Stop Criminalizing Survivors (Washington City Paper)

Tamika Spellman, HIPS Policy and Advocacy Associate Credit: Darrow Montgomery/file

#I’ve found another family with the people I organize with. We were proud to join the legacy of freedom fighters like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, who called to decriminalize sex work and invest in community in the 1970s. And we knew that to fully decriminalize sex work in the District, we had to shift hearts and minds. Through DECRIMNOW, we started uplifting the stories and perspectives of the countless Black and brown trans sex workers who experienced violence and wanted to be safe.  Now, after decades of fighting to be respected and supported, the D.C. Council is starting to take the needs of people in the sex trades seriously. 
[Read Article]