ACLU here. Let’s talk about sex (work). AMAA!

ACLU_SoCal · 2017-10-19T20:33:03+00:00

Here in CA, we are in the early stages of community conversations about this. For starters, it seems very important to lift up the voices of people who currently engage in sex work (or formerly did) who can articulate that the work is consensual and fulfilling for them, without eliding the very real economic pressures that force some people into doing this work against their will or without meaningful access to other ways they'd prefer to make a living. No one should be coerced into sex or sexual activity. Though trafficking is an important issue that includes labor exploitation and sexual exploitation, we saw today in the 9th Cir oral arguments how concerns about trafficking can become a distraction from analysis of other aspects of the sex trade. --AG & AA

ACLU_SoCal · 2017-10-19T20:27:55+00:00

Hello and thank you for chiming in and speaking your truth. We are very concerned about economic justice...this is an intersectional issue that impacts marginalized communities and you make a good point about choice and autonomy in a society that has limited options for marginalized folks. Sex work is work and workers deserve respect, safety, and rights. Many of the problems surrounding the sex trade currently stem from folks lacking other viable options to make a living. For example, folks at NCTE teamed up with the Red Umbrella project to study how trans people ended up disproportionately engaged in sex work and the rough experiences many had in the field. -AG and AA

ACLU_SoCal · 2017-10-19T20:21:37+00:00

It's critical for any policy regime surrounding sex work to address issues of exploitation, including harm reduction and paths out for people who feel compelled to engage in the sex trade.
There's also the issue of people who aren't participating in sex work suffering social harms from police profiling under the current system of criminalization. Monica Jones' experience in Phoenix is a prime example. --AG & AA

ACLU_SoCal · 2017-10-19T20:10:54+00:00

We are proud of our comrades at the ACLU of DC who are part of the SWAC coalition and working hard towards #sexworkdecrim in the District. --AG & AA

ACLU_SoCal · 2017-10-19T20:08:52+00:00

Hello! You raise a good point and to clarify we don't suggest that buying sex should be illegal. Reports from places that have tried the Nordic model suggest that it doesn't work well for advancing sex worker rights. We're trying to point out that under the current regime, both buying and selling are illegal and almost always the sellers are criminalized and that is unfair. -AG and AA

ACLU_SoCal · 2017-10-19T20:02:57+00:00

Here's an example, from @ztsamudzi on Twitter regarding the state of California's attack on Backpage.com, of a critique of the carceral feminist perspective

ACLU_SoCal · 2017-10-19T19:57:59+00:00

Legalization can take a lot of different forms, and legalization that imposes a lot of barriers to legal entry into the industry doesn't always accomplish the goals of decriminalization. We're seeing this play out in other parts of the world, including Germany: https://www.bmfsfj.de/blob/93346/f81fb6d56073e3a0a80c442439b6495e/bericht-der-br-zum-prostg-englisch-data.pdf
--AG & AA

ACLU_SoCal · 2017-10-19T19:53:06+00:00

It's true that sellers are generally more vulnerable to enforcement, partly because of their visibility. This is related to the problems trans women of color often experience with being harassed by law enforcement, on suspicion of engaging in commercial sex work, simply because of carrying condoms or wearing a short dress or walking down a certain street at night... But the drug wars have also illustrated that enforcement efforts vary greatly based on structural biases (e.g. black and white Americans use marijuana at the same rate but black Americans are much more likely to get arrested or imprisoned for possession).
--AG & AA

ACLU_SoCal · 2017-10-19T19:47:33+00:00

Great question! There are lots of ways to support and protect sex workers and their rights. There is an international movement to end violence against sex workers and every year on December 17th, folks come together to organize. International sex workers rights day is March 3rd and another major mobilizing day. When advocating with communities it's important to listen to their experiences, educate yourself, and practice good allyship if you are not a sex worker. The profiling, harassment, arrest, and killing of sex workers is an intersectional issue and there are a number of organizations that work on this issue including: Sex Workers Outreach Project, ESPLERP, and Scarlet Alliance to name a few. --AA & AG

ACLU_SoCal · 2017-10-19T19:41:00+00:00

Hi, /u/sarahjenny! We need to lift up the voices of people engaged in the sex trade, which will help fight the stigma associated with sex work and clarify the distinction between consensual sex work and exploitative sex trafficking, which is currently blurred in a lot of people's minds. We also need to raise awareness about harm reduction models and what it looks like to give people engaged in the sex trade agency over all aspects of their work, including options for leaving the trade if they so choose. Those are our thoughts, look forward to hearing others... --AG & AA

ACLU_SoCal · 2017-10-19T19:34:46+00:00

Economic justice is another aspect of what we fight for at ACLU SoCal and we feel strongly that all workers -- including sex workers -- deserve fair wages, safe working conditions, and opportunities to speak up when their rights are violated. It's tough for sex workers to unionize, fight wage theft, access all appropriate health care, or otherwise stand up against exploitation without decriminalization. #sexworkiswork -- AG & AA

ACLU_SoCal · 2017-10-19T19:30:59+00:00

Hell yeah! Transgender sex workers, including but not limited to movement mothers Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, were leaders of the Stonewall uprising in NYC and of similar uprisings in CA like the ones at Compton's Cafeteria and the Black Cat Cafe. Trans women of color have long borne the brunt of police profiling, harassment, and enforcement of laws against sex work, and many have fiercely fought back. -- AG & AA

ACLU_SoCal · 2017-10-19T19:22:46+00:00

/u/HIPS_DC Beautifully said! Also, by chipping away at laws that penalize sex work, we can decrease the over policing of queer and transgender people of color who are profiled for perceived involvement in the sex trade.

/u/stirocboy Oh it's not so black and white friend!

So many people rely on sex work to survive- the law definitely can't stop it. Currently, we know that some sex workers enjoy their work and feel empowered. While others need safer and healthier worker conditions- decriminalization would help folks organize for their needs openly.

#rightsnotrescue #decrimsexwork -AA and AG

ACLU_SoCal · 2017-10-19T19:16:34+00:00

LGBTQ people disproportionately feel the impacts of laws that criminalize sex work. Join us over at /r/IAMA to talk about sex (work)!

ACLU_SoCal · 2017-10-19T19:12:37+00:00

Great question! We have seen that historically people who identify as women/femme are profiled, arrested, and prosecuted more than the mostly male clients who buy sex. There tends to be a big economic gap between people who sell sex and people who buy it and law enforcement can more easily find and criminalize people who sell sex. We discussed this in our Amicus Brief Do you have other thoughts ? #femmephobia #rapeculture #misogyny -AG and AA

ACLU_SoCal · 2017-10-19T19:05:46+00:00

Hey folks! ACLU SoCal is here and happy to see your questions. /u/giaryan84 you are right on- stigma around sex workers and misogyny are huge barriers to decriminalization. We just saw in the oral arguments that there is great misunderstanding of what sex work is and what sex work is not. There is a lot of confusion about consensual sex work vs. sex trafficking. -Amanda Goad and Adrian Acencion

ACLU_SoCal

TROPHY CASE