CYBERSPACE — In an exclusive interview with TheRoot, Sen. Kamala Harris, who is among the pack of candidates vying for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president, announced her support for the decriminalization of sex work.
However, her interviewer "did not specify at which level,” observed The Hill.
"We can't criminalize consensual behavior as long as no one is being harmed,” she told journalist Terrell Jermaine Starr.
"I think that we have to understand, though, that it is not as simple as (decriminalizing)… There's an ecosystem around that, that involves crimes that harm people,” Harris said. “And for those issues, I do not believe that anybody who hurts another human being or profits off of their exploitation should be … free of criminal prosecution."
"But when you're talking about consenting adults? Yes, we should really consider that we can't criminalize consensual behavior as long as no one is being harmed.”
The announcement is notable given the criticism lobbed at Harris for her support of FOSTA/SESTA.
“Her progressive achievements and championing for the underprivileged are completely overshadowed by her hostile initiatives against sex workers,” Lee Jennings, the CEO of online sex worker directory Slixa, recently told The Daily Beast.
Click here for Harris’ entire interview, which runs 19:43. Her comments on decriminalizing occur at 14:41.
