Should Prostitution Be Decriminalized? | Sojourners

Should Prostitution Be Decriminalized?

Four things an advocate wants you to know about sex workers. 
Illustration of a small red umbrella in the arch of a yellow stiletto
Illustration by Michael George Haddad

A WOMAN I know was arrested on her birthday for the crime of solicitation for prostitution—agreeing to a sex act for money. She spent 18 days in jail, enough time for a brutal detox from the synthetic opioid fentanyl.

Tara (name changed to protect her identity) is not an empowered sex worker, at least not in the way that sex worker rights activists would like to describe her in their vehemence against her arrest. Nor does Tara identify as a sex trafficking “victim” or “survivor.” She would tell you that she chose the street life and all that comes with it.

Though I am constantly learning from my friends in the sex trade, here is what I understand after spending 10 years with this population:

Read the Full Article

​You've reached the end of our free magazine preview. For full digital access to Sojourners articles for as little as $3.95, please subscribe now. Your subscription allows us to pay authors fairly for their terrific work!
Subscribe Now!
for more info