Let us start by saying this: All workers deserve protections, including sex workers.
Now, to take a step back — we know not everyone has a strong understanding of the nuances behind sex work and how it’s treated in the United States. This is because for decades, it was treated as a taboo, something we never talked about, despite it being a type of work that has always existed.
But if we’re going to continue to demand that all workers deserve protections under the law — one of Ro’s lifelong values — then we need to educate ourselves on the ways sex workers are being excluded and mistreated by our laws.
In 2018, sex workers lost access to platforms and websites that they used to safely connect with screened and verified customers through a law jointly called the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act and the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (more commonly referred to as FOSTA/SESTA). The names of this law undoubtedly sound good. However, while the law was introduced as a way to fight sex trafficking, it was deeply misguided and damaging — and only put sex workers in danger while wasting taxpayer money.
Activists have been sounding the alarm against bills like this long before SESTA/FOSTA came to a vote. And the research is clear: since FOSTA/SESTA was enacted, there has been a rise in violence, dependence, and economic insecurity for sex workers.
Ro and our campaign firmly believe it is aligned with our shared progressive values to get to the bottom of why SESTA/FOSTA is causing more harm than good. This is why Ro is helping lead the fight to demand more data collection on the failure of FOSTA/SESTA, with the hope that we can pass comprehensive, well-researched, policy that protects all workers.
Due to the taboo surrounding sex work, not every politician is willing to put their name behind anything that touches the subject, let alone a bill demanding more research on it. But Ro is on the side of working Americans, always.
Together, we can curb the rise in violence and insecurity against some of our most vulnerable communities.
— Team Ro
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