Rep. Ro Khanna to Reintroduce Bill to Study FOSTA/SESTA Effects

Rep. Ro Khanna to Reintroduce Bill to Study FOSTA/SESTA Effects

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) has announced he is planning to re-introduce a bill to study the effects that FOSTA-SESTA legislation has had on sex workers' safety, rights and issues.

Khanna told Capitol Hill news site Roll Call that the bill — which he first introduced during the last Congress and was supported by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in the Senate — was inspired by what he saw as a lack of representation of sex worker voices in the legislative process.

“There’s no politician who gains political currency for standing up for the voices of sex workers,” Khanna told Roll Call. “They’re not a voting bloc, they’re not a donor bloc, lobbyists don’t represent them on Capitol Hill. And they were just totally shut out. They were simply invisible.”

Roll Call also interviewed sex workers’ advocate Kate D’Adamo, a partner with the organization Reframe Health and Justice, who explained that “there are so many people advocating for the criminalization of the sex industry, whether it’s law enforcement or religious movements, folks who think they can criminalize the sex industry out of existence,”

“They have people on the Hill meeting with offices regularly, and sex workers don’t,” D’Adamo added.

A Crucial Context for Section 230 Reform

Sex worker advocates have pointed out that their voices and experiences are crucial to frame the current bipartisan debates on making further changes to Section 230 protections. FOSTA/SESTA was conceived as a Section 230 exemption, and drafted by religiously inspired Midwestern Republicans like Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.) who said it was the “most effective way to ensure websites can no longer traffic children with impunity.”

Khanna’s bill from last year was called “The SESTA/FOSTA Examination of Secondary Effects for Sex Workers Study Act” (aka the "SAFE SEX Workers Study Act") and would have required the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct a study on sex workers' health and safety, particularly how they've been affected by the 2018 passage of FOSTA-SESTA.

Last month, Roll Call reported, sex worker groups signed a letter from more than 70 organizations to the Biden administration and Congress “warning that further changes to Section 230 would do more harm to already at-risk communities than it would to embattled social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter.”

The organizations recommended passing Khanna’s bill to study the effects of FOSTA-SESTA before making any fundamental changes to Section 230 protections.

“It’s a cautionary tale,” Khanna told Roll Call. “Could you craft reforms to Section 230 that I could get behind? Yes. But we have to be thoughtful and understand that we may not be able to anticipate all the consequences.”

To read “Sex Workers, Sidelined in Last Section 230 Debate, Seek a Seat at the Table,” visit Roll Call.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Strike 3 Holdings Sues Meta for Pirating Vixen Media Group Content to Train AI

Vixen Media Group owner Strike 3 Holdings filed suit in federal court this week, accusing Facebook parent company Meta of copyright infringement and alleging that Meta has extensively pirated VMG content to train its artificial intelligence models.

Pineapple Support, Streamate to Host 'Navigating Grief and Loss' Support Group

Pineapple Support and Streamate are hosting a free online support group to help performers cope with grief and loss.

Friday is Final AV Compliance Deadline in UK

Friday, July 25 marks U.K. media regulator Ofcom’s deadline for user-to-user services such as tube, cam and fan sites to implement its requisite “highly effective age assurance” measures for preventing minors from viewing adult content.

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches for May, June

AEBN has released the top search terms for the months of May and June from its straight and gay theaters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Two Texas Bills Restricting Sex Toy Sales Fail to Pass

Two bills aimed at restricting sales of sex toys have failed to pass the Texas state legislature during its 2025 session.

NYC Adult Stores Petition for Rehearing in Zoning Law Case

A group of adult businesses on Tuesday petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit to rehear a case involving a zoning law that could severely limit adult stores’ operations in New York City.

Ofcom Releases Transparency Reporting Guidelines

Ofcom, the U.K. media regulator, has made public its official guidance detailing how online service providers — including adult sites — will be required to publish annual transparency reports on their efforts to protect children from online harms.

New AV Rules Take Effect for Ireland-Based Sites

Ireland’s Online Safety Code came into force Monday, including a provision requiring adult sites headquartered in Ireland to implement age assurance measures beyond self-declaration.

XBIZ Amsterdam Calls on New Startups for 'Spotlight' Program

XBIZ is pleased to announce that its new “Startup Spotlight” programming will make its European premiere at XBIZ Amsterdam 2025, set to take place Sept. 2-5 at the Jakarta Hotel Amsterdam.

Texas Resumes AV Lawsuit Against Aylo Following SCOTUS Decision

A district court judge in Texas has unfrozen the state’s $1.6 million lawsuit against Aylo for allegedly failing to comply with age verification requirements, Bloomberg Law is reporting.

Show More