New York Prostitution Laws

Prostitution is not legal in New York. New York prostitution laws have improved over the years with progressive efforts chipping away at the harms of criminalization.

More recently there has been a dangerous effort to rebrand the Nordic Model of prostitution (entrapment model) as the Equality Model. Current legislation threatens to implement this failed system within the US.

State Guide: U.S. prostitution laws for all 50 states

Jump to the bottom of this page to view a downloadable PDF of these New York State Prostitution Laws.

Prostitution Laws of New York

  • 230.00: Prostitution
  • 230.01: Prostitution; affirmative defense
  • 230.02: Patronizing a prostitute; definitions
  • 230.03: Prostitution in a school zone
  • 230.04: Patronizing a prostitute in the third degree
  • 230.05: Patronizing a prostitute in the second degree
  • 230.06: Patronizing a prostitute in the first degree
  • 230.07: Patronizing a prostitute; defense
  • 230.08: Patronizing a person for prostitution in a school zone
  • 230.10: Prostitution and patronizing a prostitute; no defense
  • 230.11: Aggravated patronizing a minor for prostitution in the third degree
  • 230.12: Aggravated patronizing a minor for prostitution in the second degree
  • 230.13: Aggravated patronizing a minor for prostitution in the first degree
  • 230.15: Promoting prostitution; definitions of terms
  • 230.20: Promoting prostitution in the fourth degree
  • 230.25: Promoting prostitution in the third degree
  • 230.30: Promoting prostitution in the second degree
  • 230.32: Promoting prostitution in the first degree
  • 230.33 Compelling prostitution
  • 230.34: Sex trafficking
  • 230.35: Promoting or compelling prostitution; accomplice
  • 230.36: Sex trafficking; accomplice
  • 230.40: Permitting prostitution

 

New York Prostitution Laws

S 230.00: Prostitution

A person is guilty of prostitution when such person engages or agrees or offers to engage in sexual
conduct with another person in return for a fee.

Prostitution is a class B Misdemeanor.

S 230.01: Prostitution; affirmative defense

In any prosecution under section 230.00, section 230.03, section 230.19, section 230.20, subdivision 2 of section 230.25, subdivision 2 of section 230.30 or section 230.34-a of this article, it is an affirmative defense that the defendant’s participation in the offense was a result of having been a victim of compelling prostitution under section 230.33 of this article, a victim of sex trafficking under section 230.34 of this article, a victim of sex trafficking of a child under section 230.34-a of this article or a victim of trafficking in persons under the trafficking victims protection act (United States Code, Title 22, Chapter 78).

S 230.02: Patronizing a prostitute; definitions

1. A person patronizes a prostitute when:

(a) Pursuant to a prior understanding, he pays a fee to another person as compensation for such person or a third person having engaged in sexual conduct with him; or

(b) He pays or agrees to pay a fee to another person pursuant to an understanding that in return therefor such person or a third person will engage in sexual conduct with him; or

(c) He solicits or requests another person to engage in sexual conduct with him in return for a fee.

2. As used in this article, "person who is patronized" means the person with whom the defendant engaged in sexual conduct or was to have engaged in sexual conduct pursuant to the understanding, or the person who was solicited or requested by the defendant to engage in sexual conduct.

S 230.03: Prostitution in a school zone

1. A person is guilty of prostitution in a school zone when, being nineteen years of age or older,
and acting during the hours that school is in session, he or she commits the crime of prostitution
in violation of section 230.00 of this article at a place that he or she knows, or reasonably should
know, is in a school zone, and he or she knows, or reasonably should know, that such act of
prostitution is within the direct view of children attending such school.
2. For the purposes of this section, section 230.08 and section 230.19 of this article, “school
zone” means

(a) in or on or within any building, structure, athletic playing field, playground or land
contained within the real property boundary line of a public or private elementary,
parochial, intermediate, junior high, vocational, or high school, or

(b) any public sidewalk, street, parking lot, park, playground or private land, located
immediately adjacent to the boundary line of such school. Prostitution in a school zone is
a class A misdemeanor.

