Tag: trafficking

Decriminalize Sex Work (DSW) joined 130 fellow advocates from New York for an impactful day at the New York State Capitol. DSW played a leading role in the organization of the day along with DecrimNY, the statewide coalition fighting for sex workers’ rights. Advocates from around the state arrived in Albany to educate legislators on the critical need to pass Cecilia’s Act for Rights in the Sex Trades (Cecilia’s Act), formerly known as the Stop Violence in the Sex Trades Act. The day included multiple meetings with legislators and a press conference.

Cecilia’s Act would destigmatize and decriminalize consensual adult sex work by amending the New York criminal law. It would also clear eligible sex work convictions from criminal records. These changes are crucial to promote safety in the sex trades, reduce trafficking, and decrease police harassment. Cecilia’s Act further promotes safety and economic growth by providing for criminal record relief (sealing, expungement) for offenses no longer criminalized. This would allow thousands of New Yorkers to move forward with their lives without the burden of a criminal conviction. Unlike other expungement laws, which require a certain waiting period before convictions are sealed, Cecilia’s Act would provide immediate relief.

The film Anora made history at the 97th Academy Awards on March 2, taking home five of the six awards it was nominated for, including Best Picture. Four of those Oscars went to Sean Baker, who directed, wrote, and edited the film. There is plenty to say about Anora, a movie that was clearly well-loved by the 10,000 voting Academy members, but perhaps the most important is that it is a film about a sex worker. While the Academy Awards have frequently recognized performances portraying sex workers — anywhere from 14 to 17 Oscars have gone to actresses playing sex workers on screen throughout the years — Anora makes history as the first Best Picture winner centered on a sex worker’s story.

Anora follows Ani, a Brooklyn-based stripper who unexpectedly marries the son of a powerful Russian oligarch, leading to a high-stakes conflict between her new in-laws and her personal autonomy. The film has been praised for its gritty realism and Sean Baker’s signature verité style, but it has also been met with mixed reactions from real-life sex workers. While some have appreciated its attempt at a more authentic depiction, others have critiqued its reliance on familiar tropes and questioned why, once again, a film about sex work did not involve sex workers in key creative roles.

Many in the sex worker community have highlighted both positive and problematic aspects of the film. On one hand, Anora avoids some of the worst Hollywood stereotypes that paint sex workers solely as victims or villains. On the other, it still leans into dramatic storytelling that, while compelling, may not fully reflect the lived realities of many sex workers. Additionally, while Baker and Madison both expressed gratitude to sex workers in their acceptance speeches, some feel that mere acknowledgment is no longer enough.

One of the night’s most significant moments came when both Mikey Madison and Sean Baker explicitly thanked sex workers during their Oscar speeches. In an industry that has long exploited and misrepresented sex workers while erasing their voices, this moment of recognition felt groundbreaking. However, we can and should expect more. With a platform as massive as the Academy Awards, there was an opportunity to go beyond appreciation and advocate for real change — such as the decriminalization of sex work, which would ensure safety, dignity, and rights for those in the industry.

Hollywood’s treatment of sex work is evolving, and Anora represents an important step forward. But visibility alone is not enough. Moving forward, we must demand more than just acknowledgement — we must demand action. The fight for sex workers’ rights needs voices beyond the community itself. If filmmakers truly respect the people whose lives they depict, they should use their platforms to push for policies that protect and empower them. The time for simply recognizing sex workers has passed. Now is the time to fight for real change.

Massachusetts has introduced a handful of bills that would improve the rights, health, and safety of sex workers and victims of trafficking in the state. Decriminalize Sex Work (DSW) Legal Director Melissa Broudo and Staff Attorney Becca Cleary spent a day in the MA State House meeting with legislators and advocating for passage of the bills. Along with the Boston Sex Workers and Allies Collective (BSWAC), they met with the offices of eleven legislators, including Senators and State Representatives. The meetings were productive and the information shared by advocates was well received by the bi-partisan group of legislators.

Bills to watch in MA include:

* H1980 (Sabadosa): This omnibus legislation decriminalizes sex work in Massachusetts.

* H2467 (Kilcoyne): This bill creates an interagency committee to study decriminalizing sex work.

* H1747 (Higgins): This bill prohibits victims and witnesses who report crime to law enforcement from being prosecuted with certain crimes.

* H2634 (Higgins): This bill prohibits law enforcement officers from having sexual contact with someone in their control.

On February 7, 2025, Linda Becerra Moran, a 30-year-old trans woman, was fatally shot by Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers at a motel after she called 911 for help, claiming she was being kidnapped. Becerra Moran pleaded desperately with the dispatcher, sobbing as she explained that a man was holding her against her will and bringing others into the room. She insisted she was not lying, as she begged for immediate assistance. The dispatcher quickly relayed the information to the police, alerting them to a possible kidnapping situation involving someone who could be a danger to themselves or others.

