You Have a Right to Buy and Sell Sex. Will the Courts Protect It By Legalizing Prostitution?

"Our hope in the lawsuit is to have the anti-prostitution law overturned as unconstitutional and invalidated in the state of California," says Maxine Doogan, a working prostitute and president of the Erotic Service Provider Legal, Education, and Research Project (ESPLER), a group that has filed a lawsuit against California's attorney general and several mayors. "We don't have equal protection under the law."

Reason TV's video breaks down the legal arguments underlying ESPLER's lawsuit with the help of legal expert and former California Supervising Deputy Attorney General Jerald L. Mosley. The case leans heavily on the precedent set by Lawrence v. Texas to argue that sexual privacy warrants protection under the 14th Amendment and also makes First Amendment arguments regarding freedom of association and, more specifically, "freedom to date."

The video also features a man who goes by the name "Bacchus," who suffers from a disability that makes having a normal sexual relationship challenging, as well as libertarian activist and sex worker Starchild.

ESPLER is currently running a crowdfunding campaign to cover legal fees associated with the lawsuit.

Approximately 10 minutes. Produced by Zach Weissmueller. Camera by Alexis Garcia.