers Participate in LGBTQI and Sex Worker Rights Panel

DSW’s Melissa Broudo and J. Leigh Brantly participated in the NY Transgender Advocacy Group’s LGBTQI Winter Cocktail Policy Series. Melissa and J spoke on a panel entitled “Reclaiming Our Bodies,” the first of three community-building, focused policy discussions. The event brought together LGBTQI community members and allies to learn about the intersection between sex workers’ rights and the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer, intersex, transgender, gender non-conforming, and non-binary people, communities of color, and other vulnerable individuals.

Not only do members of these communities overlap, but they face common vulnerabilities: intense criminalization, state-sponsored violence, increased risk of exposure to STIs, and barriers to healthcare. An enthusiastic and interactive discussion highlighted the history of overlap and alliances between LGBTQ+ and sex worker activism, how these movements have diverged, and how our communities can support and advocate for one another.

Sex workers have been involved in the gay rights movement since its origin. In 1970, transgender sex workers Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, leaders of the 1969 Stonewall riots, founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR). For many LGBT individuals, participation in street economies can be critical to survival. This is particularly true for LGBT youth and transgender women of color, who face family rejection and vastly disproportionate rates of violence, homelessness, and discrimination in employment, housing, and education.

LGBTQ organizations like LAMBDA Legal, The Transgender Law Center, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAAD), and others have endorsed full decriminalization, as have human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and UNAIDS. These organizations understand that decriminalizing sex work is the best way to protect against exploitation, including human trafficking.

Melissa and J bring 25+ years of combined experience in activism and advocacy. Their diverse areas of expertise—Melissa as a lawyer and public-health expert, and J. Leigh as a genderqueer, multiracial researcher, speaker, and former sex worker—allowed for a well-rounded and holistic discussion.

DSW is grateful to the Gender Diversity Coalition and NYTAG community members who participated in the panel or otherwise attended. Thoughtful and productive discussions like these are essential to the work that we do. The importance of the LGBTQ+ community’s support cannot be overstated.

2019 In Review: DSW Concludes Its First Year

January 1, 2020 This month marks Decriminalize Sex Work’s first full calendar year as a national advocacy organization. It is hard to believe how fast it has gone! Since DSW’s...

NY Gender Diversity Coalition Introduces Legislative Platform

VT Legislators Move Toward Supporting Sex Workers

January 3, 2020 A group of VT lawmakers introduced two historic bills for sex workers’ rights. The first bill, HB 569, would repeal current statutes that prohibit sex work. If...

DSW Honors International Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers

DSW Staffers Participate in LGBTQI and Sex Worker Rights Panel

December 18, 2019 DSW’s Melissa Broudo and J. Leigh Brantly participated in the NY Transgender Advocacy Group’s LGBTQI Winter Cocktail Policy Series. Melissa and J spoke on a panel entitled...

DSW Attends Two Key Conferences

DSW Newsletter Archive

DSW Honors International Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers

DSW joined sex-worker-rights activists around the world in honoring the International Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers, which takes place annually on December 17. This holiday mourns the lives of far too many sex workers who are lost to violence, stigma, and discrimination in a criminalized environment.

DSW participated in three events across the country. In NY, DSW’s Crystal DeBoise and Frances Steele volunteered at Judson Memorial Church’s annual vigil. Melissa Broudo and J. Leigh Brantly joined allies in Providence at COYOTE RI’s vigil, while Kaytlin Bailey attended SWOP-NH’s event in Manchester.

Community leader and activist Veronica Vera organized the event at Judson Memorial Church. At Judson, activists and allies lit candles for the 51 U.S. sex workers who passed away in the last 12 months, and they commemorated the 215 lives lost around the world. Crystal DeBoise was invited to speak about her renowned anti-trafficking work at the Soar Institute, the Sex Workers Project (SWP), the founding of Human Trafficking Services Program at NYANA in 2002, and the co-founding of DSW.

Our tireless colleague and the founder of COYOTE’s RI chapter, Bella Robinson, organized the Providence event. Speeches from the vigil were taped and are posted here. Melissa Broudo and J. Leigh Brantly were honored to attend.

