First FOSTA/SESTA. Now This Bullshit

So FOSTA/SESTA passed and completely disrupted several aspects of the adult entertainment industry online, causing several major escort review sites and message boards to shut down, along with the entire personals section of Craigslist as well as the total sites Backpage and Mojovillage. I wrote about that here.

Now, it appears that the next prong in the attack on American sex workers is to stop them for having access to money. A current bill that has passed the House but has not yet come up for vote in the Senate is the End Banking for Human Traffickers Act. Again, meant to crack down on human trafficking, but will instead take aim at the people that have voluntarily entered into sex work.

Granted, there are already many banks that have, for lack of a better term, moral turpitude clauses, but this would make things harder, not easier, for those in the industry. The Huffington Post has a write up here, so I won't rehash things.

Even though, as reported by HuffPo, the new bill is not as restrictive as the nonsensical FOSTA/SESTA act is, the appearance of pressure may be enough to have even more banks instill mortal turpitude-like clauses into their policies/rules regarding who can and cannot use their services.

I understand the need to fight sex trafficking. I understand the need to fight coercion into the sex industry. But for the individual that makes the intentional, conscious decision, to enter sex work at any level should not have access to their money be restricted/taken away.

Repeat after me: Sex work is legitimate work. Uncoerced sex work is legitimate work. Having partaken of a variety of aspects of the sex work industry, there is something healing and therapeutic about it as a customer/client. It does serve a vital role and a purpose.

Stop treating those who choose this line of work as pariahs; as people that should be outcasts and shunned because of some ancient, stupid, Puritanical and/or Victorian values.

And there is still time to stop this current bill before the Senate votes. Call/email your Senators and encourage them to not vote for this bill and talk to the people who might be harmed by its consequences.