Behind Red Lights

Demystifying Sex Work and Its Legal Ramifications

This podcast seeks an answer to the question of what arguments are being made for the decriminalization of sex work in New York City. I chose to articulate my senior thesis via a long-form podcast rather than a traditional written thesis. One of the central tenets of many sex workers’ rights advocacy groups is “nothing about us without us.” This principle remained at the forefront of my mind during much of the fall semester as I conducted my initial research. I felt like I was setting out to tell a story that isn’t mine to tell. I decided to make a podcast so that I can bring those voices directly to my listener. The following podcast contains five interconnected sections which each respond to one of the key questions driving my research: What is sex work? What is the history of sex work in New York City? How is sex work codified into law? What are the laws that govern sex work in New York City? And finally, what might the future look like for sex workers? In order to answer these questions and provide a broad understanding of the sex work industry in New York City, I conducted interviews and compiled and analyzed primary sources including newspaper articles, law review articles, and sex workers’ rights advocacy materials. In telling this story, I hope to open my listeners’ eyes to the ins and outs of the sex industry and to encourage people to begin to consider what decriminalization might mean for the lives of those in this industry, as well as our communities more broadly. Most of all, I hope that my listeners will begin to think of sex work in the same way that they think of other professions: a job like any other. Introduction: 0:00 Section 1 | What Is Sex Work?: 7:08 Section 2 | History of Sex Work in New York City: 38:27 Section 3 | Legal Landscape: 53:17 Section 3.5 | Laws in New York: 1:13:42 Section 4 | Looking Ahead: 1:18:32 Conclusion: 1:27:02