In our traditional spirit of transparency and accountability, we’d like to share with you the highlights from the Erotic Service Providers Legal Education and Research Project (ESPLERP) activities in 2019. It was another busy and successful year..!
Please do ask if you would like more information on any item below or you are interested in joining in – at info(AT)esplerp.org
International Whores’ Day
By far the
funniest and most effective rally was held on June 2nd – which is International
Whores’ Day (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Whores%27_Day).
It also happened to be the same weekend as the California Democratic Party’s
Convention in San Francisco, so we met up with Doms Against Donald Trump
(featured here with some friendly San Francisco cops!), SWOP Sacramento, and
the USPROStitutes Collective outside (and then inside) the Moscone Center to
make sure the attendees heard about the ill effects of FOSTA/SESTA.
This public demonstration had a huge positive effect on the California State
elected officials, as most of them walked by us at some point, so they were
then familiar with what we wanted when we showed up in Sacramento asking for
their help to meet the ⅔ vote required
to pass SB233 (see below)!
Legislation
- California Senate Bill (SB) 233
Thank you all, and the nearly 120,000 supporters, who signed our online petition in support of SB233. Well done everyone – when we work together, we win.
Thanks to all your support, the Governor signed SB233 into law on July 30th 2019, and it went into effect on January 1st 2020. So now, in California, if you are a witness or victim to a violent crime (such as sexual assault, trafficking, robbery, assault, …or other violent crime) you can report it to law enforcement without being charged with prostitution. SB233 also removes condom possession as probable cause for arrest for prostitution.
Predictably, not all police departments have got the message – there are still reports of police using condoms as cause for arrest. But that feeds into our wider conversation with legislators about the case for decriminalization.
- SAFE SEX Workers Study Act
On Decemeber 17th, Representative Ro Khanna introduced HR 5448: the SAFE SEX Workers Study Act in the House of Representatives (https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/116/hr5448). This directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to assess the impacts on the health and safety of people engaged in the commercial sex industry resulting from FOSTA/SESTA. The hope is that documenting the harms sets the stage whereby repeal of FOSTA/SESTA becomes politically possible.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren sponsored the companion bill in the US Senate (https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/3165).
The goal now is to get a hearing in the Health Subcommittee of the US House Energy and Commerce Committee. You can help that by telling the Chair of that committee (Representative Anna Eshoo) to hold a hearing on the house version as soon as possible – https://docs.google.com/document/d/1f6aWMSGELPhlJvWVhIHGlwIZFAzYD-d_hKRSCc5jhsI.
Here is a draft letter to send to your US Congress members – https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DOVdR1nXbutMg0RYBbakJF782vR0jTbiKgcv7EyvM8s.
Direct letters to your representatives are best, but signing the online petition is always helpful too https://www.thepetitionsite.com/194/184/521/tell-yuor-us-congressional-members-to-support-safe-sex-workers-study-act-hr-5448s3165
Policy Agenda 2020
We find that our Policy Agenda is an invaluable tool when talking to legislators – especially in educating them about protections our community is going to need regardless of our status. The criminalization of consensual sex creates a system with multiple levels of social and institutional discrimination – which need to be addressed with or without decriminalization.
You can view the 2020 draft at – https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RWHohnYfsCwBny6OvROfnd46oiugIqASqPD9UH83ihM/
Folsom Street Fair
Folsom Street Events (FSE) awarded us $4700 as a “Supporting Beneficiary” for providing volunteers for the 2098 Up Your Alley and Folsom Street Fair events. Thanks to all of the awesome volunteers who have stepped up year after year and provided the labor to make this income possible. Some of our volunteers even paid for their own travel from Portland, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles to help. How awesome is that!
We plan on participating in the Fairs during 2020. The application isn’t available yet, but if you are interested in volunteering, do let Claire (our Volunteer Coordinator) know at claire.alwyne(at)gmail.com.
Sex Worker Rights and Sex Trafficking Laws
On November 7th, we hosted a panel called “Sex Worker Rights and Sex Trafficking Laws – Fighting For Justice, Ending Poverty And Criminalization” at the Sacramento Universal Unitarian Society Church. USPROStitues Collective, SWOP-Sacramento, Adult Performer Advocacy Committee Educated members of the public about issues facing the sex industry.
Media
We sent out 11 press
releases during 2019, which resulted in a really high level of
mentions and/or quotes in local, national and international media. For example,
some of the articles about sex work that mention ESPLERP are collected at https://esplerp.org/media/articles/.
New Board Members
We need new Board Members! So if you have the time and energy to help, and particularly if you have legal or fund-raising skills, please do contact Claire at claire.alwyne(at)gmail.com.
Finance
During 2019 we raised $18,446 from grants and individual donors. We’ll have to increase this amount if we hope to bring another legal challenge.
We are still paying off legal costs associated with our historic lawsuit ESPLERP v Gascon. And we now need to raise funds to move forward on additional legislative and legal fronts – such as lobbying legislators and the potential California state court case. Your donations now will make the difference.
● Contribute online at litigatetoemancipate.com
● Hit the PayPal button at http://esplerp.org
● Mail checks to ESPLERP, 2261 Market Street # 548, San Francisco, CA 94114.
We so appreciate your support – both financially and in spreading the message that sex workers and clients have a right to sexual privacy. This is a bottom-up activist movement and we appreciate any feedback you might have for us. Thank you.
Let’s Vote in 2020
Maxine, Reada, Claire, Elle and Phil
To subscribe-email info(AT)esplerp.org with ‘subscribe’ in the subject line. To unsubscribe-email info(AT)esplerp.org with ‘unsubscribe’ in the subject line.
The Erotic Service Providers Legal, Education and Research Project (ESPLERP) is a diverse community-based coalition advancing sexual privacy rights through litigation, education, and research.
Erotic Service Providers Legal, Education and Research Project (ESPLERP)
2261 Market St. #548, San Francisco, CA 94114
esplerp.org, decriminalizesexwork.com