Solicitation of Prostitution Laws in New York State

S 230.04: Patronizing a prostitute in the third degree

A person is guilty of patronizing a prostitute in the third degree when he or she patronizes a
prostitute [age fourteen and up].

Patronizing a prostitute in the third degree is a class A misdemeanor.

S 230.05: Patronizing a prostitute in the second degree

A person is guilty of patronizing a prostitute in the second degree when, being over eighteen years of age, he patronizes a prostitute and the person patronized is less than fourteen years of age.

Patronizing a prostitute in the second degree is a class E felony.

S 230.06: Patronizing a prostitute in the first degree

A person is guilty of patronizing a prostitute in the first degree when he patronizes a prostitute and the person patronized is less than eleven years of age.

Patronizing a prostitute in the first degree is a class D felony.

S 230.07: Patronizing a prostitute; defense

In any prosecution for patronizing a prostitute in the first, second or third degrees, it is a defense that the defendant did not have reasonable grounds to believe that the person was less than the age specified.

S 230.08: Patronizing a person for prostitution in a school zone

1. A person is guilty of patronizing a person for prostitution in a school zone when, being
twenty-one years old or more, he or she patronizes a person for prostitution and the person
patronized is less than eighteen years old at a place that he or she knows, or reasonably should
know, is in a school zone.

2. For purposes of this section, “school zone” shall mean “school zone” as defined in subdivision
two of section 230.03 of this article.
Patronizing a person for prostitution in a school zone is a class E felony.

S 230.10: Prostitution and patronizing a prostitute; no defense

In any prosecution for prostitution or patronizing a prostitute, the sex of the two parties or
prospective parties to the sexual conduct engaged in, contemplated or solicited is immaterial, and it is no defense that:

1. Such persons were of the same sex; or

2. The person who received, agreed to receive or solicited a fee was a male and the person who paid or agreed or offered to pay such fee was a female.

S 230.11: Aggravated patronizing a minor for prostitution in the third degree

A person is guilty of aggravated patronizing a minor for prostitution in the third degree when,
being twenty-one years old or more, he or she patronizes a person for prostitution and the person
patronized is less than seventeen years old and the person guilty of patronizing engages in sexual
intercourse, oral sexual conduct, anal sexual conduct, or aggravated sexual conduct as those
terms are defined in section 130.00 of this part, with the person patronized. Aggravated
patronizing a minor for prostitution in the third degree is a class E felony.

S 230.12: Aggravated patronizing a minor for prostitution in the second degree

A person is guilty of aggravated patronizing a minor for prostitution in the second degree when,
being eighteen years old or more, he or she patronizes a person for prostitution and the person
patronized is less than fifteen years old and the person guilty of patronizing engages in sexual
intercourse, oral sexual conduct, anal sexual conduct, or aggravated sexual conduct as those
terms are defined in section 130.00 of this part, with the person patronized. Aggravated
patronizing a minor for prostitution in the second degree is a class D felony.

S 230.13: Aggravated patronizing a minor for prostitution in the first degree

A person is guilty of aggravated patronizing a minor for prostitution in the first degree when he
or she patronizes a person for prostitution and the person patronized is less than eleven years old,
or being eighteen years old or more, he or she patronizes a person for prostitution and the person
patronized is less than thirteen years old, and the person guilty of patronizing engages in sexual
intercourse, oral sexual conduct, anal sexual conduct, or aggravated sexual conduct as those
terms are defined in section 130.00 of this part, with the person patronized. Aggravated
patronizing a minor for prostitution in the first degree is a class B felony.

Promoting Prostitution Laws in New York State

S 230.15: Promoting prostitution; definitions of terms

The following definitions are applicable to this article:

1. "Advance prostitution." A person "advances prostitution" when, acting other than as a prostitute or as a patron thereof, he knowingly causes or aids a person to commit or engage in prostitution, procures or solicits patrons for prostitution, provides persons or premises for prostitution purposes, operates or assists in the operation of a house of prostitution or a prostitution enterprise, or engages in any other conduct designed to institute, aid or facilitate an act or enterprise of prostitution.

2. "Profit from prostitution." A person "profits from prostitution" when, acting other than as a prostitute receiving compensation for personally rendered prostitution services, he accepts or receives money or other property pursuant to an agreement or understanding with any person whereby he participates or is to participate in the proceeds of prostitution activity.

