Democratic California State Senator Scott Wiener is proposing the repeal of a loitering law put in place to discourage prostitution because he believes it hurts “women of color” and transgender “sex workers.”
“It’s all based on profiling, so not surprisingly, the people who are being profiled are largely trans women and Black and Latinx women,” Wiener said in a San Francisco Chronicle article on Tuesday. “It’s just an awful law that can only be enforced by profiling and stereotyping.”
LGBT and “racial justice” activists also want the 1995 law erased because it would make prostitution, or “sex work” a legitimate livelihood:
[Weiner’s] proposal, SB357, would erase California’s law and allow people with prior convictions to have the charges dismifssed and their court records sealed.
Last month, New York became the first state to repeal a similar anti-loitering law meant to discourage prostitution. Opponents have dubbed such laws “walking while trans bans” because police often arrest transgender women.
The Chronicle cited data from a University of California Los Angeles study showing 56 percent of the more than 2,200 people charged with loitering in Los Angeles from 2017 to 2019 were black despite black people making up 9 percent of the population.
“The study did not include data on charges against transgender people, and it’s possible some transgender women were grouped with men,” the Chronicle article claimed.
Transgender activists back Weiner’s efforts, including TS Jane who is a prostitute in San Diego and an activist for “sex workers rights.” Jane claims transgender people are targeted for how they look even if they are not selling sex.
“It’s not a crime to express your gender loud and proud,” she said. “If this bill passes, it’s one step to trans liberation.”
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