Written by James Johnson
On Friday, July 26th 2019, Governor Newsom signed SB233. This bill was introduced by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and co-sponsored by SWOP Sacramento, ACLU So. Cal., Alix Lutnik, ESLERP, USPros, and St. James Infirmary. The bill is the first of its kind in the United States to grant Sex Workers immunity from arrest for misdemeanor drug and prostitution related offenses when reporting felony offenses involving violence. The bill further protects Sex Workers from being arrested for possession of condoms or from having condoms used against them as evidence for prostitution related offenses.
We believe this victory will be the first of many to protect Sex Workers and will protect our larger communities by getting violent offenders off the street and taking measures that reduce the risk of spreading HIV and other STIs.
SWOP Sacramento would like to congratulate and thank all those who worked tirelessly over the last six months to make this happen. We would like to thank all of those who showed their support by contacting their Representatives and the Governor’s Office. We would like to give a very special thanks to those who sent letters sharing their personal experiences, how they have been impacted by the current laws, and demonstrating why this bill is so important.
If you would like to be recognized for your support of this bill, please send an email to sacramentoswop@yahoo.com and we will add it to this page.
