Beware Censorship by Proxy
Prodding private companies into self-censorship is a dangerous government tradition.
Sex Work
Feds Seize Control of Backpage.com; Founder Faces 93-Count Indictment
Site had long been a target for sex work and sex trafficking advertisements.
New Backpage Ruling Lays Bare Some of the Lies Undergirding FOSTA
The ruling allows a civil suit against Backpage to proceed for one of the case's three plaintiffs.
Hours After FOSTA Passes, Reddit Bans 'Escorts' and 'SugarDaddy' Communities
The great content crackdown has begun.
FOSTA Passes Senate, Making Prostitution Ads a Federal Crime Against Objections from DOJ and Trafficking Victims
The measure will "make it harder, not easier, to root out and prosecute sex traffickers," said Sen. Ron Wyden, one of only two senators to vote no on FOSTA.
Sign Referencing Civil War Hero Is Sexual Harassment, Says Massachusetts Lawmaker
Rep. Michelle DuBois wants to remove a statehouse sign that reads "General Hooker Entrance" because it is an affront to "women's dignity."
$20 Fee for Porn Access Proposed in Rhode Island
Device makers would be required to block porn, prostitution hubs, and all content that fails "current standards of decency."
Florida Lawmaker Drops Proposal to Let Victims of Sex Trafficking Sue Hotels
Disney allegedly lobbied against the bill behind the scenes.
House Passes 'Anti Sex-Trafficking' Bill Opposed by Both DOJ and Trafficking Survivors
The bill makes "promoting prostitution" a federal crime, holds websites legally liable for user-posted content, and lets states retroactively prosecute offenders.
New Jersey Cop Fired for Having Once Appeared in Fetish Films
Meanwhile, drunk driving and vehicular assault by officers are not firing offenses in Hudson County.
'Family Values' Republican Accused of Paying for Sex Also Voted to Raise Penalties for Paying for Sex
Last year, Utah's Jon E. Stanard voted to raise the penalty for soliciting prostitution to $2,500. And this year...
New Orleans Nixes Plan for Strict Cap on French Quarter Strip Clubs
"There is nothing inherent" to strip clubs "that causes crime," say city planners.
'Keep Your Tyranny Off Our Titties,' Say New Orleans Strippers
In a series of protests, strip club workers and their allies are pushing back against abusive policing.
Super Bowl Sex Trafficking Myth Gives Good Cover for Federal Security Theater
Minneapolis is being transformed into a police state.
What's Hot in Porn Tech: Blockchain, Cam Girls, and Snapchat
New technologies are helping the adult industry adjust to government regulations and give more power to performers.
Texas Cops Charge 'Child Sex Trafficking Victim' With Felony
They also arrested her younger friend for prostitution.
The Internet Makes Life Better and Safer for Sex Workers. Obviously.
A large new study out of the U.K. proves it.
No Right to Earn a Living Via Prostitution, Says Federal Court
"There is no constitutional rights to engage in illegal employment," rules the 9th Circuit court.
The Phony Feminism of Kamala Harris
Harris only cares about other women's rights when those rights don't conflict with her career ambitions.
The Best Sex Work Writing of 2017
We rounded up the year's best writing, reporting, and research on erotic industries, those who work in them, and how they're getting screwed by U.S. authorities and laws.
King County Cops Illegally Recorded Sex Stings
The good news? Many whose lives they tried to ruin are now off the hook.
Prostitution Ad Ban Creeps Forward, Threatening Social Media and Sex Workers
The bill would gut Section 230 and make sex advertising a federal crime.
Posting or Hosting Sex Ads Could Mean 25 Years in Federal Prison Under New Republican Proposal
A related measure would open digital platforms to liability for past crimes committed by users.
Tampa Bathhouses Become Latest Target of Sex-Trafficking Panic
The city council is considering a mammoth package of new rules that threaten Tampa bathhouses and those who visit them.
Cops Out HIV-Positive Woman to Neighbors and Media
"Around the corner, there's a family neighborhood that's decorated for Christmas," a local television station reports while airing her photo.
Cops Brag That They Bullied a Woman Out of Town After a Neighbor Said She Sells Sex
An investigation would've taken months, so Larksville Police decided to skip that part.
Hillbilly Hotties Win First Round in Bikini-Barista Battle
"Bikinis can convey the very type of political speech that lies at the core of the First Amendment," writes federal judge.
Porn Star Cherie DeVille and Rapper Coolio Announce White House 2020 Bid
Their slogan? "Make American Fucking Awesome Again." But DeVille's real mission is to challenge stereotypes about sex workers.
Denver Cashes in by Seizing Cars for Low-Level Crimes, Even Without Convictions
The city earns more than $2 million a year grabbing more than 1,800 vehicles.
Stossel: Who Owns Your Body?
John Stossel confronts a prostitute, a pimp and an anti-prostitution crusader.
Department of Homeland Security
Eros.com Still Lives, But Homeland Security Raid Has Sex Workers Worried
The fate of the popular adult ad platform remains unclear after a raid on Eros' North Carolina servers.
Feds Crack Down on New National Security Threat: Unlicensed Massages
Massage-parlor panic is crushing small businesses, civil liberties, and people's lives. Here are eight examples from October.
Federal Court Ponders Constitutionality of Prostitution Ban
A right to engage in prostitution seems like "a natural extension of Supreme Court precedent," says judge.
Feds 'Rescue' Women from Freedom and Money in 11th 'Operation Cross Country'
Hear from the real victims of this cruel FBI charade.
Who's 'the Harvey Weinstein of' Sex Work? The Police
This week has a lot of people wondering "who's the Harvey Weinstein?" of their industry. For sex workers, the answer is all too often a local cop.
Cases Dropped Against California Cops Accused of Statutory Rape, Prostitution With Police Dispatcher's Daughter
Judge says Bay Area cops accused of sex crimes might not have known that Oakland teenager "Celeste Guap" was underage.
There Aren't Enough Beds in This Virginia Jail for All the Women Caught in Heroin and 'Human Trafficking' Dragnets
"We don't have enough space for them," said sheriff.
D.C. Could Become Only U.S. City to Decriminalize Prostitution
A new bill would remove all criminal penalties in the District for buying or selling sex.
Feminist Porn Isn't Free
A new porn platform for women claims to promote ethical, feminist smut while pirating clips and stealing from sex workers.
Wiretapping Sex Workers, Punishing Pre-Crime, and National Strategy to Stop Sex-Buyers Approved by Senate
Congress moves to grant Trump administration vast new policing powers, because "sex trafficking."
Bikini Baristas Sue City in the Name of Free Speech and Women's Rights
City worries bikini hot dog stands could be next.
Husband Gets Human-Trafficking Charge for Driving His Wife to a Motel
There was no trafficking victim here-just a couple attempting private sexual activity with another consenting adult. But Maryland cops don't care.
HBO, David Simon Chart the Rise of the Modern Sex Economy in The Deuce
Prostitution and porn during the 1970s focus of new series.
