As 2025 comes to a close, we’re taking a moment to celebrate what Decriminalize Sex Work (DSW) has accomplished this year with the support of our state coalitions, local advocates, and generous donors. This year was defined by real policy wins, expanded influence, and deeper collaboration across the movement for sex workers’ rights.
2025 was one of DSW’s most impactful years for advancing sex worker-supported policy. In Rhode Island, we helped pass three pieces of legislation, making this our most successful legislative year in the state to date. These victories included a safe reporting law allowing sex workers and trafficking survivors to seek police assistance without fear of arrest, an end to non-consensual HIV testing for people convicted of prostitution, and the repeal of a law that imposed discriminatory fines on prostitution-related offenses.
After many years of organizing, coalition-building, and persistence, the New York State legislature finally passed its Immunity bill. The campaign was spearheaded by DSW and fought for over multiple legislative sessions. Immunity laws allow sex workers and survivors of trafficking to seek police assistance and medical care without fear of arrest for prostitution-related offenses.
Momentum around the bill intensified following the arrest of a suspect in the Gilgo Beach murders of sex workers. Advocates have long argued that if immunity protections had been in place earlier, law enforcement may have received critical information sooner and prevented years of unchecked violence in Long Island. In June 2025, New York lawmakers unanimously passed A1029-B / S3967-B, marking a historic victory for sex workers, trafficking survivors, and public safety.
In Massachusetts, 2025 marked DSW’s first year of formal legislative engagement in the state. We met with legislators early in the session, collaborated with local advocates to help draft four bills, and traveled to Boston multiple times to provide testimony in support of sex worker-informed policy.
While not every bill we worked on crossed the finish line this year, DSW drafted or supported legislation across six states and testified on behalf of dozens of bills throughout the Northeast, laying critical groundwork for future victories and continuing to shift the policy landscape toward safety, dignity, and autonomy.
Beyond legislative work, 2025 was a year of deepened relationships and movement-building. DSW staff met with lawmakers, researchers, and organizers interested in learning more about decriminalization and evidence-based approaches to sex work policy.
Throughout the year, DSW attended and presented at major national conferences, including the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Law and Society Association Annual Meeting, the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, and the National Association of Social Workers. These spaces allowed us to educate opinion leaders, share research, and strengthen relationships across disciplines. In 2026, we plan to return to these conferences and expand our reach even further, continuing to build a broad, informed coalition in support of decriminalization.
DSW also helped organize and participate in multiple lobby days across Northeastern state capitals. In Albany, we joined advocates for Immunity Law Advocacy Day in February and Decriminalization Lobby Day in March, bringing lawmakers face-to-face with sex workers and allies demanding change.
One of the most rewarding coalition building events of the year was the New England Sex Worker Summit in November, where DSW staff joined sex workers, organizers and allies from across the region for a weekend of learning, planning, and community-building. The summit reaffirmed the power of collective strategy and the importance of centering sex workers in every aspect of this movement.
As we look ahead to 2026, DSW is entering the new year with stronger coalitions, growing public support, and a proven track record of legislative success. None of this work is possible without the dedication of our supporters.
If you believe in a future where sex workers can live and work free from violence, stigma, and criminalization, we invite you to make a gift today and help power the next year of victories.
As a bonus, here’s a look back at some of DSW’s notable media appearances this year:
* DSW Legal Director Melissa Broudo is interviewed by Spectrum News NY1 on sex work policy in New York
* DSW Chief Advocacy Coordinator Henri Bynx authors a piece in the VTDigger on the intersection of sex workers’ rights and community reinvestment
* An op-ed from DSW Legal Director Melissa Broudo on Mamdani’s support of decrim legislation in published in the Daily News
* DSW Director of Communications Ariela Moscowitz is quoted by GBH News on a piece regarding immunity and decriminalization policies in Massachusetts
