Bill seeks to decriminalize sex work in Illinois
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Two Illinois lawmakers want to decriminalize sex work, a move advocates say is long overdue.
Why it matters: Supporters say decriminalization would allow consensual adult sex workers to move out of the shadows and get legal protections that workers in other fields get.
- State Rep. Will Guzzardi and State Sen. Celina Villanueva are sponsoring the legislation. If it's passed, Illinois would be the first state in the country to decriminalize sex work.
The big picture: Sex work includes sexual services, erotic dancing and pornography in exchange for money.
- It does not include being coerced or threatened into those activities, which is considered sex trafficking.
Zoom in: Groups like Equality Illinois and the ACLU say decriminalization is necessary to protect all sex workers, but especially transgender people.
- 75% of all sex workers will experience sexual violence in their careers, and nearly two-thirds of all trans people killed in the past decade and a half were sex workers, Equality Illinois' Brian Johnson tells Axios.
- Advocates say that fears of arrest prevent workers from reporting violence, something their abusers manipulate.
Catch up quick: The bill would establish protections for sex workers against abuses by law enforcement, automatically seals related court records and removes what advocates describe as dehumanizing language from Illinois law.
- Current state law classifies sex work as a misdemeanor, both for the worker or anyone soliciting sex.
- Solicitation of a person younger than 18 years old is considered a felony, and the proposed legislation would not change that.
The latest: The General Assembly passed a bill last week by Guzzardi that would change "prostitute" to "person engaged in the sex trade" and prohibit law enforcement from knowingly and willingly participating in sex with a sex worker whom the officer is investigating.
What they're saying: Sex Worker Advisory Group's Reyna Ortiz was a sex worker for 20 years. At a City Club event last year, Ortiz said: "I was afraid a prospective client might turn out to be a police officer who would harass and arrest me. I was afraid a client might turn violent, and because sex work existed on the outside of the protections of the law and traditional economy, I had to navigate that fear mostly on my own."
- "With anti-equality politicians across the country seeking to strip people of their bodily autonomy, and attacks on the LGBTQ+ community reaching dangerous heights, we need to protect people from government interference in their personal adult consensual relationships," Johnson says.
What's next: Guzzardi tells Axios he will be introducing the bill this month.