- The NYPD will arrest you for carrying condoms, but that depends entirely on who you are. If you're a middle-class white girl like me, you're probably safe. But say you're a sex worker or a queer kid kicked out of your home. Say you're a trans woman out for dinner with your boyfriend. Maybe you've been arrested as a sex worker before. Maybe some quota-filling cop thinks you look like a whore.
Then you're not safe at all.
Clicking on Molly Crabapple's name here brings up a little bio. It states that she is an artist. She is not a journalist, nor does she claim to be. This is an opinion piece. I don't see the issue. I could write an opinion piece for my local newspaper, and my past jobs or experiences need not be involved.
Sounds to me like they arrest people who loiter, approach people, and in short generally act like prostitutes.
EDIT: I've read Molly Crabapple before, I'm almost sure. According to Wikipedia, she started her career drawing for a pornographic magazine, which strikes me as vaguely hypocritical.
if loitering is a crime, they can be charged with that. it shouldn't be automatically upgraded to a sex crime just because they're female or trans. and it's pretty much impossible to be on the street in NYC and not interact with somebody.
your definition of "act like prostitutes" seems overly broad. prostitutes have sex with people for money. if you're not doing that, you're not acting like a prostitute.
- she started her career drawing for a pornographic magazine, which strikes me as vaguely hypocritical.
uh... what?
I get that loitering can be a legit problem, but standing outside for half an hour? Poor girl was likely just waiting for a drive from someone! I think that "loitering for the purpose of prostitution" is just the name of the crime she is charged for, not an upgraded loitering charge. I could be wrong here, its just my interpretation. There has got to be a few human rights violations here. Keeping a condom in my wallet should not be a crime. Carrying change in my pocket, ditto. Would these charges really hold up in court?
So "standing around and talking to people while female/trans/genderqueer" is what makes someone a prostitute? I thought that the job involved some sex, not just being a street-based Wal-Mart greeter. The only sufficient evidence to arrest someone for prostitution is having sex in exchange for money, as far as I'm aware.
Also why would her career choices make her a hypocrite? She's very obviously a sex-positive feminist, so...
My guess is that this law would be struck down by any reasonable judge. But the problem is that to challenge a law takes a shit load of time and resources, and I'm pretty sure that not too many well-to-do folks with nothing better to do than fight tyranny have been arrested under this law. If the ACLU really wanted to get involved they could have someone get arrested intentionally (a la Scopes Monkey Trial) to attempt a challenge. Not sure anyone would be willing to take the risk of having an "attempted prostitution" conviction on record.
Right on point. I was about to mention that the problem is that the system is working backwards. Innocent until proven guilty? Absolutely! But why don't you come downtown with us for a couple nights or until you make bail....
Fair point. I modify my prior comment accordingly to read that agreeing to have sex in exchange for money is sufficient.