LOS ANGELES — The Free Speech Coalition (FSC), the adult industry trade organization, has released a public letter in support of a California Senate Bill that would reform the state’s Evidence Code to “protect sex workers from being arrested when reporting serious or violent crimes and would also prohibit using the possession of condoms as probable cause for sex work crimes.”
The bill in question, SB 233, was introduced by State Senator Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco) and other California legislators on February 11.
The text of the FSC letter in support of SB 233 reads:
The Free Speech Coalition (FSC), the national association of the adult entertainment industry, is in support of SB 233. This measure would protect sex workers from being arrested when reporting serious or violent crimes and would also prohibit using the possession of condoms as probable cause for sex work crimes.
It is an unfortunate truth that sex workers in California are victims of violent crimes at a disproportionately high rate. This already fraught situation is exacerbated when these victims are arrested in the process of reporting these crimes. By shielding these victims, this measure will ensure that these kinds of crimes are reported and ultimately prosecuted, increasing public safety.??
Using condoms as probable cause of a sex crime only serves to dissuade sex workers from implementing safe sex practices. Current law has the unintended consequence of reducing public health and increasing the risk of disease transmission. SB 233 will relieve the fear that these vulnerable workers face when attempting to protect their sexual health.
