Prominent Democrats have increasingly been expressing support for or voting in favor of decriminalizing prostitution, with some claiming that “sex work” is a legitimate career path for women.
The issue of prostitution was once most closely tied to members of the radical left’s “Squad,” but has now gained increasing support in the Democratic Party, on Capitol Hill and in cities across the country. Even longtime Democrats like Rep. Jerry Nadler have come out in 2024 in favor of decriminalizing it, while others, like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, have said they are actively studying their position on “sex work.”
Most notably, in 2020 Vice President Kamala Harris came out in favor of decriminalization, the umbrella term used by activists to describe support for sex work, and proceeded to brag about how she refused to prosecute cases when she was district attorney in San Francisco.
“When I was district attorney … over 15 years ago … I was advocating that we should stop arresting these prostitutes,” she said in a 2020 interview. “As far as the issue of providing a safe place for sex workers, I'm a big advocate for that. I always have been.”
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Democrats including Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Vice President Kamala Harris and Rep. Jerry Nadler have all spoken out in favor of decriminalizing prostitution. (Fox News Digital-Hannah Grossman | Getty)
She was then asked if she supported decriminalising sex work. She replied: “I think so, I do… When you're talking about consenting adults, I think so, we really should be looking at the fact that we can't criminalise consensual behaviour.”
Fox News Digital reviewed the questionnaires that Democratic candidates filled out for Jim Owles' Liberal Democratic Club in New York City, where dozens of politicians expressed their support for sex work.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said he supported using his prosecutorial discretion to reject prostitution cases, even from buyers. Before he was elected, Bragg indicated he believed decriminalization was a racial issue.
“I will absolutely not prosecute anyone accused of selling sex and I support the repeal of any laws on this issue,” he said in 2021. “As for those who buy sex, I have no interest in prosecuting anyone who has engaged in consensual sex.”
But in certain scenarios, for example if a white person buys sex, you might consider it a “different interaction.”
“I'm concerned that a relatively wealthy white person purchasing sex from a relatively poor person of color acting out of desperation is a substantially different interaction than that same person engaging in a commercial transaction like buying food,” she said.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has vowed not to prosecute any sex workers. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Numerous House Democrats have partnered with a left-wing advocacy group that focuses especially on supporting the decriminalization of prostitution, it was reported in April.
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“It is dangerous and exposes how [these lawmakers] “They are complete frauds who should never be re-elected,” the Republican Congressional Committee said.
Centrist Democratic support for the issue followed years of calls to decriminalize by Squad members such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
AOC has been outspoken against two laws aimed at combating sex trafficking during the Trump administration that hold online platforms accountable for facilitating crimes.
“I think that [the anti-trafficking laws] “They put lives at risk,” AOC said in 2022.
And in 2020 she said: “Sex work is work.”
It was later reported that parts of AOC's Queens district are plagued with prostitutes, much to the chagrin of some locals.
“We have become a kind of epicentre of crime, prostitution and illegal street vending. It has taken over many streets,” said one resident, Ramses Frias. “Fox and Friends” in March.
An area in Squad member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's district is being described as looking more like a Third World country than a thriving American neighborhood, as desperate immigrants block sidewalks selling food and peddling clothes while prostitutes openly solicit sex from passersby, including teenagers. (Fox News Digital)
In AOC's district, sex workers operate brazenly on street corners at all hours of the day, even as families walk by with children in strollers, residents said.
Another member of the group, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., proposed a bill that would abolish “civil and criminal penalties related to consensual sex work.” Pressley believed sex work is an issue of equity.
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Democratic governors have also signed laws that effectively prevent law enforcement from cracking down on prostitution.
In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 357, or the Safer Streets for All Act, into law in 2022, but critics say the law has promoted blatant prostitution and sex trafficking on city streets. Law enforcement has reported an increase in illegal activity as a result of prostitution rings.
At the time, Newsom's office believed he would repeal provisions of the law that “have led to disproportionate harassment of women and transgender adults.”
“Prostitution is illegal and sex trafficking is a serious and abhorrent crime,” Newsom's office said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “As the Governor stated when he signed the bill, [law]”The Administration is closely monitoring the implementation of this particular law and is committed to responding to any unintended consequences.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a law that critics say is causing prostitution to skyrocket. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
According to Opal Singleton, president of the anti-trafficking group Million Kids, there has been a “massive increase in the amount of human trafficking activity… This is a serious public safety issue.” Efforts to repair the perceived harm caused by SB 357 in California failed in the progressive state legislature in April.
A Democrat in the state Senate said she was “fed up” with her colleagues after they failed to pass legislation to prosecute child prostitution as a felony.
“I would like to say, as a proud and progressive member of this body for the past 12 years, that I am done.” Democrat from California State Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman said: “We're done protecting people who buy and abuse our children. I'm done.”
“This outcome is a failure by legislative leadership who caved to political pressure and failed to prioritize the safety of our children,” he continued.
In a historic first, Maine's Democratic governor, Janet Mills, decriminalized prostitution in 2023.
Like AOC, the New York State Public Advocate, an elected official, has explained that sex work is a legitimate career path for women.
“We need to not only decriminalize sex work, but legalize it. Sex work is work, period,” said Jumanee Williams.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he was reviewing his position on “sex work.” (Fox News Digital-Hannah Grossman | Getty)
Other prominent Democrats have signaled they are studying the issue closely.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said she would meet with decriminalization advocates to discuss the issue.
“It's something I've thought about and am considering,” he said in 2021. “I'm discussing it with a lot of advocates and people who have strong opinions about it.”
Hochul “continues to consider and discuss this issue closely with advocates and partners,” the office said in 2022.
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Schumer has made a similar point. “I would have to look at the exact legislation and I would like to hear from the proponents of the issue,” he said in the 2022 survey.
“Sex workers, like all workers, deserve autonomy, but they are particularly vulnerable to physical and financial abuse and hardship,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said in 2020. “I am open to decriminalization.”
White House representatives Pressley, AOC, Bragg, Nadler, Hochul, Newsom and Williams have not yet responded to requests for comment.
Fox News' Emma Colton contributed to this report.