S 230.20: Promoting prostitution in the fourth degree

A person is guilty of promoting prostitution in the fourth degree when he knowingly advances or profits from prostitution.

Promoting prostitution in the fourth degree is a class A misdemeanor.

S 230.25: Promoting prostitution in the third degree

A person is guilty of promoting prostitution in the third degree when he knowingly:

1. Advances or profits from prostitution by managing, supervising, controlling or owning, either alone or in association with others, a house of prostitution or a prostitution business or enterprise involving prostitution activity by two or more prostitutes, or a business that sells travel-related services knowing that such services include or are intended to facilitate travel for the purpose of patronizing a prostitute, including to a foreign jurisdiction and regardless of the legality of prostitution in said foreign jurisdiction; or

2. Advances or profits from prostitution of a person less than nineteen years old.

Promoting prostitution in the third degree is a class D felony.

S 230.30: Promoting prostitution in the second degree

A person is guilty of promoting prostitution in the second degree when he knowingly:

1. Advances prostitution by compelling a person by force or intimidation to engage in prostitution, or profits from such coercive conduct by another; or

2. Advances or profits from prostitution of a person less than sixteen years old.

Promoting prostitution in the second degree is a class C felony.

S 230.32: Promoting prostitution in the first degree

A person is guilty of promoting prostitution in the first degree when he knowingly advances or profits from prostitution of a person less than eleven years old.

Promoting prostitution in the first degree is a class B felony.

S 230.33: Compelling prostitution

A person is guilty of compelling prostitution when, being twenty-one years of age or older, he or she knowingly advances prostitution by compelling a person less than sixteen years old, by force or intimidation, to engage in prostitution.

Compelling prostitution is a class B felony.

Sex trafficking Laws in New York State

S 230.34: Sex trafficking

A person is guilty of sex trafficking if he or she intentionally advances or profits from prostitution by:

1. Unlawfully providing to a person who is patronized, with intent to impair said person's judgment: (a) a narcotic drug or a narcotic preparation; (b) concentrated cannabis as defined in paragraph (a) of subdivision four of section thirty-three hundred two of the public health law; (c) methadone; or (d) gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) or flunitrazepan, also known as Rohypnol;

2. Making material false statements, misstatements, or omissions to induce or maintain the person being patronized to engage in or continue to engage in prostitution activity;

3. Withholding, destroying, or confiscating anyactual or purported passport, immigration document, or any other actual or purported government identification document of another person with intent to impair said person's freedom of movement; provided, however, that this subdivision shall not apply to an attempt to correct a social security administration record or immigration agency record in accordance with any local, state, or federal agency requirement, where such attempt is not made for the purpose of any express or implied threat;

4. Requiring that prostitution be performed to retire, repay, or service a real or purported debt;

5. Using force or engaging in any scheme, plan or pattern to compel or induce the person being patronized to engage in or continue to engage in prostitution activity by means of instilling a fear in the person being patronized that, if the demand is not complied with, the actor or another will do one or more of the following:

(a) Cause physical injury, serious physical injury, or death to a person; or

(b) Cause damage to property, other than the property of the actor; or

(c) engage in other conduct constituting a felony or unlawful imprisonment in the second degree in violation of section 135.05 of this chapter; or

(d) Accuse some person of a crime or cause criminal charges or deportation proceedings to be
instituted against some person; provided, however, that it shall be an affirmative defense to this subdivision that the defendant reasonably believed the threatened charge to be true and that his or her sole purpose was to compel or induce the victim to take reasonable action to make good the wrong which was the subject of such threatened charge; or

(e) Expose a secret or publicize an asserted fact, whether true or false, tending to subject some person to hatred, contempt or ridicule; or

(f) Testify or provide information or withhold testimony or information with respect to another's legal claim or defense; or

(g) Use or abuse his or her position as a public servant by performing some act within or related to his or her official duties, or by failing or refusing to perform an official duty, in such manner as to affect some person adversely; or

(h) perform any other act which would not in itself materially benefit the actor but which is calculated to harm the person who is patronized materially with respect to his or her health, safety, or immigration status.

