Transgender woman is convicted of prostitution-related charge

Megan Cassidy, The Republic | azcentral.com 10:46 p.m. MST April 11, 2014

A Phoenix judge on Friday found a transgender woman guilty of a prostitution-related offense based on a city ordinance that the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona has deemed unconstitutional.

Monica Jones, 29, was arrested in May as a part of a Phoenix police prostitution-sting operation.

Jones, an activist for sex-worker rights, was charged with manifestation of prostitution, which police can enforce based on a number of qualifiers: repeated attempts to engage a passer-by in conversation, attempts to stop cars by waving at them, inquiries as to whether someone is a police officer or requesting that someone touch his or her genitals.

She pleaded not guilty and challenged the constitutionality of the law she allegedly violated. She subsequently asked that the case be dropped. Attorneys for Jones filed a memorandum in March stating that the ordinance targets transgender women by its interpretive nature and violates the First Amendment.

"Even assuming the government has a compelling interest in prohibiting prostitution, a measure that criminalizes a broad range of legal speech surely cannot be the 'least restrictive' means to furthering such an interest," the document states.

In an interview with The Arizona Republic on Thursday evening, Jones said she felt she was targeted because of her race and gender.

"You never see a heterosexual transgender man (accused of manifestation of prostitution)," she said. "It targets women, especially women in poverty, and women of minority."

Jones returned to court Friday with reinforcement.

Dan Pochoda, legal director of the ACLU of Arizona, argued on behalf of Jones. He said the ordinance is a "classic example of criminalizing protected speech" and said courts in other states have vacated similar statutes.

Assistant City Prosecutor Gary Shupe argued that the ordinance contains an element of intent and said that there appears to be a split between how courts have dealt with comparative laws.

Two witnesses were called to testify during the trial before Phoenix Municipal Judge Hercules Dellas: Jones for the defense and an undercover Phoenix police officer for the prosecution.

Their stories about what happened the night the officer picked up Jones in his truck diverged on a key factor: Although Jones agreed that she accepted a ride from the officer, she maintained that he was the one who approached her.

The courtroom gallery was spilling over with supporters for Jones and transgender and sex-worker rights, many of whom protested the charges outside the courthouse just before the trial. An audible moan rang throughout the courtroom when Dellas announced his guilty verdict.

The case underlines a rift among some activists who work with sex workers. Many advocates work within the bounds of existing anti-prostitution laws to offer other life alternatives. Others, like the Sex Workers Outreach Project, aim to decriminalize the profession altogether. Jones is an advocate for the Sex Workers Outreach Project of Phoenix.

Jones' crusade shone a spotlight on Project Rose, a Phoenix initiative that aims to divert prostitutes away from jail and toward social-service providers.

Through an interagency collaboration, the project offers those picked up for prostitution-related offenses a chance to sidestep the charge upon the completion of a diversion program and provides health and housing services immediately after police contact. If the person does not complete the program, the arrest is filed.

Other prostitution-diversion programs require suspects to plead guilty, with a promise to dismiss the conviction once the program is completed.

Jones was arrested in one of the Phoenix police stings that involved Project Rose. She said she had been protesting the project just one day before her arrest.

Dominique Roe-Sepowitz, director of Arizona State University's Office of Sex Trafficking Intervention Research, who evaluates Project Rose, said that of the 367 people who were offered diversion under the project, 366 chose it over jail.

She said there is a 28 percent success rate in the diversion program. But Roe-Sepowitz added that it's important to note that it often takes multiple tries for sex workers get out of the profession. She said a first chance is offered through Project Rose and a second chance through traditional plea agreements.

Jones said that even with the diversion program, Project Rose is helping to criminalize sex workers. She said resources would be better spent talking to sex workers and offering services without criminalization.

Jade McKenzie, a transgender woman and Project Rose volunteer, said Jones' opinions do not represent the entire transgender community.

McKenzie said she worked with Jones when she was arrested in May.

McKenzie, a former sex worker, went through the Dignity diversion program a few years ago.

Dignity is the program partnered with Project Rose.

well, i certainly feel safer.

Jones, an activist for sex-worker rights,

Remember kids, carceral feminism is a myth created by the sex work lobby.

MadMedico posted:

https://asunews.asu.edu/20140409-az-sex-trafficking-lectureArizona has become fertile ground for pimps, for-profit Romeos and sex traffickers, thanks to its efficient transportation corridors, a large resort community and mild climate that brings conferences and other tourist attractions year-round, according to an ASU researcher and national expert on the topic.

“Arizona has many borders that are porous, and a great highway system that offers anonymous movement throughout the state and across state lines,” Roe-Sepowitz said.

that lady runs a bring hookers to jesus to avoid jail time program btw

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/03/03/sex-workers-rounded-up-in-arizona-and-pushed-into-church-based-programs-without-charges/

HenryKrinkle posted:

Jones, an activist for sex-worker rights, was charged with manifestation of prostitution, which police can enforce based on a number of qualifiers: repeated attempts to engage a passer-by in conversation, attempts to stop cars by waving at them, inquiries as to whether someone is a police officer or requesting that someone touch his or her genitals.

im.....im a prostitute??


how am i going to break this to my parents

gyrofry posted:

like if you pull over a black guy who is actually speeding does the driving while black card apply?

yes because people speed literally all the time and dont get pulled over

HenryKrinkle posted:

i think debates over the legality of sex work shouldn't get in the way of wider efforts to keep women of color from being put into cages.

Good point, that's why full decrim is the most logical solution and is supported by sex worker rights organizations and human rights groups like Amnesty international.

Skylark posted:

EmanuelaOrlandi posted:

in before khamsek posts some radfem cis bigot rant

once you've seen one of those youve seen em all

hey if that was you who had that little exchange with maggotmaster on the tumblrs recently i enjoyed your voice. it almost inspired me to post a thread here on the toxicity inherent to following politics, as it inevitably involves interacting with particularly awful people, like of course MM is overflowing with bile, he's getting into insult contests with nazis on the reg.. but then i remembered what a mindblowingly redundant observation that would be for anyone here and played a video game instead

getfiscal posted:

someone on tumblr posted that the chances of getting murdered in the broader US population was 1 in 100,000 but that for a trans person the chance was 1 in 12.

this confused me because i always thought people said trans were like 1% of the population. so i looked on wikipedia and i guess 0.3% of americans self-report as trans? anyway i'm no math wizard but if they are 0.067% of the population or greater that means all people in the US who are murdered are trans. i'm not saying that's wrong, just that it would change our views of crime victims.

idk what you did, but taking your numbers (0.3% americans are trans, 1 murder per 100000 americans, and 1 trans murders per 12 trans people) bayes theorem gives me this probability (very low) of a murdered person being trans

gyrofry posted:

area man actually uses wolfram alpha

im sorry if that offended you