“Before moving to Vermont six years ago, I had not done sex work.  It would be years after that first gig before I realized I had, because sex work is an umbrella term for legitimate labor and practices of various forms – unconfined by prejudices, inaccurate definitions, and the limitations of our imaginations.  I needed the destigmatization and normalization of sex work then, so that I could have made more informed decisions.  I would have been empowered to better advocate and negotiate for myself.  Even before my experiences in sex work, sex workers were my neighbors and they are my friends and my community today.  I know people who have engaged in sex work casually or as a one-off encounter, just as anyone you know might have a small yard sale or pay a neighbor to lend a hand with moving, baling hay, or building a fence.  The truth is that anyone in VT can be criminalized due to the ways our century-old ‘prostitution’ laws are written and able to be subjectively enforced.  When consensual sex work is legitimized, exploitation can be identified and combatted.  When sex workers are protected, victims (or potential victims) of exploitation can come forward.  Decriminalization creates a framework of safety, harm prevention, and mitigation.”  

The Ishtar Collective
Montpelier, VT