Prostitution is illegal in most parts of Nevada, except for a few places. Supporters of LGBTQ rights and lawmakers in Illinois held a news conference on Wednesday to urge the state to decriminalise prostitution.
According to Reyna Ortiz, a board member for Equality Illinois and a former sex worker, the job becomes dangerous because it is illegal for adults to engage in consensual sex.
“It is important for everyone to go to work, and it is especially important for me to feel safe and protected by the law.” “According to Ortiz, the decriminalisation of sex work has made it safer for adults to engage in consensual sexual encounters with others,” “Sex workers should no longer have to work in secret.” We believe that regardless of your opinion on sex work, it is important to agree that no sex worker should experience abuse, violence, or harm for engaging in consensual adult sex work, which is considered the oldest profession in the world. Decriminalisation means that adults who choose to engage in certain activities are no longer treated as criminals, and they have the right to make decisions about their own bodies.
During the news conference, supporters emphasised that LGBTQ individuals have a higher mortality rate compared to others in this profession. In 2023, the Human Rights Campaign reported that 32 transgender and gender-expansive individuals were killed. Many of these murder victims were killed by individuals known as “Johns” or pimps.
State Rep. John Cabello, who is also an officer for the Rockford Police Department, believes that the danger of his job does not come from the fact that prostitution is illegal, but rather from the overall lifestyle associated with it.
“The drugs, the lifestyle, and the pimps are responsible.” “This doesn’t fall under the jurisdiction of the law,” Cabello said. Why are other people getting in trouble for the other rules that exist? It seems that some people in this state want to avoid facing any consequences for their actions.
Cabello stated that many women rely on their jobs to support their drug addiction.
He said that pimps and clients often physically harm women. Many times, pimps are more likely to physically harm women. Cabello asked if there will be an application process for “Johns” under this bill. Will we allow brothels to open?
“I believe the ACLU [American Civil Liberties Union] would strongly oppose this,” Cabello said. “If they don’t want the police to do background checks on people, why would they allow private companies to do background checks on people?” “They are expressing their hopes and desires, saying things like ‘Oh, it will turn out well!'” “No, it is not.”
According to Brian Johnson, CEO of Equality Illinois, that is not true yet. Their objective is to determine the optimal moment to introduce a bill for discussion. Equality Illinois aims to end the criminalization of sex work. Johnson said that a new law, which has never been seen before, would explore how sex workers could collaborate with the police. Johnson also mentioned that it would allow sex workers to screen their clients.
Prostitution should be legal in Illinois so that sex workers can have the ability to screen their clients and meet them in locations of their choice. If they want to ensure the safety of their clients, they can collaborate with the police to achieve this. Johnson stated that it is important to avoid using taxpayer money, which comes from the households of Illinois, to target individuals engaged in consensual adult sexual activities.
He said he couldn’t believe that there was a news report about the topic of legalising sex work.