Sex trafficking is a class B felony.

S 230.35: Promoting or compelling prostitution; accomplice

In a prosecution for promoting prostitution or compelling prostitution, a person less than seventeen years of age from whose prostitution activityanother person is alleged to have advanced or attempted to advance or profited or attempted to profit shall not be deemed to be an accomplice.

S 230.36: Sex trafficking; accomplice

In a prosecution for sex trafficking, a person from whose prostitution activity another person is alleged to have advanced or attempted to advance or profited or attempted to profit shall not be deemed to be an accomplice.

S 230.40: Permitting prostitution

A person is guilty of permitting prostitution when, having possession or control of premises which he knows are being used for prostitution purposes, he fails to make reasonable effort to halt or abate such use.

Permitting prostitution is a class B misdemeanor.

New York State Prostitution Laws formatted as a printable PDF


 

News about Prostitution Laws in New York

N.Y. lawmakers poised to grant immunity to sex workers who witness a crime | Spectrum News 1

N.Y. lawmakers poised to grant immunity to sex workers who witness a crime | Spectrum News 1

Read More
The Gilgo Beach Suspect May Have Hunted Them. Now They’re Key Witnesses. | The New York Times

The Gilgo Beach Suspect May Have Hunted Them. Now They’re Key Witnesses. | The New York Times

Read More
NYPD: 17 men arrested, charged for trying to purchase sex | news12 Brooklyn

NYPD: 17 men arrested, charged for trying to purchase sex | news12 Brooklyn

Read More
‘The police see us as disposable’: what life’s really like in New York’s maligned ‘red light district’ | The Guardian

‘The police see us as disposable’: what life’s really like in New York’s maligned ‘red light district’ | The Guardian

Read More
Gilgo Beach killer hunt slowed by infighting between prosecutors, police | The Washington Post

Gilgo Beach killer hunt slowed by infighting between prosecutors, police | The Washington Post

Read More
Protecting sex workers: Why are they vulnerable to violence? | NewsNation

Protecting sex workers: Why are they vulnerable to violence? | NewsNation

Read More
Opinion: Sex-worker immunity would have helped Gilgo Beach probe | Newsday

Opinion: Sex-worker immunity would have helped Gilgo Beach probe | Newsday

By Melissa Sontag Broudo Guest essay Updated July 25, 2023 7:36 pm The recent arrest of Rex A. Heuermann in the Gilgo Beach murder investigation has residents expressing relief that a killer has finally been apprehended. But many are asking why it took so long. One significant reason is the...
Read More
The Victims on Gilgo Beach | The Brian Lehrer Show on New York Public Radio

The Victims on Gilgo Beach | The Brian Lehrer Show on New York Public Radio

July 18, 2023 New York Public Radio’s “The Brian Lehrer Show” covers the lives of the victims found on Gilgo Beach and includes an interview with Crystal DeBoise. Listen here.
Read More
Las dos caras del trabajo sexual en NY | El Diario

Las dos caras del trabajo sexual en NY | El Diario

Read More
Rape Rates Go Down as Countries Legalize Prostitution, Rise With Sex Work Prohibition | Reason

Rape Rates Go Down as Countries Legalize Prostitution, Rise With Sex Work Prohibition | Reason

Read More
How sex work changed after two decades of decriminalisation in New Zealand | Mail & Guardian

How sex work changed after two decades of decriminalisation in New Zealand | Mail & Guardian

Read More
Rapes are up in NYC. Here’s how survivors can find care and pursue justice. | Gothamist

Rapes are up in NYC. Here’s how survivors can find care and pursue justice. | Gothamist

Read More
There used to be tens of thousands of prostitution arrests annually in NYC. Now? About 100. | Gothamist

There used to be tens of thousands of prostitution arrests annually in NYC. Now? About 100. | Gothamist

Read More
Prior Sex Work Haunts Employees Returning to Traditional Jobs | Bloomberg Law

Prior Sex Work Haunts Employees Returning to Traditional Jobs | Bloomberg Law

Read More
Manhattan DA urges for passing of bill providing immunity to sex trade survivors | PIX11

