SAN FRANCISCO, CA—The Erotic Service Providers Legal, Education and Research Project (ESPLER), a community-based coalition advancing sexual privacy rights through legal advocacy, will file a complaint today at noon in U.S. District Court against Kamala Harris, California’s Attorney General and leading U.S. Senate candidate, and four Northern Californian District Attorneys, alleging the current anti-prostitution law violates fundamental constitutional rights.
A press conference regarding this lawsuit will take place on Monday at noon in front of the Wilshire Federal Building, 11000 Wilshire Blvd. (just off the 405 Freeway at the Wilshire exit), Los Angeles, CA 90024.
The complaint contends that California’s current anti-prostitution law unfairly deprives individuals of the right to private consensual activity, criminalizes the discussion of this activity between consenting adults, and unconstitutionally places restrictions on individuals’ right to freely associate.
San Francisco District Attorney Georage Gascon, one of four Bay Area district attorneys named in the lawsuit, said, "There are people victimized on a daily basis, under duress, beaten. Having said that I don't negate the fact there may be some consenting workers and if there are, how do we differentiate one from the other?"
Former Los Angeles Police Traffic Officer Norma Jean Almodovar, responded by suggesting, “How about the same way we differentiate between consensual noncommercial sex and rape? Or the way we tell the difference between victims of domestic violence and happy housewives? When we report being a victim!"
The complaint asks the court to declare that California’s prostitution statute, Section 647(b) of the California Penal Code, is unconstitutional.
The stigma and discrimination that erotic service providers face under the antiprostitution law is pervasive. On Friday, ESPLERP's GoFundMe campaign was removed due to an alleged violation of GoFundMe's conditions. ESPLERP is contesting the removal.
Contributions may be submitted through ESPLERP's "Liberate to Emancipate" campaign on Tilt.com or via snail-mail to ESPLERP, 2261 Market Street, #548, San Francisco, CA 94114.
For more information, please click here or here. Follow ESPLERP on Twitter here.