When officers arrived, they found Becerra Moran pacing inside the room, visibly distressed. Body camera footage from the LAPD shows officers standing in the doorway, guns drawn, speaking to her in Spanish as tensions escalated. She showed them a head wound from being struck repeatedly with a bottle. Despite considerations to place her under a mental health hold, the situation began to rapidly deteriorate. In a moment of rising panic, Becerra Moran began pushing a mini-fridge toward the officers before grabbing a knife and holding it to her neck. At this point, Officer Jacob Sanchez, a four-year veteran, opened fire after Becerra Moran moved toward them. She collapsed onto the bed, critically injured. Attempts to save her were unsuccessful, and after being placed on life support, Becerra Moran died on February 27, 2025, following weeks in the hospital. Due to difficulties in contacting her family in Ecuador, the hospital consulted its ethics committee before making the decision to discontinue life support.

The LAPD initially failed to acknowledge her death, and it was only days later that Officer Sanchez was identified. The incident is under investigation by the Police Commission, the district attorney’s office, and the LAPD’s inspector general. However, the circumstances surrounding her death have received far less media attention than similar police shootings, highlighting the disturbing reality that the lives of sex workers, especially trans women like Becerra Moran, are often dismissed or undervalued. Her death underscores the systemic neglect faced by people in the sex industry, with many instances of violence against them either going unnoticed or under-investigated.

Additionally, the involvement of law enforcement in such cases can exacerbate the harm rather than prevent it. Police are not adequately equipped to address the complex realities of trafficking or the nuanced needs of victims. Instead of prioritizing safety and victim support, law enforcement criminalizes sex workers, whether they are working by force or by choice, deepening the stigma and risks they face. Becerra Moran’s death is a stark reminder of how these systemic failures perpetuate harm and neglect.

The response to trafficking should be led by organizations specializing in victim support, such as survivor advocates, social workers, and non-profits focused on human trafficking. These organizations are more attuned to the needs of vulnerable individuals, offering vital services like legal aid, mental health support, and housing. They work to protect victims from the trauma of criminalization and offer a path to rehabilitation, not punishment. Law enforcement can collaborate with these groups when needed, but the primary focus must be on healing and restoring dignity, not perpetuating further harm. Linda Becerra Moran’s tragic death calls for a critical reevaluation of how society and its institutions address violence against sex workers, urging a shift from criminalization to care, and from punishment to protection.

An op ed by Decriminalize Sex Work (DSW) Chief Advocacy Organizer Henri Bynx ran in Vermont Digger. Vermont Digger is one of VT’s main news sources, widely read by legislators in Montpelier.

Read Henri’s op ed here.

Multiple sex work-related bills have been heard in Rhode Island recently. Decriminalize Sex Work (DSW) staff testified before the Senate and House Judiciary Committees in favor of all of the bills which propose laws that would increase the health, safety, and rights of sex workers in Rhode Island. 

Following its hearing, S296, which would remove fines assessed only to people convicted for commercial sexual activity passed the Senate Judiciary Committee!

The following bills were held for further study:

* S278/H5358 would grant immunity from prosecution for prostitution to sex workers and survivors of trafficking who are victims or witnesses of a crime.

* H5357 would remove fines assessed only to people convicted for commercial sexual activity.

* S269/H5348 modernizes Rhode Island’s HIV testing protocols for individuals convicted under commercial sexual activity laws.

* S810 would decriminalize consensual adult sex work.

* S299 would prohibit law enforcement from engaging in sexual contact with a person in their custody.

More than 20 advocates, survivors of trafficking, and consensual adult sex workers gathered to urge the New York State Legislature to pass S.3967 (Sepulveda) / A01029 (Kelles). Decriminalize Sex Work (DSW) staff was instrumental in organizing the Advocacy Day, which included around 25 meetings with legislative offices to discuss the bill. The common sense legislation would encourage sex workers and trafficking survivors who are crime victims and witnesses to report their experience to law enforcement, receive medical care, and seek help.

People involved in commercial sexual activity, whether by choice or because they are being trafficked, are often targeted by predators who know they are unlikely to report victimization or seek medical attention for fear of their own arrest. When abusers are not reported to law enforcement, they are able to continue their acts of violence and exploitation with impunity. The bill has bipartisan support. Nine states have passed similar immunity laws in recent years, and several other states introduced legislation this year.

Read trafficking survivor Laura Mullen’s op ed on the need for Immunity Legislation here.