Politics
Advocates, Lawmakers Seek to Legalize Sex Work in Illinois: ‘People Deserve Respect. Work is Work’

“For 20 years, I worked as a sex worker here in the city of Chicago,” Reyna Ortiz said at a news conference Monday, surrounded by allies from organizations like Equality Illinois, Brave Space Alliance and the Chicago Abortion Fund. “And for over 20 years, I lived under the fear and threat of violence.”
Ortiz, who chairs the Sex Worker Advisory Group — a coalition of current and former sex workers — is among those advocating for Illinois to become the first state in the U.S. to fully legalize the exchange of money for sex among consenting adults.
Illinois in 2013 reduced the crime of prostitution to a misdemeanor, and Equality Illinois CEO Brian Johnson said that has contributed to a 97% reduction in arrests and prosecutions of sex-related offenses, so fully decriminalizing sex work would be codifying standard police practices.
Even with the misdemeanor designation, though, Johnson said sex workers and their clients “still have to operate in the shadows.”
Ortiz said sex workers live and work in fear of getting caught and potentially “losing everything”—apartments, other jobs — or facing other consequences.
“Even if it’s a misdemeanor, you still gotta go through the (criminal justice) system, which is an unforgiving system,” Ortiz said.
Removing any criminal penalties would allow sex workers to vet their clients and allow individuals to report abuse or sex trafficking without fear of prosecution or stigma.
“It’s really just making sure that when we’re making these exchanges, that we’re not so worried about the policing of our bodies, and also, you know, getting your door kicked in when you’re engaging in sex work,” Ortiz said. “People don’t really understand that it really is just two adults coming to an agreement. It’s transactional.”
The chair of Freedom Network USA, an anti-human trafficking group, said that after years of consulting survivors, it embraces full decimalization.
“Violence is not inherent in the sex trades, but criminalization has forced sex workers underground, where the lack of workplace protections, safety measures and workers’ rights make them vulnerable to abuse,” said the Freedom Network’s Darci Flynn. “Human trafficking is caused by deep structural inequities, which are made worse by the criminalization of sex work.”
Some Illinois lawmakers have for years talked about removing criminal penalties for sex work, but Johnson said he’s “absolutely hopeful” this attempt will be successful, with state Sen. Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) and state Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago) serving as sponsors.
A week ago, the General Assembly approved a separate Guzzardi-backed proposal (House Bill 4410) that would remove from the statute book references to the word “prostitute” and replace it with “person engaged in the sex trade.”
Guzzardi said prostitution is a “dehumanizing word” and the update, should it be signed into law by the governor, is “in line with the values that we’re talking about here today.”
That measure also would automatically seal felony records of individuals convicted of prostitution before the 2013 law, and it would prohibit police from engaging in sex as part of an investigation, something that Guzzardi said happens too often.
“There is no excuse for law enforcement to engage in sexual contact with sex workers in the process of an investigation,” Guzzardi said.
Guzzardi said the forthcoming measure to decriminalize sex work will also include a bill of rights, with what he called “basic protections” similar to Illinois’ bill of rights for domestic workers like housekeepers and caregivers.
“People deserve safety,” Guzzardi said. “People deserve dignity. People deserve respect. Work is work. You know, sex work is not the only industry where people are using their body to make money. People should be able to make autonomous choices about how they use their body, and how they engage in our economy.”
The Illinois Family Institute’s David Smith said the phrase “sex work” is a politically correct term for what’s long been known as prostitution.
The Illinois Family Institute is a nonprofit that advocates for public policy based on the Bible.
“Let’s not sanitize it,” Smith said. “What are we talking about here, legalizing brothels throughout the city of Chicago, throughout the state of Illinois? Is that what our Main Streets are going to look like: the weed shop next to the brothel next to the mini casino? This is the new wave of Illinois?”
Smith also said it’s “ludicrous” for the state to normalize something that’s contrary to Christian teachings and defies the health advice of avoiding sextually transmitted infections through abstinence.
“We’re legalizing all these things that are not good for public health and pretending like we’re championing something good,” Smith said. “What, so we can tax it and regulate it and gain a revenue stream? We never ever see the other side of the picture. We never get the whole story of, once these things are legalized, what are the social costs to the culture and the taxpayer?”
Contact Amanda Vinicky: @AmandaVinicky | [email protected]