Should sex work be a crime? (with Kaytlin Bailey)

1. Support Sex Work Decriminalization

Advocate for decriminalizing sex work to enhance safety, improve access to healthcare, and reduce exploitation for sex workers by increasing their negotiating power.

2. Oppose Anti-Sex Work Legislation

Recognize that laws targeting sex work, like SESTA-FOSTA, erode foundational freedoms such as privacy, freedom of movement, and access to sexual health information for all.

3. Challenge Sex Work Stigma

Re-evaluate personal and societal biases against sex work by understanding its historical context, the proactive harm reduction strategies employed by sex workers, and that coercion, not transactional sex, is the core problem.

4. Criminalization Fuels Pimp Exploitation

Understand that the existence of pimps and associated violence in sex work is largely a consequence of criminalization, which creates vulnerabilities and a need for intermediaries, rather than being inherent to the work.

5. Avoid Nordic Model Policies

Do not support the Nordic Model (criminalizing demand) as it increases sex workers’ vulnerability, reduces their negotiating power, and makes it harder for them to screen clients and access support services.

6. Beware Strict Sex Work Regulation

Understand that overly strict legalization and regulation of sex work, such as in Nevada, often restricts workers’ autonomy, limits independent work, and can lead to state-enforced control rather than empowerment.

7. Utilize Sex Worker Safety Protocols

If engaging in sex work, prioritize safety by using online message boards for screening, checking client references, confirming client identity and employment, and informing a trusted friend of your whereabouts.

8. Adopt Decriminalization Model

Policymakers should consider adopting a decriminalization model, like New Zealand’s, to remove criminal penalties for consensual adult sex work, enable workers to report crimes, and allow for appropriate business licensing for larger operations.

9. Assess Quitting vs. Sticking

When deciding whether to quit or persist, evaluate the future expected value, but also self-reflect on your personal biases, such as a tendency to abandon projects prematurely or to stick with them too long due to sunk costs.