Tulsi Gabbard Last Democrat to Favor Sex Work Decriminalization

Following Tuesday night’s New Hampshire Democratic primary, Hawaii congressional rep Tulsi Gabbard now stands as the only active Democratic presidential candidate to state unqualified, or even qualified, support for decriminalization of sex work, according to a report by Reason Magazine.  Businessman Andrew Yang in December said that he supported a limited, and widely criticized, form of decriminalization that would remove penalties for “sellers” of sexual services, but keep possible charges for purchasers intact. But Yang announced that he would “suspend” his campaign after placing eighth in the New Hampshire, with just 2.8 percent of the vote. He finished one place behind Gabbard, who pulled in only 3.3 percent.  But Gabbard made no announcement, and has previously pledged to continue campaigning throughout the entire primary process. The winner of the New Hampshire primary, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, has said only that he needs more time to “discuss” the sex work decriminalization issue.  Second-place finisher Pete Buttigieg—the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor who is also the first openly LGBTQ candidate to run in a major party’s primary—told Out Magazine in May of last year that he is “not ready to make policy news” on the sex work issue, and has made no significant statements on the topic since. New Hampshire’s surprise third-place finisher, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, a former prosecutor, has already registered as a firm “no” on sex work decriminalization. But last year, another former prosecutor—California Senator Kamala Harris—said that she would favor decriminalization. But Harris was forced to withdraw from the race in December, citing financial constraints. Other than Gabbard, of the remaining field, only Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren has declared herself “open” to the idea of decriminalizing sex work.  Photo By Alohagirl198667 / Wikimedia Commons Public Domain