DSW Presents at the National Harm Reduction Coalition’s Biennial Conference

Cleary and Broudo staffed a booth at the conference to connect with and educate attendees about the urgent need to decriminalize consensual adult sex work. The decriminalization of sex work is a core tenet of the harm reduction movement and shares many of its principals. The NHRC says that “advocating for legislation that protects sex workers rights is central to our mission.”

Broudo joined Ceyenne Doroshow, an author, activist, organizer, performer, and public figure in the trans and sex worker rights movements, and Ciora Thomas, founder and director of Sisters PGH, a trans rights housing organization in Pittsburgh, for a panel discussion. They explored the intersection of trans liberation and the decriminalization of prostitution, specifically from the perspective of two Black trans leaders with lived experience in the industry. The panel was both poignant and filled with humor, discussing topics such as housing, education, trans rights, sex work and human trafficking, and the intersections of various identities. Because this was the National Harm Reduction Conference, trans liberation and decriminalization of sex work were discussed within a harm reduction and human rights framework.