Ashley Fires from SWOP-NH organized an intimate gathering in Manchester to mourn the loss of life within the sex work community. Kaytlin read her new one-woman show, A Whore’s Eye View, as part of the vigil, celebrating the history of the sex-workers-rights movement.

The December 17 holiday was first observed in 2003 as a memorial vigil for the victims of the Green River Killer in Seattle. Vulnerability to violence and the experience of violence is an unfortunate reality for many sex workers around the world, as they confront varying levels of criminality and stigmatization. The Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP) compiles an annual list of sex workers who have lost their lives, along with biographical info about each individual. The list can be accessed on the December 17 website.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation reports that 40% of sex workers have experienced an increase in violence since the passage of the federal FOSTA/SESTA law in April 2018.

2019 In Review: DSW Concludes Its First Year

January 1, 2020 This month marks Decriminalize Sex Work’s first full calendar year as a national advocacy organization. It is hard to believe how fast it has gone! Since DSW’s...

NY Gender Diversity Coalition Introduces Legislative Platform

VT Legislators Move Toward Supporting Sex Workers

January 3, 2020 A group of VT lawmakers introduced two historic bills for sex workers’ rights. The first bill, HB 569, would repeal current statutes that prohibit sex work. If...

DSW Honors International Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers

DSW Staffers Participate in LGBTQI and Sex Worker Rights Panel

December 18, 2019 DSW’s Melissa Broudo and J. Leigh Brantly participated in the NY Transgender Advocacy Group’s LGBTQI Winter Cocktail Policy Series. Melissa and J spoke on a panel entitled...

DSW Attends Two Key Conferences

DSW Newsletter Archive

DSW Attends Two Key Conferences

Kaytlin Bailey shared DSW’s work at the American Legislative Exchange Council’s (ALEC’s) Annual Policy Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona. ALEC is the largest voluntary membership organization of state legislators and private-sector representatives in the U.S.

DSW also attended the National Organization for Women’s (NOW’s) New York state conference to learn and exchange ideas around current efforts to combat human trafficking in the U.S. Kaytlin raised concerns about whether arresting consenting adults is actually helpful to trafficking survivors.

2019 In Review: DSW Concludes Its First Year

January 1, 2020 This month marks Decriminalize Sex Work’s first full calendar year as a national advocacy organization. It is hard to believe how fast it has gone! Since DSW’s...

NY Gender Diversity Coalition Introduces Legislative Platform

VT Legislators Move Toward Supporting Sex Workers

January 3, 2020 A group of VT lawmakers introduced two historic bills for sex workers’ rights. The first bill, HB 569, would repeal current statutes that prohibit sex work. If...

DSW Honors International Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers

DSW Staffers Participate in LGBTQI and Sex Worker Rights Panel

December 18, 2019 DSW’s Melissa Broudo and J. Leigh Brantly participated in the NY Transgender Advocacy Group’s LGBTQI Winter Cocktail Policy Series. Melissa and J spoke on a panel entitled...

DSW Attends Two Key Conferences

DSW Newsletter Archive

Bill To Study SESTA’s Harms To Be Introduced in Congress

Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA) , who was one of only 25 votes opposing FOSTA/SESTA (SESTA) in 2018, has announced a bill to study this new federal law. The bill, which would cause the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study SESTA’s harmful effects, would “establish the risks sex workers face on a day to day basis: the risk of violence, safety, [and] dignity.” There is no evidence that SESTA has reduced trafficking, while there is significant evidence it causes increased violence and economic desperation.

In addition to broader concerns about SESTA’s limitation of free speech on the internet, the law negatively impacts sex workers’ ability to protect themselves against violence and predators posing as clients. By restricting online advertisements of sexual services, SESTA removes safety networks used to vet potential clients and drives sex workers onto the streets.

In a Rolling Stone article, Tamika Spellman of HIPS DC estimated that there had been a 75-80% increase in street-based sex work since SESTA became law. Maxine Doogan, president of ESPLERP, says that SESTA has caused sex workers to lose their housing and has reduced workers’ bargaining power when negotiating with clients, forcing them to make riskier decisions.

