War on Sex Work
Judge Acquits Backpage Defendants of Most Charges Before 2nd Retrial
A federal judge has acquitted former Backpage.com co-owner Michael Lacey, and two co-defendants, of most of the counts remaining from the protracted case launched against the website operators by the Justice Department in 2018.
Missouri Republican Behind FOSTA-SESTA Renews Attack on OnlyFans
Rep. Ann Wagner, the Missouri Republican legislator who was the original architect of FOSTA-SESTA, has renewed her call for federal action against OnlyFans.
Republican Introduces Bill to Effectively Outlaw All Sex Work in the U.S. as 'Coercive'
The U.S. Congress’ top anti-porn crusader, Utah Senator Mike Lee, introduced a bill last week that would effectively outlaw all sex work in the nation, including adult performance and content creation, by classifying any consent influenced by a person’s economic circumstances as coercive.
Federal Prosecutors Insist on Retrying Backpage.com's Former Owner
Federal prosecutors this week filed a formal notice of retrial in a Phoenix federal court, seeking to retry former Backpage.com co-owner Michael Lacey, two months after they failed in their second attempt to convict the veteran Arizona publisher of the overwhelming majority of charges against him relating to third-party posts on the shuttered classifieds website.
Spanish Government Continues All-Out War on Sex Work
Sex worker advocates in Spain continue denouncing the government’s relentless war against all forms of sex work, including adult performance and content creation.
Sex Worker Rights Groups Condemn Backpage Verdict
Two prominent sex worker rights advocacy groups, the Erotic Service Providers Legal, Education and Research Project (ESPLERP) and the Rhode Island chapter of Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics (COYOTE RI), have issued a statement lambasting the verdict in the federal Backpage.com trial and calling for full decriminalization of sex work.
Virginia DA Pressured to Charge Candidate With 'Prostitution' for Camming
An influential national right-wing news site linked to Tucker Carlson is attempting to shame a Virginia prosecutor into charging a Democratic candidate with prostitution due to her previous work as a cam performer.
FSC's Lotus Lain to Testify on Sex Worker Rights Before UN Committee
Free Speech Coalition’s Industry Relations Advocate Lotus Lain will testify on issues of sex worker rights at a hearing of the United Nations Human Rights Committee in Geneva, Switzerland.
Bias in Banking: How FSC Is Leading the Charge in Fight for Fairness
Ask most people what they remember about the 1997 film “Boogie Nights,” and they’ll probably recall Heather Graham dancing around as Rollergirl, or the infamous pool party, or Mark Wahlberg finally — spoiler alert — unveiling his prosthetic penis.
ACLU Asks FTC to Investigate Mastercard for Discrimination Against Sex Workers, Adult Sites
The American Civil Liberties Union on Tuesday filed a formal complaint asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Mastercard for discriminatory practices against sex workers and adult content websites.
Backpage Retrial Reaches Jury Selection Stage
The Backpage.com retrial is moving forward, following the death of co-defendant James “Jim” Larkin on July 31, with jury selection beginning Tuesday.
Spanish Feminist Leader Crosses Party Lines to Demand Porn Censorship, Sex Work Abolition
Veteran Spanish feminist academic and activist Amelia Valcárcel reaffirmed her alliance with the right-wing Partido Popular (PP) on Wednesday by issuing a demand for the adoption of 10 policy items, starting with censorship of adult content and the abolition of all sex work.
Pope Francis Condemns Adult Content as 'Commercialization of Love'
Pope Francis I condemned all pornography as “the crudest commercialization of love” during a meeting on Thursday with students and with bishops responsible for Catholic schools.
YouTube Censors Holly Randall Podcast Episode Debunking Anti-Sex Work Myths
YouTube removed on Wednesday an episode of the “Holly Randall Unfiltered” industry podcast, featuring an interview with Reason magazine senior editor Elizabeth Nolan Brown debunking myths about sex trafficking spread by anti-sex-work activists, mainstream media and politicians.
Bloomberg Probes Financial Discrimination Against Adult Performers, Creators
Bloomberg published a report today documenting how adult performers and content creators have become “collateral damage” in an ongoing campaign to make online platforms liable for user-generated content.
Retired Italian Performer Wins Employment Discrimination Lawsuit
A judge has ordered an Italian university to pay 4,000 euros ($4,290) to a prestigious academic after dismissing him, an action he alleged was prompted by his former career as an adult performer.
Spanish Activists, Human Rights Groups Denounce Ongoing Attempt to Outlaw All Sex Work
Spanish sex workers, including adult producers and performers, continue to denounce a government attempt to outlaw all forms of commercial sex, starting with a controversial law deemed “dangerous” by human rights advocates.
Edinburgh Court Rules in Favor of Sex Workers, Against Strip Clubs Ban
Edinburgh sex workers prevailed in their campaign today when a judge ruled that the city council’s attempt to ban all strip clubs was unlawful.
SW Groups Denounce Arizona's Fear-Mongering Around Super Bowl
Arizona sex workers, allies and activists have spoken out against a fear-mongering PR campaign by the state’s Republican governor, Doug Ducey, which promotes the discredited myth that the Super Bowl, which will take place in Arizona this year, is a magnet for sex trafficking.
Wired Publishes Opinion Piece Stigmatizing Adult Content, Sex Work
Wired Magazine published an online opinion piece today by Virgina Heffernan, who deployed a number of stigmatizing and stereotypical tropes about sex work and depictions of sex in order to advance her entirely conjectural notions about the future of adult content on Twitter.