NEW YORK — Members of the Adult Performance Artists Guild (APAG) have announced they will join fellow sex workers on Sunday for a “Sex Work is Work” rally in solidarity with Eliza Orlins, who is currently running for New York's District Attorney's office.
“APAG is proud to have the opportunity to speak about labor rights for sex workers and the movement to decriminalize,” said a rep.
Speakers will include APAG's President Alana Evans and Secretary Kelly Pierce and Amberly Rothfield.
Recently, members of APAG voted to support Eliza in her campaign, marking the first time APAG has offered support for a district attorney candidate. The unanimous vote took place during the April 25 APAG member meeting.
Evans said she was “elated and humbled to be a part of this event. During our town hall meeting with Eliza, it was clear how passionate she is about labor rights, and her support for decriminalization made this an easy choice.”
“While I look forward to sharing my insight as a sex worker, I am excited to learn from my fellow advocates, and to share this opportunity with peers so dedicated to the cause like Amberly and Kelly,” she added.
Rothfield said, “I am beyond honored to be a part of this movement. Decriminalization is a very important step towards ending discrimination against the adult industry. Sex work is work and should be recognized and protected as such.”
According to APAG, as a public defender for the Legal Aid Society, Orlins “has represented more than 3,000 New Yorkers, fighting for New Yorkers who otherwise would not have been able to afford a lawyer. Eliza has consistently centered sex work decriminalization, and The Daily Beast wrote that her plan is 'one of the most detailed policy positions on the full decriminalization of sex work ever put forward by a major candidate at any level of U.S. politics.’”
If elected, Orlins has promised to establish a dedicated Worker Protection Unit to work closely with community organizations and labor unions to combat labor violations. She has been a union member of the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys Local 2325, part of UAW 9A, since 2009.
The “Sex Work is Work” rally will take place in Washington Square Park in New York, and begins at 3 p.m. (EDT) on Sunday.
For more information about Eliza Orlins and this weekend's event, visit the campaign’s website.