Lived experience is backed up by hard data. A 2019 study by economists Scott Cunningham, Gregory DeAngelo, and John Tripp showed that the former “erotic services” section on Craigslist, a platform for sex workers to advertise and screen clients, reduced the overall female homicide rate by a staggering 10-17%. This finding comports with economic theory: Reducing the restrictions on any industry expands available economic opportunities and increases bargaining power, particularly for those at the bottom of the economic scale. With the balance of power shifted towards workers, those they interact with change their behavior.

Despite ample evidence of SESTA’s harmful effects, there is a lack of comprehensive research into the scope of SESTA’s impact. A short survey of trafficking-victim service providers, conducted by the Samaritan Women in July 2018, found disastrous consequences. Shelters have seen an uptick in aggravated assaults since the law was implemented and have had to increase capacity to meet the growing need.

Violence, abuse, and the number of victim/exploiter relationships have gone up according to service providers. There is no way to determine if SESTA is the direct cause, but the correlation is clear. One interviewee said that “pimps have been actively seeking out prior victims with the promise of clients since it’s more difficult for those involved in the industry to find customers on their own.”

Law enforcement officers working in anti-trafficking, who relied on sites like Backpage.com for intelligence gathering and sting operations, have had to abandon several pending investigations. As trafficking and violence escalates, law enforcement’s front line of defense has been severely compromised. Additional research is needed to asses the longer-term impact of these harms.

With the Woodhull Freedom Foundation’s constitutional challenge to SESTA still pending in the U.S. Court of Appeals, winning this case would be an essential step in potentially overturning the law. Rep. Khanna’s bill is a historic step towards incorporating the voices of impacted community members into federal legislation. Visit DSW’s Take Action page to contact your U.S. House member in support of this vital legislation.

DSW Newsletter Archive

DSW Welcomes Two Incredible New Team Members

DSW has gained two invaluable colleagues. Ceyenne Doroshow and J. Leigh Brantly will be joining the organization as Community Engagement Consultant and Research and Project Manager, respectively.

Ceyenne Doroshow is an author, activist, organizer, performer, and public figure in the trans and sex worker rights movements. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Gays and Lesbians Living in a Transgender Society (GLITS), an organization that works to provide holistic care to LGBTQ sex workers.

Ceyenne is an internationally renowned public speaker and has been featured in numerous international media outlets, TV shows, and documentaries such as The Red Umbrella Diaries, Miss Major, Showtime’s Oz, and Netflix specials on sex worker rights. She has presented at The Desiree Alliance, Creating Change, Harm Reduction Coalition, International AIDS Conference, and many other events.

Her passion, warmth, respect, and tireless generosity have positioned Ceyenne as a thought leader in the sex worker rights movement, sharing her work and personal experiences as a Black trans woman and former sex worker. She currently serves on the boards of Sex Workers Outreach Project-USA, Caribbean Equality Project, SOAR Institute, and the New York Transgender Advocacy Group (NYTAG).

At the intersection of policy, creativity, and research is where you will find multiracial genderqueer J. Leigh Brantly, who currently serves on advisory boards for GLITS and SOAR Institute and is the co-president of the New York State Gender Diversity Coalition. J. Leigh received the 2019 Marsha P. Johnson Community Leader Award from NYTAG and worked on an amicus brief with DSW’s Melissa Broudo to challenge the bad federal law known as FOSTA/SESTA.

J. Leigh has spoken at MOMA/PS1’s Sex Workers’ Festival of Resistance (with Ceyenne Doroshow and DSW’s Melissa Broudo) and the International AIDS Conference, and they co-curated sex worker films at both of these events. They have represented sex work on Showtime’s Billions and Fox’s The Following; been featured in TIME, VICE News, and TimeOUT NY; and spoken at the NYC Women’s Rally, sandwiched between Gloria Steinhem and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

In collaboration with the Colectivo Intercultural Transgrediendo, they co-produced SEXHUM, an ethnographic sex worker short film for an international academic research project, which was funded by the European Research Council. In 2021, they will begin a Ph.D. research program focusing on sex workers with physically (dis)abled clients.

