While 2020 Democratic candidates Kamala Harris and Cory Booker have declared their support for decriminalizing sex work, and a third, new frontrunner Elizabeth Warren, has said that she would be “open” to decriminalization, Bernie Sanders—the only one of the candidates making his second run for the nomination—said in a new interview that he still wants more time to “discuss” the issue.
Sanders' future as a candidate was cast into doubt last week when it was revealed that the 78-year-old had suffered a mild heart attack during a campaign event. But Sanders himself now says that he plans to hit the campaign trail again in “very vigorous” fashion.
In an interview with Teen Vogue published on Monday, Sanders discussed his support for the rights of workers in the “gig economy,” for farm workers and even for inmates forced to work behind bars.
But when it came to sex workers, Sanders remained ambiguous.
Asked directly by interviewer Kim Kelly whether he supported sex work decriminalization, Sanders called it “a complicated issue” and said that it was “one of the areas that I want to think about, and I want to hear all sides of the issue.”
Pressed on the question, Sanders repeated that sex work decriminalization was “a complicated issue,” and said, “My promise to you is it’s an issue that I will discuss, and we will hear from all sides and come up with the best solution that we can.”
Asked by Kelley whether he had “engaged in dialogue with sex workers about this,” Sanders simply avoided answering the question.
The Teen Vogue interview was not the first time that Sanders had admitted his indecision when it comes to decriminalizing sex work. In June, as AVN.com reported, Sanders was asked by an audience member at a campaign stop in Nevada—where sex work is already legal under specific, regulated conditions—about his stance on the issue.
“The answer is, we’re going to take a hard look at it, but I’m not going to give you a definitive answer now,” Sanders said. “It’s a complicated issue but there are two sides to it and I promise you we will take a hard look at it.”
Asked again about the subject later in an interview with a Nevada newspaper, Sanders said that he had been “busy running around the country,” and as a result, had not had time to “study” the issue.
Photo By Michael Vadon / Wikimedia Commons
