The Burlington, Vermont City Council held a public hearing Tuesday evening on a charter change questionthat will appear on the city’s Town Meeting Day ballot. On the table is a measure to decriminalize sex work.
Burlington voters are being asked to approve an amendment to the City Charter that would delete a phrase related to sex workers. It currently states: “To restrain and suppress houses of ill fame and disorderly houses, and to punish common prostitutes and persons consorting therewith.”
City Attorney Daniel Richardson explained the change.
“This charter change effectively repeals the authority for the City Council to regulate what it deems as prostitution or is more commonly referred to as sex work and would de-authorize the city from passing any related ordinances.”
A number of people signed up virtually for public comment and opinion was mixed.
The Ishtar Collective is a Montpelier-based anti-trafficking group emphasizing sex worker rights. Co-founder Henri June says the current charter language is sexist and puritanical and needs to be removed.
“It was a humanizing moment to realize that you value the livelihood and dignities of workers and survivors alike enough to push past the stigma and erase the document that is a gross mishandling of public safety and of sex work.”
Burlington Attorney David Mickenberg supports changing what he calls archaic and sexist language in the charter.
“While this charter change does not decriminalize or legalize sex work in Burlington it does send a strong message that as a city we will not support legal language that perpetuates outdated, harmful and discriminatory concepts.”
New Englanders Against Sexual Exploitation Vermont Chair Maggie Kerrin says approval of the charter change would decriminalize sex work.
“False statements made in past city council meetings said that the removal of local ordinances and the associated charter change do not really affect the legal status of prostitution in the city since it’s still illegal throughout the state. In practice this is false. Burlington police have stated that prostitution in the city was decriminalized and that they no longer enforce prostitution laws.”
Kerrin adds that it would be a serious mistake to remove the city council’s ability to pass ordinances limiting prostitution.
“The city council and the public have been deliberately mizzled into believing that removing local prostitution ordinances results in harm reduction and advances the human rights of sex workers. The evidence shows precisely the opposite.”
Thistle Farms is a national organization that has been helping survivors of prostitution and trafficking for 25 years. Director of Public Policy and Advocacy Alisa Bernard opposes the city council’s proposal to repeal the current language without replacing it. She read a letter from 32 survivors of the sex trade.
“We want to make sure that those who are causing harm, pimps, brothel owners and sex suppliers, that they are held accountable for the devastating harm that they do cause. By erasing the language you are opening the door in Burlington to those who wish to exploit others.”