Manhattan DA urges for passing of bill providing immunity to sex trade survivors | PIX11

Read More
Bill would allow sex workers to report crime without fear of prosecution | Gothamist

Bill would allow sex workers to report crime without fear of prosecution | Gothamist

Read More
NY District Attorney Bragg Includes Landmark Sex Work Reform in Policy Statement

NY District Attorney Bragg Includes Landmark Sex Work Reform in Policy Statement

January 3, 2022 Newly elected Manhattan District Attorney (DA) Alvin Bragg, the first African American to be elected DA in New York City, knows that limiting incarceration to a last resort, one reserved for violent crime, will make our communities safer. Bragg’s recently released policy statement, which lays out the...
Read More
2022 Bills That Endanger Sex Workers

2022 Bills That Endanger Sex Workers

January 1, 2022 Although legislators are increasingly recognizing the harms of criminalizing sex work, as this year’s legislative session opens, lawmakers continue to propose bills that endanger the rights, health, and safety of sex workers across the country. These laws increase criminal penalties, present new criminal categories around commercial sex,...
Read More
State Bills to Watch in 2022

State Bills to Watch in 2022

January 1, 2022 Bills to decriminalize sex work are being considered in New York (S3075/A849), Massachusetts (H1867), Vermont (H630), and Missouri (H2388). Several other pieces of legislation to improve the health, safety, and human rights of sex workers and related communities have been introduced around the country. Massachusetts also saw...
Read More
Gov. Hochul Signs START Act Into Law

Gov. Hochul Signs START Act Into Law

November 16, 2021 In a historic and long-fought victory, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Survivors of Trafficking Attaining Relief Together (START) Act into law. The START Act (A459/S674), sponsored by Senator Jessica Ramos and Representative Richard Gottfried, will allow New York State courts to vacate a range of...
Read More
This Is What Will Make Sex Work in New York Safer | The New York Times

This Is What Will Make Sex Work in New York Safer | The New York Times

Read More
Hochul says she is open to decriminalizing sex work | City & State New York

Hochul says she is open to decriminalizing sex work | City & State New York

Read More
What’s the Best Way to Protect Sex Workers? Depends on Whom You Ask. | The New York Times

What’s the Best Way to Protect Sex Workers? Depends on Whom You Ask. | The New York Times

Read More
60 survivors of human trafficking push Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign the START Act | POLITICO

60 survivors of human trafficking push Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign the START Act | POLITICO

“FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Sixty survivors of human trafficking sent a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo pushing him to sign the START Act, which would allow courts to vacate criminal convictions that result from sex or labor trafficking. ‘These convictions also make it much more difficult to rebuild our lives, creating...
Read More
Supporters of the START Act ask Governor to sign the bill | News10.com

Supporters of the START Act ask Governor to sign the bill | News10.com

Read More
NY Senate Passes the START Act

NY Senate Passes the START Act

May 24, 2021 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...
Read More
How NYPD’s Vice Unit Got Prostitution Policing All Wrong | ProPublica.org

How NYPD’s Vice Unit Got Prostitution Policing All Wrong | ProPublica.org

Read More
Manhattan will stop prosecuting sex workers, marking ‘monumental’ step for trans advocates | nbcnews.com

Manhattan will stop prosecuting sex workers, marking ‘monumental’ step for trans advocates | nbcnews.com

Read More
Decriminalize Sex Work’s Statement on Manhattan DA’s Announcement

Decriminalize Sex Work’s Statement on Manhattan DA’s Announcement

April 21, 2021 Manhattan district attorney Cyrus R. Vance, following in the footsteps of other New York City boroughs, announced that his office would no longer prosecute individuals for prostitution and unlicensed massage. The news was met with mixed emotions from sex workers and their allies because the policy leaves...
Read More
Manhattan to Stop Prosecuting Prostitution, Part of Nationwide Shift | The New York Times

Manhattan to Stop Prosecuting Prostitution, Part of Nationwide Shift | The New York Times

Read More
Brooklyn DA: Outstanding prostitution warrants from past 4 decades dismissed | News 12

Brooklyn DA: Outstanding prostitution warrants from past 4 decades dismissed | News 12

