This Friday, September 20, the Woodhull Freedom Foundation will return to federal court in its bid to challenge the constitutionality of the so-called anti-sex-trafficking laws FOSTA/SESTA—and to help inform the public about this important case, the most recent episode of the Peepshow Podcast features interviews with Woodhull’s President/CEO Ricci Levy, as well as the lead attorney on the lawsuit, Lawrence G. Walters.
This episode reveals crucial details on the fight for anyone interested in sex worker’s rights, internet regulation, constitutional law, and freedom of speech, and it is particularly helpful in understanding the current legal status of FOSTA/SESTA.
The interviews also provide background on the history of the Woodhull Freedom Foundation and the organization’s commitment to solidarity with the sex work community.
“We have always had programs and workshops that focus on sex work, and we have always worked with the sex work community,” said Levy. “To any pushback we have received, the answer I give is that we are a human rights organization. Unless you are saying that sex workers are not human beings, those issues will be part of the summit, just like every other issue.”
The episode also analyzes the intricacies of FOSTA/SESTA’s impact, as well as Woodhull’s challenge to it. Levy declared, “If [FOSTA/SESTA] stands, there will be no end to what can be censored, and who can be punished for publishing things. This is a disaster.”
“Given the lack of definition and vagueness of the law, this is something that has chilled tremendous amount of speech as we all have seen," Walters explained. "Lots of websites have gone dark, many websites have moderated content, removed content, taken down profiles and users, and at the end of the day, sex workers are paying a very heavy price.
"It is impossible to predict any decision by a court…," he cautioned. "These are people making decisions; it is a brand-new law; it hasn’t been interpreted before. I think it is a critically important case, [and] I think the court will take it seriously.”
Since October 2017, Peepshow Podcast hosts Jessie Sage (@sapiotextual) and PJ Sage (@peejsage) have covered news and stories from the sex industry, with a focus on the perspectives and experiences of sex workers. Jessie is a Pittsburgh-based sex worker, freelance writer, sex columnist, and sex work organizer. PJ is a former cam model and an academic researcher focusing on sex tech and online sex work.
