BREAKING NEWS

This month, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof sat down with sex trade survivor and New Yorkers for the Equality Model member Melanie Thompson for a conversation about her experiences as a sex trafficked child and her work today as a survivor leader.

On June 26th, the governor of Maine signed a bill decriminalizing people in prostitution, the first bill of its kind in the United States. We are thrilled that prostituted people will no longer be criminalized for their own exploitation, and also that Maine strengthens their commitment to holding sex buyers and other exploiters accountable for the harms they inflict.

On May 16th, members of New Yorkers for the Equality Model joined dozens of sex trade survivors and allies to advocate for the Sex Trade Survivors Act in front of the Judiciary Committee of the Massachusetts State legislature.

For Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we launched a campaign about the the realities of the sex trade and why consent can't ever be bought. The sex trade's abuse of vulnerability and inherent violence means that a person's "yes" is not free of coercion.

As you learn more about prostitution legislation and the Equality Model, you see that many people fail to make the connection between sex trafficking and the system of prostitution. To strengthen your own understanding of how sex trafficking works – as a vehicle driving people to the prostitution market – please visit our Instagram page below and share the information with your networks!

On February 21st, the New Yorkers for the Equality Model and Human Rights Program at Roosevelt House, Hunter College hosted a special event, A Vision of Justice and Equality for Sex Trade Survivors, where New Yorkers for the Equality Model member Melanie Thompson shared her film "Can Oppression Be Liberation?"

A review of the three primary models governing prostitution around the globe including legalization/full decriminalization, criminalization and the Equality Model.

In honor of National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, New Yorkers for the Equality Model will be hosting two special trainings to enhance your understanding of the harms of the sex trade and present legislative solutions for preventing human trafficking.

The truth about the sex trade: taking a deeper look a popular narratives

This time of year, our calendars are marked full of occasions and holidays - things to celebrate and reminders to give back. November 25th was International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

New Yorkers for the Equality Model hosts an exclusive screening of the Sell/Buy/Date, a new hybrid/documentary from Tony Award-winning playwright and performer Sarah Jones, Executive Produced by Meryl Streep and featuring appearances from Rosario Dawson, Bryan Cranston, and Ilana Glazer.

Sex trade survivor leaders Esperanza Fonseca, Gabrielle Prieto, and Melanie Thompson joined filmmaker Sarah Jones and moderator/Equality Model advocate Mitha Choudhury in a thoughtful dialogue of the harmful misconceptions about the sex trade and the cultural battles we face as we fight for true equality.

Last week, members of New Yorkers for the Equality Model hosted a roundtable discussion on trafficking for sexual exploitation in New York State and beyond. The discussion included advocate and philanthropist Chelsea Clinton, New Yorkers for the Equality Model member and Survivor Leader Melanie Thompson, OSCE's Special Representative and Coordinator for Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings Valiant Richey, and the co-sponsors of New York's Sex Trade Survivors Justice and Equality Act, Senator Liz Krueger and Assemblywoman Pamela Hunter.

Visa and Mastercard have suspended card payments for advertising on Pornhub and its parent company MindGeek. This is a significant stride forward in holding websites accountable for hosting and sharing child sexual abuse materials and other nonconsensual videos.

The Next Generation Fights Sexual Exploitation: Learn more about youth advocacy in New York

While the media, governments and law enforcement pay some attention to sex trafficking victims and their exploiters, sex buyers largely enjoy an under-the-radar existence; they face little consequence for the harms they inflict on the people they purchase and society as a whole.

On May 10th, New Yorkers for the Equality Model traveled to New York's capital city of Albany for a full day of activism on behalf of the Sex Trade Survivors Justice and Equality Act.

Earlier this month, New York State Senator Liz Krueger spoke to Lynn's Warriors on WVOX Radio to discuss the dangerous and growing sex trade in our state. Just last year, Senator Krueger, along with Assemblymember Pamela Hunter, introduced a bipartisan piece of legislation, The Sex Trade Survivors Justice and Equality Act.

Last January, State Senator Liz Krueger and Assemblymember Pamela Hunter announced the Sex Trade Survivors Justice and Equality Act, legislation that will decriminalize people in prostitution, expand access to social services, strengthen anti-trafficking laws, and advance criminal justice reform.