A group of activists in Miami are rallying this Saturday (Dec. 14) for their 5th annual “Slut Walk Miami” to raise awareness about the challenges and stigmas faced by sex workers, push for new laws to decriminalize their work and protect their rights.
“In Florida, sex work is often met with negativity, but Slut Walk Miami calls for a shift in perspective,” says “Decrim 305” in a statement announcing the event. The Miami-Dade based group is organizing the event.
The event, say organizers, “emphasizes recognizing sex workers’ rights to love, compassion, and autonomy while highlighting the benefits of decriminalization.”
“This approach can improve safety, enhance access to healthcare, empower individuals, reduce societal stigma, reallocate law enforcement resources, and foster economic benefits,” says Decrim 305.
This year’s “Slut Walk” begins at 5 p.m. at South Pointe Park, 1 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, 33139.
Admission is free. Registration is through Eventbrite
More info about Decrim305 here.
Sex work is defined as the exchange of sex for money or goods. It’s mostly illegal in the U.S., but it has become decriminalized in other parts of the world, including Germany and the Netherlands.
The American Civil Liberties Union reviewed more than 80 studies on the decriminalization and criminalization of sex work in a 2020 report and concluded decriminalization would improve public health and safety while increasing economic stability for sex workers. It also found there was no clear link in criminalizing sex work and stopping human trafficking.
Last year, the ACLU called for governments to decriminalize sex work.
"Sex workers deserve the same legal protections as anybody else," the ACLU said in a statement. "Decriminalization would help bring sex workers out of the dangerous margins and into the light where people are protected — not targeted — by the law."
