A few weeks ago, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance announced that his office had decided to stop prosecuting prostitution. This was widely reported as a victory for sex workers, and indeed it is a shift, considering how past initiatives that were “doing something good for sex workers” often just led to further crackdowns. But Melissa Gira Grant, a New Republic staff writer who has covered sex work activism for more than 15 years, saw the new rule a little differently. She says it won’t do anything to change aggressive police behavior toward sex workers and that the city’s continued prosecution of people who buy sex will only perpetuate harmful stereotypes. On Tuesday’s episode of What Next, I spoke with Grant about the states rethinking their stances on sex work and whether the legal system can deliver the security these workers need. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Best bet: Take a trip to Otter Space
Can t miss: The Alex Springer
The summer months are rapidly approaching, and if you haven t outlined a solid liquid-refreshment plan, complete with a supplemental chilled dessert addendum, it s time to get cracking. I came up with mine back in January, and it s quite comprehensive. Though I m not sure I can get into the deep minutiae of said refreshment plan, I think it s safe to reveal the crux of the whole thing. Based on my preliminary visits, the cosmic bubble tea blends and monolithic
taiyaki waffles at
Space Tea (1085 S. State Street, 385-528-0141, spaceteaslc.com) will make it a sort of beverage hub for me come summer.
It’s been a hot minute since we heard from
risik, but best believe they have been grinding in studio. As we await a mob of original work soon to come through, this remix just made us stop dead in our tracks.
Queen of all things dark, eerie, unconventional and twisted, risik never ceases to impress with unfiltered imagination. Here, “Sinclair” by
girl irl morphs into an industrial display of risik’s boundless creative vision. Inner workings of the original track build with intent, and ultimately take to the next level with a gritty, hard eruption of dance elements built for an underground rave.
If she refuses, the police officer might then try to coax her into performing a sex act by touching her leg or groping her. In some cases, he may receive the services he requested, or demand them in exchange for her evading arrest. In other cases, no sexual services will be agreed to at all, but the workerâs body language may be misinterpreted to argue otherwise.
The massage worker will probably be arrested on the spot by the undercover officer, who may also be accompanied by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents or federal investigators. (Ice agents may also show up later on, when she appears in court.) Sheâll be charged with some combination of prostitution-related offenses and providing unlicensed massage, should she lack the proper certification, and face additional legal troubles related to her immigration status as a result.
“I have pepper spray and I hold it every time I’m alone right now in case I see someone that is really frightening,” said New York City teacher Annie Tan, who is Chinese American. By February 2020, friends of hers had already been verbally harassed on the subway. One had been deliberately coughed on. Another was too scared to take the train anymore. Many Asian Americans and