DSW’S MELISSA BROUDO IS FEATURED: “This is not just symbolic. It is meaningful for those over 857 people whose lives were directly impacted by criminalization who either had warrants hanging over their heads or pending court cases hanging over their heads. The criminal justice system is so crippling for people...
Read More
Judge dismisses hundreds of prostitution cases at Queens DA’s request | New York Post

Judge dismisses hundreds of prostitution cases at Queens DA’s request | New York Post

Read More
More than 800 prostitution charges being dismissed in the Bronx, DA says | pix11.com

More than 800 prostitution charges being dismissed in the Bronx, DA says | pix11.com

Read More
San Fran honors Margo St. James as N.Y. pols, feminists debate decriminalizing prostitution | The Village Sun

San Fran honors Margo St. James as N.Y. pols, feminists debate decriminalizing prostitution | The Village Sun

Read More
A Victory Decades in the Making: New York Repeals the Walking While Trans Ban

A Victory Decades in the Making: New York Repeals the Walking While Trans Ban

February 3, 2021 After nearly fifty years of wreaking havoc on marginalized communities, the criminalization of loitering for the purpose of engaging in a prostitution offense was finally repealed in New York State. The statute, passed in 1976, is commonly referred to as the “Walking While Trans Ban” because law...
Read More
Brooklyn DA’s office announces dismissal of 262 outstanding warrants related to sex work | News12 Brooklyn

Brooklyn DA’s office announces dismissal of 262 outstanding warrants related to sex work | News12 Brooklyn

Read More
More Than 1,000 Open Prostitution Cases in Brooklyn Are Going To Be Wiped From the Files | BuzzFeed.News

More Than 1,000 Open Prostitution Cases in Brooklyn Are Going To Be Wiped From the Files | BuzzFeed.News

Read More
New York Democrats finally ready to repeal ‘walking while trans’ loitering law | New York Daily News

New York Democrats finally ready to repeal ‘walking while trans’ loitering law | New York Daily News

Read More
Margo St. James, Advocate for Sex Workers, Dies at 83 | The New York Times

Margo St. James, Advocate for Sex Workers, Dies at 83 | The New York Times

Read More
New York Lawmakers Demand NYPD Halt Undercover Sex Trade Stings | ProPublica

New York Lawmakers Demand NYPD Halt Undercover Sex Trade Stings | ProPublica

Read More
Dropping prostitution offenses pitched by Albany progressives | Niagara Gazette

Dropping prostitution offenses pitched by Albany progressives | Niagara Gazette

Read More
AOC responds ‘Sex work is work,’ to report of NYC paramedic posting racy photos for cash | FoxNews.com

AOC responds ‘Sex work is work,’ to report of NYC paramedic posting racy photos for cash | FoxNews.com

Read More
NYPD Cops Cash In on Sex Trade Arrests With Little Evidence, While Black and Brown New Yorkers Pay the Price | ProPublica

NYPD Cops Cash In on Sex Trade Arrests With Little Evidence, While Black and Brown New Yorkers Pay the Price | ProPublica

Read More
Ex-prostitute Elisa Crespo vies to become first trans member of NYC Council | New York Post

Ex-prostitute Elisa Crespo vies to become first trans member of NYC Council | New York Post

Read More
Mayoral Hopefuls Divided on Sex Work Decrim at Jim Owles Forum | Gay City News

Mayoral Hopefuls Divided on Sex Work Decrim at Jim Owles Forum | Gay City News

Read More
Repeal This Law: New York must remove from the books a statute that criminalizes Walking While Trans | Daily News

Repeal This Law: New York must remove from the books a statute that criminalizes Walking While Trans | Daily News

Read More
De Blasio To Change NYC Sex Work Policy

De Blasio To Change NYC Sex Work Policy

September 2, 2020 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...
Read More
NY Senate Fails Trafficking Survivors, Again

NY Senate Fails Trafficking Survivors, Again

July 21, 2020 Through our work with the New York Anti-Trafficking Network (NYATN) and the START Coalition (named for this bill), DSW has been tirelessly advocating for the Survivors of Trafficking Attaining Relief Together (START) Act, a bill allowing survivors of trafficking to clear their criminal records of arrests stemming...
Read More
Sex Workers Slammed by the Pandemic Say City Council Aid Misses the Mark | The City

