‘Manifesting prostitution’ laws come to California under the guise of rescuing victims in SB 1388.

They are back! The same anti prostitution lobby who touted Prop 35 as a ‘comprehensive initiative’ under the guise of rescuing victims now say they want to change California’s prostitution law, the infamous 647(b) for the same reason.  SB 1388 contains the same type of vague and over broad language that convicted Monica Jones in Phoenix Arizona on April 11, 2014 of ‘manifesting prostitution’.  Jones, a transgender woman, activist and university student was found guilty by a judge but did not actually engage in prostitution.  She accepted a ride to a bar in her neighborhood by two under cover cops.  She must now serve 30 days and assessed jail costs at $2540.70.

Re-criminalizing our customers’ right to negotiate negatively impacts our ability to negotiate.  SB 1388 titles itself as ‘human trafficking bill’ but really its aim is to expand the anti prostitution definition to a ‘commercial sex act’ which could be applied to pornography too!

The new high fines are to fund more fake services much like the one called Project Rose, run by Catholic Charities and operated in a church basement that Monica Jones was taken to in handcuffs after her arrest.  

The creation of a new special ‘Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Services Fund’  for counseling raises serious questions for Mr. R, who was the recipient of rape crisis  services from Bay Area Women Against Rape after she was raped in Sept. 2012.  “They basically blamed me for being raped because the perpetrator targeted me as a sex worker”, said Mr. R.  “Given that these ‘peer councilors’ at BAWAR are men in their 50’s and the teenage girls they are counseling are contacted while riding along in anti prostitution sting operations, I have a concern based on how I was treated that more abuse is taking place behind close doors as there is no oversight in SB1388”.  

Tell the Senate Appropiations Committee to oppose SB 1388.