Decriminalize Sex Work www.DecriminalizeSex.Work Contact Kaytlin Bailey, Director of Communications [email protected] NEW YORK, NEW YORK April 18, 2019
Sex Workers and Allies to Hold News Conference in Orlando, FL
Responding to the escalation of police stings targeting minority-owned massage parlors, sex workers and their allies will be holding a news conference on April 22 in Orlando. To illustrate that this is a statewide problem, the news conference is being held in the center of the state during Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
WHO: Kaytlin Bailey, a former sex worker from Decriminalize Sex Work; Kim Porteous, Vice President of Greater Orlando NOW; Maya Moreno, an undocumented immigrant and sex worker from Honduras; and advocated for harm reduction and victims rights will join SWOP Behind Bars, SWOP Orlando, and SWOP Tampa Bay. (“SWOP” stands for “Sex Workers Outreach Project”.)
WHAT: Holding handcuffs and standing in front of the courthouse, holding signs protesting the arrest and incarceration of people in the sex industry.
WHEN: 12:00 to 12:45 on Monday, April 22, 2019
WHERE: Front of City Hall at 400 S. Orange Ave., Orlando, FL 32703
WHY: Laws targeting sex workers are a war on women, people of color, LGBTQIA+ people, and immigrants. The vulnerable communities impacted by overzealous policing are demanding to be heard in Florida.
Those speaking at the protest will highlight that people who are charged with prostitution are not being “rescued” when they’re arrested, detained, imprisoned, and given lifelong criminal records. This stigma then follows them for the rest of their lives, often making it harder to find jobs, obtain housing, or report abusive situations to the police.
“Sex work should be decriminalized, because our government has no right to police our bodies,” said Kaytlin Bailey, the communications director for a new national organization called Decriminalize Sex Work. “Arresting sex workers isn’t a way of protecting them. It’s a way of protecting societal patriarchy.”
If you are unable to attend the press conference, a live stream will be available here: livefeed.decriminalizesex.work
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