Statement adopted June 17, 2018

Detroit DSA stands in solidarity with Sex Workers Outreach Project and Survivors Against SESTA to reject the conflation of consensual sex work and human trafficking. We condemn the passage of the FOSTA/SESTA package by Congress and we also condemn the seizure of backpage.com by the Department of Justice.

FOSTA/SESTA makes sex workers more vulnerable to violence, harassment, and human trafficking. It does nothing to achieve its ostensible goals, pushes sex workers further underground, and moralizes how someone can use their body.

Detroit DSA asks our elected officials to speak out and assert that FOSTA/SESTA is censorship and does damage to our freedom of speech online. It does not only apply to sex workers, but also those who seek to provide resources to sex workers, such as social workers and medical professionals. Lastly, Detroit DSA calls for full decriminalization and unionization of sex work. Sex work is work and should be protected, safe, and organized.