Federal prosecutors :
The 2020 platform voted by the convention that nominated President Joe Biden, however, included the following passage: ‘We recognize that sex workers, who are disproportionately women of color and transgender women, face especially high rates of sexual assault and violence, and we will work with states and localities to protect the lives of sex workers.’
The 2024 version released over the weekend, expected to be approved at the Democratic National Convention currently taking place in Chicago, omits the statement recognizing the existence of sex workers and stating a commitment to protect their lives.
Rhode Island sex worker rights group COYOTE RI said the move wasn’t surprising. “Sex Workers will be gathering online to discuss these and other related election issues in Tru The S$xWorker Vote, on Saturday, September 7, 2024,” the group noted in its most recent newsletter.
See also: What sex workers want from Kamala Harris.
FIRE Sues Over SCOPE Act
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) is suing to stop the Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment (SCOPE) Act, which FIRE calls an “unconstitutional attempt to childproof the internet.”
The SCOPE Act, signed into law in 2023, “requires social media platforms to register the age of every new user,” FIRE explains. “Under the law, platforms would be forced to track how much of their content is ‘harmful’ to minors and, once a certain percentage is reached, force users to provide government ID or biometric data to demonstrate that they are 18 or older.”
“In a misguided attempt to make the internet ‘safe,’ Texas’ law treats adults like children,” said FIRE Chief Counsel Robert Corn-Revere in a statement. “But even minors have First Amendment rights. Whether they’re 16 or 65, this law infringes on the rights of all Texans.”
Trafficking Victim Sentenced to 11 Years
Chrystul Kizer has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for killing a man who was sexually abusing and exploiting her when she was a minor. In June 2018, Kizer fatally shot Randall Volar and set his house on fire. Last May, Kizer pleaded guilty to killing him in 2018, when Volar was 34 years old and she was age 17.
“Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley had argued that Kizer carried out a premeditated killing to steal Volar’s BMW, while public defender Jennifer Bias said Kizer acted in self-defense after Volar had pinned her to the ground while trying to initiate sexual contact,” notes The Washington Post. More:
A 2019 Washington Post investigation showed that the Kenosha Police Department knew Volar was abusing underage Black girls for nearly three months before his death. After a 15-year-old Black girl fled from his home in nothing but a bra and jacket, police raided Volar’s residence and found hundreds of videos of child sexual abuse; among the stash were videos Volar had made of Kizer and girls who appeared to be as young as 12. But while the investigation continued, police and prosecutors allowed Volar to remain free.
A judge has now sentenced her to spend 11 years in prison. “The court is well aware of your relationship with Mr. Volar,” Kenosha County Judge David Wilk said during Kizer’s sentencing hearing. “However, you are not permitted to be the instrument of his reckoning. To hold otherwise is to endorse a descent into lawlessness and chaos.”
See also: “Sex workers are trafficking victims until cops don’t want them to be.“
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