“I am a sex worker who has been blessed to have grown up in Vermont, raised by a loving family of artists who accept me for who I am. After highschool I moved to Boston and struggled financially while attending art school. I was 19 when I consensually began sex work, and have been gainfully self employed ever since. My work has taken me around the world, including to Australia, where I worked in a decriminalized environment. Under decriminalization in Australia, I was able to access information, venues, community, and specialized healthcare that are unavailable to me here in the USA. I strongly recommend decriminalization for improving safety outcomes for sex workers in the USA. Under current criminalization, sex workers are unable to report crimes committed against them without fear of arrest, or even deportation. Criminalization drives physical isolation, which is a leading cause of vulnerability to violence. I am passionate about protecting sex workers from needless harm, and have been deeply involved in community organizing and advocacy since 2013. I work with SWOP Behind Bars to educate on the harms of the Entrapment Model, a policing tactic by which our clients are increasingly criminalized. I am the former Board President of Sex Workers Outreach Project USA, and currently serve as national coordinator for the #OldProProject. I am overwhelmed with pride at the bravery of my peers in Vermont, knowing full well how dangerous and difficult it can be to be “out” as a sex worker in rural areas. I look forward to Vermont taking sensible steps to fortify the basic rights of sex workers.”

Savannah Sly