Vermont Opens 2020 By Introducing Sex Work Decriminalization Bill

Lawmakers in the small New England state of Vermont kicked off their 2020 legislative session by introducing a bill that would decriminalize consensual sex work there, according to a report by the local news site Vermont Digger. The bill—sponsored by five Democrats, all of them women—would make Vermont the first state to decriminalize sex work statewide. In Nevada, prostitution is legal, but only in counties with populations of fewer than 400,000, and local governments are empowered to outlaw sex work in their own jurisdictions. Those restrictions would not apply under the proposed new Vermont bill. On the other hand, the decriminalization bill—unlike in Nevada—would not create a new, legal, regulated market for sexual services. Instead, the law would would mean only that no charges could be brought against individuals who perform consensual sex acts in exchange for money, or against their customers. “By driving sex work underground, we’re creating much more dangerous conditions for sex workers,” said Representative Selene Colburn, who introduced the bill, as quoted by Vermont Digger. “They should feel like they have the protection of police if they need it.” The bill, H.569, is only four pages in length and would simply repeal the state’s existing laws against sex work. Existing laws against felony sex trafficking and sexual coercion would remain in place, if the decriminalization law succeeds. The bill was introduced in tandem with a related piece of legislation that grants immunity to sex workers who witness and report crimes in the course of performing their jobs. The Vermont bill follows a similar piece of legislation in New York 11 months ago, which consisted of a package of bills that would effectively decriminalize numerous acts connected with sex work in that state. But that bill is still under consideration in the New York legislature. Photo By Artaxerxes / Wikimedia Commons