Sex Workers Slammed by the Pandemic Say City Council Aid Misses the Mark | The City

Read More
DSW Takes Action Against EARN IT

DSW Takes Action Against EARN IT

July 22, 2020 In our last newsletter, DSW reported on how the EARN IT Act, a bill that recently advanced out of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, threatens the very heart of online security and privacy. The legislation claims to go after the online sexual abuse of minors. In a...
Read More
DSW Supports Criminal Justice Reform Bills in New York

DSW Supports Criminal Justice Reform Bills in New York

July 14, 2020 DSW’s Melissa Broudo and Frances Steele attended a rally in New York City supporting five state-level criminal justice reform bills that will be voted on — and hopefully passed — this legislative session. The rally featured impacted community members who shared personal experiences and state-wide data to...
Read More
‘We’re Fighting, and We’re Winning’: G.L.I.T.S. Founder Ceyenne Doroshow on Raising More Than $1 Million for the Black Trans Community | Vogue

‘We’re Fighting, and We’re Winning’: G.L.I.T.S. Founder Ceyenne Doroshow on Raising More Than $1 Million for the Black Trans Community | Vogue

Read More
Corporate Pride Events Can’t Happen This Year. Let’s Keep It That Way. | Buzzfeed News

Corporate Pride Events Can’t Happen This Year. Let’s Keep It That Way. | Buzzfeed News

Read More
Queens Prosecutor Is Wrong About Human Trafficking and Arresting Johns

Queens Prosecutor Is Wrong About Human Trafficking and Arresting Johns

Decriminalize Sex Work www.DecriminalizeSex.Work Contact: Kaytlin Bailey, Communications Director [email protected] (m) 919-649-7725 NEW YORK, NEW YORK May 25, 2020 Queens Prosecutor Is Wrong About Human Trafficking and Arresting Johns On Monday, May 18, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced the creation of the Human Trafficking Bureau to “prosecute sex and...
Read More
Queens DA’s new Human Trafficking Bureau will prosecute sex traffickers, pimps and johns |Queens Daily Eagle

Queens DA’s new Human Trafficking Bureau will prosecute sex traffickers, pimps and johns |Queens Daily Eagle

Read More
Dangerous Bail Reform Rollbacks Pass in the NYS Budget Amidst Pandemic Crisis

Dangerous Bail Reform Rollbacks Pass in the NYS Budget Amidst Pandemic Crisis

April 3, 2020 Amidst the rising tide of the COVID-19 crisis, a dangerous and controversial budget has passed both chambers of the New York legislature and been signed into law. Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins (D-Yonkers) championed the dangerous and controversial bail reform rollbacks...
Read More
Hero of the New York Transgender Community Passes Away From COVID

Hero of the New York Transgender Community Passes Away From COVID

March 30, 2020 Lorena Borjas, fearless transgender activist, tireless advocate, and hero of our movement, passed away at Coney Island Hospital from COVID-19. She was 59 years old. Lorena was the heart of New York City’s translatina community. She dedicated her life to ensuring those around her had the support...
Read More
Our Bodies, Our Labors, Our Streets: International Women’s Day in NYC

Our Bodies, Our Labors, Our Streets: International Women’s Day in NYC

March 8, 2020 The International Women’s Strike, also known as Paro Internacional de Mujeres, is a global movement of coalitions in more than 50 countries, organizing around International Women’s Day each year. The movement began in 2017 to honor the work of women across the world, organizing against femicide, gender-based...
Read More
DSW Rallies With Activists To Pass the #WalkingWhileTrans Repeal

DSW Rallies With Activists To Pass the #WalkingWhileTrans Repeal

March 3, 2020 On International Sex Worker Rights Day, the Walking While Trans Coalition gathered at the Million Dollar Staircase in the Albany Statehouse to speak out about trans rights in New York state. DSW’s J. Leigh Brantly joined activists representing the New York Transgender Advocacy Group (NYTAG) and the...
Read More
Honoring Our Movement: International Sex Worker Rights Day