Ceyenne and J. Leigh are powerhouses within the sex worker and TGNCNB communities. They have worked together at GLITS, spoken on panels together, and organized for sex worker/transgender rights. They collaborated on a study of transphobia and queerphobia experienced by LGBTQ sex workers for the Global Network of Sex Work Projects.

Both acted as advisors to the Museum of the City of New York, where Ceyenne’s groundbreaking cookbook (written while she was incarcerated on prostitution charges), Cooking in Heels, is now permanently featured in the museum’s transgender activism exhibit. With unparalleled expertise in media, advocacy, and harm-reduction work, DSW is fortunate to have them on board.

As DSW takes on additional initiatives, our organization is expanding its capacity to better serve the goals of the sex worker rights movement. The progress we have made in 2019 motivates us, and we look forward to continuing the momentum into the new year.

DSW Newsletter Archive

Remembering Yang Song: Wife, daughter, New Yorker, and victim of criminalization

Two years ago, during a raid on the Flushing massage parlor where she worked, 38-year-old Yang Song jumped from the building’s third-floor window, rather than face the vice officers who were running up the stairs. Yang died at New York-Presbyterian Hospital the following morning.

Yang Song had been arrested months before on prostitution charges. Her case was referred to the Queens Human Trafficking Intervention Courts (HTICs), and a court date had been scheduled for December. Hyphen magazine’s interview with Yang’s family following her death confirmed that she had been sexually assaulted while in police custody.

An officer had confiscated her money and her phone and then demanded sexual services. An immigrant working in a criminalized industry, Yang felt powerless to refuse. She bravely reported the assault to the local precinct and helped them identify the police assailant.

This victory was short-lived and costly for Yang. Following the report, vice agents began to harass and threaten her. They pressured Yang to become an undercover informant, to turn in clients and friends. When Yang refused, law enforcement targeted her in repeated stings. With the assault in recent memory and a December court date scheduled, facing re-arrest would have meant prison time and possible deportation, not to mention the prospect of another attack, or worse.

Yang’s experience at the hands of law enforcement is an illustration of why sex workers are unlikely—and in some cases unable—to report crimes committed against them (especially by the police). Following her death, a report issued by the Queens District Attorney’s office denied any wrongdoing on the part of law enforcement.

The raid took place months after NYPD pledged to curb prostitution arrests. A 2017 report by the Urban Justice Center revealed that arrests of Asian-identified people for prostitution and unlicensed massages increased by 2700% from 2012 to 2016. Fully 87% of the arrests for unlicensed massages were of Asian migrant women.

Tragedies like this are enabled by bad laws that systematically disenfranchise immigrants and sex workers. Police raids are traumatic and violent, treating supposed victims as criminals. Arrests do not help, saddling defendants with court fees and criminal records that further limit their ability to find another job. HTICs, established in Queens Criminal Court in 2010 and later expanded to NYC’s other four boroughs, fail to identify trafficking survivors and neglect to provide workers with the services they need, such as employment, housing, education, and healthcare.

A report by the Yale School of Public Health found that courts increase harm by providing a way for ICE to target immigrants.

Criminalization of prostitution allows discrimination and government-sponsored violence to thrive. Yang Song’s tragic death brought these realities to light. In a world that pities, condemns, or erases them, sex workers continue to demand rights. Organizations like Red Canary Song and Womankind advocate for Asian sex workers and survivors of trafficking in New York. Red Canary Song held a beautiful vigil to honor Yang Song’s life on November 30 of this year.

Help support the rights and safety of all by visiting DSW’s Take Action page.

DSW Newsletter Archive

Defense Lawyers Understand the Harms of Criminalization

DSW attended the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ (NACDL’s) 2019 Defending Sex Crimes Seminar, an annual event that brings together defense attorneys and criminal justice reform advocates. NACDL is an opportunity for experts to exchange knowledge around protecting the rights of defendants and promoting a more equitable justice process.

