Ask California to Outlaw Discrimination Against Current and Former Sex Workers Like Me

When I left the adult industry, I was shocked by the treatment I received and the stigma I face. People have called me incredibly cruel names just because of my status as a former legal sex worker.

People treat me as if I've committed a horrible crime, but I have never hurt anyone. I am a human being like anyone else, yet there are weeks at a time when I don't leave my house because I don't feel like facing a world that is allowed to discriminate against me.

I'm not the only woman who has struggled because of involvement in the sex industry, either. The examples in California alone are countless:

- A woman was fired from her job at Oxnard School District after it was discovered she previously worked in porn during a time when she was deeply in debt. Her firing was perfectly legal.
- A Sacramento family court judge removed custody rights for a mother just because she was a stripper. Her ex-husband went on to kill her 9-year-old son.
- Oakland, CA, passed a law that allows the city to force landlords to evict sex workers, pushing them into homelessness.

All across the country, current and former as well as legal and illegally working sex trade workers are having their due process rights violated, both by the law and members of society. That's why I'm joining forces with Maxine of the Erotic Service Providers Legal, Educational and Research Project (ESPLERP) to demand the California legislators to act to enfranchise all types of sex workers.

Please sign our petition asking California lawmakers to enact legislation prohibiting discrimination against sex workers in accessing publicly funded services and in all judicial proceedings, local laws, housing, education, and employment.