Honoring Our Movement: International Sex Worker Rights Day

March 3, 2020 Sex workers and allied communities celebrated International Sex Worker Rights Day, a holiday that commemorates the tireless efforts of harm-reduction advocates around the world. The holiday began in India in 2001 when over 25,000 sex workers from around the world gathered there for a festival organized by...
Read More
February Hero

February Hero

Marsha P. Johnson Honored by Governor Cuomo as He Endorses “Walking­ While­ Trans” Repeal February 1, 2020 Marsha P. Johnson is the first to be honored by DSW’s monthly hero campaign. Ms. Johnson, who passed away on July 6, 1992, was a queer liberation activist and one of the most...
Read More
NY Gender Diversity Coalition Introduces Legislative Platform

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 concerning the coalition’s 2020 legislative platform. NYTAG is a trans-led organization that advocates tirelessly for more inclusive gender-based policies, benefitting...
Read More
Opponents of Sex Work Decriminalization Launch 2020 Legislative Fight | Queens Daily Eagle

Opponents of Sex Work Decriminalization Launch 2020 Legislative Fight | Queens Daily Eagle

Read More
NY Should Allow Trafficking Survivors To Clear Criminal Records

NY Should Allow Trafficking Survivors To Clear Criminal Records

October 1, 2019 A good prostitution-related bill that passed the Assembly side of the NY legislature in June is still pending in the state Senate. This legislation — known on the Senate side as S981A — would fully vacate the criminal convictions of human-trafficking victims. In 2010, NY became the...
Read More
Tiffany Cabán Concedes Queens DA Race

Tiffany Cabán Concedes Queens DA Race

August 6, 2019 Tiffany Cabán came within 60 votes of winning the Queens DA race, running on a platform of decriminalizing and decarcerating nonviolent offenders such as sex workers. She specifically pledged her support to the sex work community. After a lengthy recount process, she conceded on August 6. Despite...
Read More
“Gay Panic” Defense Can No Longer Be Used to Excuse Murder, a Win for Trans Sex Workers

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

Just before the June 30, 2019, kickoff of the World Pride March in New York City, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed A2707, a new law that bans the "gay and transgender panic" defense from being used in murder cases prosecuted in New York State. The panic defense has historically been...
Read More
Tiffany Cabán: Champion of Sex Workers’ Rights

Tiffany Cabán: Champion of Sex Workers’ Rights

Campaigning for district attorney of NYC, Tiffany Cabán initially declared victory on election night, June 25, 2019, but a full recount is currently ongoing due to how close the original count was after absentee ballots were figured in. The process is expected to take a few weeks. If victorious, Canán...
Read More
Cuomo Nixes Last-Minute Effort To Legalize Prostitution | New York Post

Cuomo Nixes Last-Minute Effort To Legalize Prostitution | New York Post

Read More
New York Legislator To Introduce “Stop Violence in the Sex Trades Act”

New York Legislator To Introduce “Stop Violence in the Sex Trades Act”

June 10, 2019 On June 10, Assemblywoman Julia Salazar, in tandem with local coalition DecrimNY, announced that she would be introducing a series of bills in the NY legislature that would fully decriminalize sex work in New York State. While it usually takes years to enact legislation into law, the...
Read More

State Lawmakers Introduce Bill To Legalize Prostitution | New York Post

Read More
A Historic Breakthrough for Sex Workers’ Rights | The New Republic

A Historic Breakthrough for Sex Workers’ Rights | The New Republic

Read More
Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez Wants To Decriminalize Prostitution | New York Post

Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez Wants To Decriminalize Prostitution | New York Post

Read More
The Case of Jane Doe Ponytail | The New York Times

The Case of Jane Doe Ponytail | The New York Times

Read More
7 New York Police Officers Arrested in Prostitution and Gambling Investigation, Authorities Say | The New York Times

7 New York Police Officers Arrested in Prostitution and Gambling Investigation, Authorities Say | The New York Times

Read More
Mayor Bloomberg Says He Wants Confessed Hooker Teacher Melissa Petro Yanked From Classroom | Daily News

Mayor Bloomberg Says He Wants Confessed Hooker Teacher Melissa Petro Yanked From Classroom | Daily News

Read More