In an industry as unconventional as sex work, workers need to come together to garner support against criminalization. People may turn to sex work for financial support due to the toxic feedback loop that oppresses them. This loop may consist of economic opportunities not being provided to them based on the marginalized community sex workers may come from. When they rely on sex work- because everyone needs to eat whether they work for corporate or not- it doesn't help that the government prioritizes the criminalization of this industry behind the facade of protecting sex workers. People need to advocate for the networks of sex workers forming labor unions to protect themselves and bills that can guarantee safety for these to improve the working conditions of their lives. 

The sex work industry is primarily comprised of females. Female Support Networks is a concept in activism that promotes emotional bonding within a community of people with similar shared experiences. This is especially important for laborers in the sex work industry because many people may need the sharing of emotional support, labor skills, financial situations, or even run-ins with the law. 

These run-ins with the law can be traumatizing experiences for many. Places where legal labor occurs such as dancing have been raided as it may be a suspected hub for sex trafficking. While prostitution and sex trafficking are huge issues that people need protection from, many sex workers have spoken up about how the criminalization of sex work harms them. The criminalization drives clients away, taking away their heavily relied on source of income. It imposes more financial burden on the worker themself if the police charge fines. Sex workers cannot branch out into other career paths and even have trouble attainting housing as the criminalization imposes a lasting toll on their resumes. Lastly, many sex workers have spoken up about the abuse they face from police members misusing the power that comes with their job. 

Effects of the abuse sex workers face due to criminalization hit even worse when the worker is from a marginalized community, such as being transgender or a person of color. 40 percent of adults and 60 percent of youth arrested for prostitution in the US in 2015 were black.

However, alliances form to protect these people. Some examples of these alliances are the Desiree Alliance, Alliance for a Safe & Diverse DC, Ray and Catherine, and the Best Practices Policy Project. 

Bills of criminalization that these networks are fighting against include FOSTA-SESTA. While this bill had the intention of fighting sex trafficking- not much justice came from it. On the contrasting side, bills such as the Stop the Violence in the Sex Trades promote decriminalizing the industry while still protecting minors and trafficked people. Lobbying for this law helped to contribute to overturning laws (in states such as New York) which were catalysts for law enforcement perpetrating abuse on trans women who were suspected of “loitering”. 

In conclusion, the safety of all workers- no matter what industry- should be prioritized over upholding negative stereotypes about unconventional jobs. While it is necessary to find solutions to preventing trafficking, sex workers have converged and made it evident that they will not endure criminalization which deteriorates the quality of their life. 

Works Cited:

Gentili, Cecilia. “This Is What Will Make Sex Work in New York Safer.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 17 Oct. 2021, nytimes.com/2021/10/17/opinion/decriminalize-sex-work-new-york.html.

Jackson, Crystal A. “‘Sex Workers Unite!’: U.S. Sex Worker Support Networks in an Era of Criminalization.” WSQ: Women's Studies Quarterly, vol. 47, no. 3-4, 2019, pp. 169–188., doi.org/10.1353/wsq.2019.0049.

Robertson, Adi. “Internet Sex Trafficking Law Fosta-Sesta Is Almost Never Used, Says Government Report.” The Verge, The Verge, 24 June 2021, theverge.com/2021/6/24/22546984/fosta-sesta-section-230-carveout-gao-report-prosecutions.