legislation
Dear Allies, friends, SWOP-ees around the world,
We are so proud to announce that we SUCCEEDED in our efforts to secure the endorsement of the Democratic Party! Due to our hard work and lobbying (which was truly a culmination of many years of sex workers working directly with city politicians and politicos) the Democratic party endorsed us! Am I dreaming?
We were very fortunate to have remarkable allies such as Greg Shaw, former president of the Harvey Milk Club, who initiated, explained and helped coordinate the strategy, as well as Slava Osowska, a queer activist and member of Industrial Workers of The World, who did much of the physical work of actually getting the 12,745 signatures needed. Slava has helped write the materials and works tirelessly.
About 40 (or maybe more?) sex workers and supporters showed up and most testified, the majority identifying as sex workers. Long time allies from the HIV prevention/harm reduction movements and from the medical marijuana movement were instrumental in their support.
The Prostitution law review committee of the Ministry of Justice in NZ has recently released their 5 year review of the decriminalization of prostitutioni (.PDF HERE). They have some interesting findings, after what is now 5 years of legal prostitutioni:
Some quotes from the Associate Justice Minister Lianne Dalziel:
“The report indicates that the numbers have remained more or less the same since the Act came into force and that most sex workers are better off under the PRA than they were previously, which was the intention of the Act.
May 19, 2008
Michael O. Leavitt
Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Office of Global Health Affairs
Room 639H
200 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20201
Subject: Comments on Office of Global Health Affairs; Regulation on the Organizational Integrity of Entities Implementing Leadership Act Programs and Activities, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 73 Fed. Reg. 20,900, April 17, 2008
Dear Secretary Leavitt,
Dear Friends,
Sex Workers Outreach Project-USA and the US PROStitutes Collective are asking for your help in opposing provisions in House Bill HR 3887 passed in the US House of Representatives on December 4, 2007 and now before the US Senate.
HR 3887 is part of a campaign to use justifiable concern about trafficking to promote a moralistic and dangerous crusade against prostitutioni – a crusade we are determined to stop.
03-07-1
RESOLUTION 03-07-2007
DIGEST
Prostitution: Legalization
Deletes Penal Code sections 647(b), 647f, 315, 316, 266(h), 653.20, 653.22, 653.23, and 653.24,
amends Penal Code sections 647.1, 318, 266(i) and 11225, and adds Health and Safety Code
section 429.13, to decriminalize prostitutioni and foster safer sex practices.
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What: Press Conference-SWOP-USA (Sex Workers Outreach Project-USA/NORCAL) protests entrapment and costly prosecution of Male Escort in Fremont
When: Thursday 12 Noon, Nov 1, 2007
Where: Fremont Municipal Court, 39439 Paseo Padre Parkway Fremont California.
Contacts: Carol Leigh 415-751-1659; Veronica Monet 888-903-0050; Robyn Few SWOP-USA-877-776-2004
Website: http://www.swop-usa.org
For Immediate Release 10/31/07
Budget Crisis City Prosecutes “Million Dollar” Male Escort Case:
In 2004, SWOP-USA began a legal initiative to essentially decriminalize prostitution in Berkeley, CA. The project started on March 10th, gathering signatures, and we successfully collected over 3,000 signatures Robyn Few the founder of SWOP said “It has been
very encouraging over the last three months. There is a surprising
amount of support from the community, especially women, We have gathered over
3,000 signatures. That’s talking to a lot of
people.”.
DECRIMINALISING PROSTITUTION IN NEW ZEALAND
The
campaign and the outcome,
by Tim Barnett MP. August 2006.
In 2003 New Zealand became the first country in the world to decriminalize prostitution. This 2 page document traces the reasons for and contents of that law reform, and its outcomes to date.
The activity
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