San Fran honors Margo St. James as N.Y. pols, feminists debate decriminalizing prostitution
San Fran honors Margo St. James as N.Y. pols, feminists debate decriminalizing prostitution (The Village Sun, February 24, 2021)
Read MoreA 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communities, the criminalization of loitering for the purpose of engaging in a prostitution offense was finally repealed in New York State.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 MoreBrooklyn DA’s office announces dismissal of 262 outstanding warrants related to sex work
Brooklyn DA’s office announces dismissal of 262 outstanding warrants related to sex work (News12 Brooklyn, January 29, 2021)
Read MoreMore Than 1,000 Open Prostitution Cases in Brooklyn Are Going To Be Wiped From the Files
More Than 1,000 Open Prostitution Cases in Brooklyn Are Going To Be Wiped From the Files (BuzzFeed.News, January 28, 2021)
Read MoreNew York Democrats finally ready to repeal ‘walking while trans’ loitering law
New York Democrats finally ready to repeal ‘walking while trans’ loitering law (New York Daily News, January 21, 2021)
Read MoreMargo St. James, Advocate for Sex Workers, Dies at 83
Margo St. James, Advocate for Sex Workers, Dies at 83 (The New York Times, January 20, 2021)
Read MoreNew York Lawmakers Demand NYPD Halt Undercover Sex Trade Stings
New York Lawmakers Demand NYPD Halt Undercover Sex Trade Stings (ProPublica, December 16, 2020)
Read MoreDropping prostitution offenses pitched by Albany progressives
Dropping prostitution offenses pitched by Albany progressives (Niagara Gazette, December 15, 2020)
Read MoreAOC responds ‘Sex work is work,’ to report of NYC paramedic posting racy photos for cash
AOC responds ‘Sex work is work,’ to report of NYC paramedic posting racy photos for cash (FoxNews.com, December 15, 2020)
Read MoreNYPD Cops Cash In on Sex Trade Arrests With Little Evidence, While Black and Brown New Yorkers Pay the Price
NYPD Cops Cash In on Sex Trade Arrests With Little Evidence, While Black and Brown New Yorkers Pay the Price (ProPublica, December 7, 2020)
Read MoreEx-prostitute Elisa Crespo vies to become first trans member of NYC Council
Ex-prostitute Elisa Crespo vies to become first trans member of NYC Council (New York Post, November 29, 2020)
Read MoreMayoral Hopefuls Divided on Sex Work Decrim at Jim Owles Forum
Mayoral Hopefuls Divided on Sex Work Decrim at Jim Owles Forum (Gay City News, October 14, 2020)
Read MoreRepeal This Law: New York must remove from the books a statute that criminalizes Walking While Trans
Repeal This Law: New York must remove from the books a statute that criminalizes Walking While Trans (Opinion, Daily News, September 20, 2020)
Read MoreDe 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 MoreNY 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 MoreSex Workers Slammed by the Pandemic Say City Council Aid Misses the Mark
Sex Workers Slammed by the Pandemic Say City Council Aid Misses the Mark (The City, August 12, 2020)
Read MoreDSW 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 MoreDSW 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
‘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, July 6, 2020)
Read MoreCorporate Pride Events Can’t Happen This Year. Let’s Keep It That Way.
Corporate Pride Events Can’t Happen This Year. Let’s Keep It That Way. (Buzzfeed News, June 16, 2020)
Read MoreQueens Prosecutor Is Wrong About Human Trafficking and Arresting Johns
Decriminalize Sex Work www.DecriminalizeSex.Work Contact: Kaytlin Bailey, Communications Director kaytlin@dswork.org (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 MoreQueens DA’s new Human Trafficking Bureau will prosecute sex traffickers, pimps and johns
Queens DA’s new Human Trafficking Bureau will prosecute sex traffickers, pimps and johns (Queens Daily Eagle, May 18, 2020)
Read MoreDangerous 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 MoreHero 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 MoreOur 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 MoreDSW 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 MoreHonoring 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 MoreFebruary 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 MoreNY 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 MoreOpponents of Sex Work Decriminalization Launch 2020 Legislative Fight
Opponents of Sex Work Decriminalization Launch 2020 Legislative Fight (Queens Daily Eagle, November 26, 2019)
Read MoreNY 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 MoreTiffany 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
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 MoreTiffany 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 MoreCuomo Nixes Last-Minute Effort To Legalize Prostitution
Cuomo Nixes Last-Minute Effort To Legalize Prostitution (New York Post, June 17, 2019)
Read MoreNew 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 MoreState Lawmakers Introduce Bill To Legalize Prostitution
State Lawmakers Introduce Bill To Legalize Prostitution (New York Post, June 10, 2019)
Read MoreA Historic Breakthrough for Sex Workers’ Rights
A Historic Breakthrough for Sex Workers’ Rights (The New Republic, June 9, 2019)
Read MoreBrooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez Wants To Decriminalize Prostitution
Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez wants to decriminalize prostitution (New York Post, April 8, 2019)
Read MoreThe Case of Jane Doe Ponytail
The Case of Jane Doe Ponytail (The New York Times, October 16, 2018)
Read MoreNYPD Vice Prostitution Ring
7 New York Police Officers Arrested in Prostitution and Gambling Investigation, Authorities Say (The New York Times, September 12, 2018)
Read MoreMayor Bloomberg Says He Wants Confessed Hooker Teacher Melissa Petro Yanked From Classroom
Mayor Bloomberg Says He Wants Confessed Hooker Teacher Melissa Petro Yanked From Classroom (Daily News, September 29, 2010)
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