This year’s seminar, “Zealous Advocacy in Sexual Assault & Child Victims Cases,” covered topics such as alcohol and memory, campus sex cases, DNA, false confessions, issues with juveniles in sex cases, and the psychology of the jury, among others. Melissa Broudo and Kaytlin Bailey of DSW got a warm reception at the conference. They enjoyed talking to compassionate litigators with decades of experience working on legal issues related to sex and crime.

DSW’s booth illustrated the disastrous consequences of conflating consensual adult sex work with trafficking; the former should be decriminalized, and the latter should not. Defense attorneys visiting the booth expressed nearly unanimous support of DSW’s work.

January 8, 2020

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

The Albany Statehouse (Photo: NYTAG)

DSW Newsletter #10 (January 2020)

January 3, 2020

Rep. Selene Colburn (P-Burlington), a member of the VT House

HB 569, as introduced, would decriminalize consensual, adult prostitution in Vermont. The bill simply repeals the statute that criminalizes such activity. Trafficking or any form of coercion in sex work remains illegal.

DSW Newsletter #10 (January 2020)

January 1, 2020

DSW’s Kaytlin Bailey testifies before the Council of the D.C. city council in support of legislation to decriminalize adult sex work.

L to R: DSW’s J. Leigh Brantly, Melissa Broudo, Kaytlin Bailey, Crystal DeBoise, and Avery Manuel pose with Dame Catherine Healy on May 2 at the Cornell Club.

DSW's Melissa Broudo and Frances Steele work the table at the APHA expo.

DSW Newsletter #10 (January 2020)

December 18, 2019

DSW’s Melissa Broudo (right) describes the significant historical overlap between the sex worker rights movement and LGBTQ/TGNC activism.

Panel participants pose for a selfie following the discussion.

DSW Newsletter #10 (January 2020)

December 17, 2019

DSW’s Melissa Broudo and J. Leigh Brantly are pictured with Bella Robinson (center back) and fellow activists from COYOTE RI.

The New York vigil was held at Judson Memorial Church. DSW’s Frances Steele and Crystal DeBoise are pictured with activists from around the country. Organizer and long-time movement leader Veronica Vera stands at the center of the group in red.

Veronica Vera reads the names of sex workers who have passed away in the United States in the last year.

A compilation of photos from the New Hampshire event on December 17. In the top left, DSW’s Kaytlin Bailey performs her new show on the history of sex work. In the top right, activists from SWOP New Hampshire are pictured together.

DSW Newsletter #10 (January 2020)

December 4-6, 2019

Kaytlin Bailey is pictured at DSW’s expo booth in Scottsdale.

DSW’s Kaytlin Bailey (left) is pictured with Ana Maria Archila (right) from the Center for Popular Democracy.

DSW Newsletter #10 (January 2020)

December 2, 2019

Marchers in Las Vegas demonstrate against SESTA in June. (Photo: John Locher/Bangor Daily News)

U.S. Rep. Khanna announced his bill on December 2.

DSW Newsletter #9 (December 2019)

December 1, 2019

Ceyenne Doroshow (second from right) and J. Leigh Brantly (far right) at the 2018 International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam with Jill McCracken, Ph.D. (center), Alex Andrews (right of center) of SWOP Behind Bars, and other sex worker activists.

Ceyenne Doroshow: Author, activist, spokesperson, and public figure in the sex worker and transgender rights movements

J. Leigh Brantly: Researcher, filmmaker, and organizer

DSW Newsletter #9 (December 2019)

November 30, 2019

Marchers honor Yang Song at a vigil in 2018 and call for decriminalization to prevent more harm. (Photo: Emma Whitford/Hyphen magazine, 2019)

DSW Newsletter #9 (December 2019)

November 20-22, 2019

DSW’s Kaytlin Bailey and Melissa Broudo (left to right) on the first day of the conference.

Making friends and gaining allies: DSW’s Melissa Broudo and Kaytlin Bailey are pictured with new DSW supporter, criminal defense attorney Rick Horowitz.

DSW Newsletter #9 (December 2019)