What About SESTA?

June 12, 2018

Thank you for being patient with us as we continue to consider our options around the onerous, vague, and punitive restrictions in SESTA, a bill recently passed with bipartisan support. The bill was framed as an anti-trafficking measure when, in fact, it is a thinly disguised next step in the on-going war against sex, against free speech, against personal autonomy, and against our fundamental human rights.

We believe the law contains several constitutional defects and has the effect of chilling constitutionally-protected speech. These restrictions on speech have life-and-death consequences for constituencies like sex workers and members of sexual minorities who will be cut off from sharing information necessary to protect their health, safety, and self-determination.

We are in touch with numerous organizations, companies, and attorneys who share our concerns with this law to discuss the best strategies going forward. We have also been compiling evidence of the negative impact that SESTA has had on protected expression. In fact, the broad scope of the law has impacted some content on our websites, as we have been required to evaluate our own legal risks. This is an evolving situation, and we will continue to adjust our policies as our understanding of the law becomes clearer.

We take the trust placed in us to defend sexual freedom as a fundamental human right seriously, and we are committed to making sure that right is fully extended to all. Human rights are irrevocable, and sexual labor is not an exception to that fundamental principle. We are continuing to explore the best ways we can oppose the harmful impacts of SESTA.

At this year’s Sexual Freedom Summit we’ll be having vital conversations about sexual freedom as a fundamental human right and the attempts to restrict those freedoms. And you can be sure we’ll be discussing the on-going war against sex!

If you haven’t registered already, now would be a great time!