Councilmembers, Sex Workers, and Allies Introduce Bill to Decriminalize Sex Work in D.C.
Tamika Spellman is happy to go out on the strip in the morning and pick up used condoms with her own two hands if that’s what it takes. She has been a commercial sex worker, by choice, for 36 years. She wants to see sex work decriminalized in D.C., and she’s spent nearly two years advocating for a bill that would do just that.
She’s not alone. Today a coalition of sex workers and their advocates unveiled their bill—co-introduced by At-Large Councilmembers Anita Bonds, David Grosso, and Robert White, and Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau—which would decriminalize both the sale and purchase of sex in D.C.
Those advocating for this bill, the Community Safety and Health Amendment Act of 2019, are part of a grassroots movement largely led by current and former sex workers. In collaboration with advocates, Grosso and White co-introduced a similar bill in 2017, but it didn’t even get a hearing. So the organizers regrouped, built a website, held events celebrating and talking about their position, went door-knocking, wrote op-eds, and met with councilmembers.
This time around, the organizers would like a hearing.
“People need to come around to this at their own speed,” says Grosso. “So I don't mind taking the time to get it right.”
Read more: https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/news/article/21071414/councilmembers-sex-workers-and-allies-introduce-bill-to-decriminalize-sex-work-in-dc
