Selene Colburn

Rep. Selene Coburn, P-Burlington, of the House Judiciary Committee at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger

Rep. Selene Colburn, P-Burlington, served on the Burlington City Council from 2014-2017 and has served in the Vermont House since 2017. In 2020, she introduced HB 569, which would decriminalize sex work in the state of Vermont. Rep. Diana Gonzalez, P-Winooski; Rep. Maxine Grad, D-Moretown; and Rep. Emilie Kornheiser, D-Brattleboro co-sponsored the bill. Colburn also sponsored HB 568, which limited criminal immunity to sex workers who report a crime committed against themselves. While sex work remains a crime in the state of Vermont, DSW commends Colburn on her dedication to the cause of decriminalizing sex work.

John Oliver

 

John Oliver Dissects Sex Work Criminalization and How We Can Do Better
Photo credit: HBO, 2022

On February 27, 2022, HBO’s Last Week Tonight aired its “Sex Work” episode, where host John Oliver discussed the benefits of decriminalizing consensual adult sex work. DSW’s Rebecca Cleary and Melissa Broudo provided background research to the producers of the show, resulting in a poignant and hilarious analysis that unflinchingly addresses the stigma and misconceptions around sexual labor.

Georgina Beyer

November 1957 – March 2023

Georgina Beyer
Photo credit: Mark Tantrum/New Zealand Herald

Georgina Beyer was the world’s first openly transgender member of parliament. Her role was pivotal in New Zealand’s decision to decriminalize sex work. A revolutionary Māori woman, her life experience as a former sex worker and survivor of sexual assault shaped much of her political work. In 2003, she gave a speech on sex work that changed the opinions of several MPs, ultimately leading to the passage of the Prostitution Reform Bill, securing the human rights of sex workers across the country.

Georgina’s memory will live on through the extraordinary impact of her work.

Dan Savage

Dan Savage
Photo credit: savagelovecast.com

Author, advice columnist, pundit, and LGBTQAI+ activist and advocate, Savage is known for founding the It Gets Better campaign, creating Savage Love (a podcast on sex, love, and relationships), and being a proponent for relaxing laws against porn and sale of sex toys. He is also vocal in his support of sex workers and is quoted saying in an article on theStranger.com: “I have good friends who do sex work — women and men — and they’re not human shields. Their lives are valuable and, like Fagen says, they’re not here to soak up male rage. They deserve safe working conditions and they deserve our respect — not despite the work they do, but because of it.”

Erika Jayne

Erika Jayne
Photo credit: Nicole Weingart/Bravo

Erika Jayne is the professional name for Erika Girardi, a singer with chart-topping hit singles, a star on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and a contestant on Dancing with the Stars. She proudly expresses herself artistically through her fashion and sexuality and has been slut-shamed for her choices. In a comment from another Real Housewife calling her a “hooker,” Girardi responds, “And being called a hooker … well, you know what? Hookers are kinda fabulous, in my opinion. So, if I have to represent for all the hookers in the world, I’ll have to do that.”

Bill Maher

Bill Maher
Photo credit: clture.com

Bill Maher hosts his own show on HBO and is a famous stand-up comedian. His poignant comedy focuses on topics ranging from religion, politics, mass media, and political correctness. He is an ardent supporter of pragmatic, harm reduction policies such as the legalization of marijuana.

Cardi B

Cardi B
Photo credit: sandrarose.com

Bronx-born rapper, former stripper, and internet sensation Cardi B has released several hits, topped charts, and accumulated several accolades. Throughout her music career she has been open about being a stripper before her music career was launched. By being open about her sex work history, she has been an icon for many strippers.

Dave Attell

Dave Attell
Photo credit: lenovo

Outspoken Queens-native comedian Attell is no stranger to the limelight. Known especially for his bawdy and often dark humor, his show Insomniac with Dave Attell garnered a cult following. Attell is not shy about discussing his love of porn, and even hosted a Showtime show entitled Dave’s Old Porn.

Jim Norton

Jim Norton
Photo credit: Christopher Lovenguth Copyright 2014 Time Magazine

Jim Norton is an actor, writer, host of The Jim Norton Show, and comedian who has been very vocal in his support of decriminalizing sex work. He understands the dangers of condemning an entire labor sector that fulfills the needs of many people from many walks of life, including those living with sex addiction. Norton succinctly breaks it down in his opinion article for Time Magazine: “By keeping prostitution illegal and demonizing all of its parties, we (you) are empowering pimps and human traffickers and anyone else who wants to victimize sex workers because they feel helpless under the law. Give sex workers rights. Give johns a break.” (The full article is here.)

Stormy Daniels

“The deck has always been stacked against me, but I own my story and the choices I made.”  — Stormy Daniels

Stormy Daniels
Photo credit: Ethan Miller, copyright Getty Images 2018

Stormy Daniels is a porn star, stripper, director, author, and ambitious entrepreneur. In 2018, she became involved in the very famous legal dispute between herself, U.S. President Donald J. Trump, and Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen. Daniels came forward with the information that she was paid $130,000 in hush money so she would not go public with the affair between herself and Trump. We applaud her bravery to stand by her convictions and speak the truth despite scrutiny and stigma. Her book, Full Disclosure, is available now.