Prostitution Surveillance Tower Goes Up in San Diego
Warrantless surveillance, Comic Con "sex trafficking," and the persistence of trafficking myths
Sex Work
HIV-Positive Sex Workers No Longer Required To Register As Violent Sex Offenders In Tennessee
Selling sex while HIV-positive will still be a felony.
Want To Catch Serial Killers Faster? Listen to Sex Workers.
The cases of Joey the Player and the Long Island Serial Killer show how systemic neglect and the failure to pass an immunity bill have left violent criminals on the loose for far too long.
Judges Block Indiana and Mississippi Age Verification Laws for Porn, Social Media
And the Supreme Court agrees to weigh in.
What Does Decriminalized Sex Work Actually Look Like?
I visited Australia and New Zealand to find out. Spoiler: It’s great for everyone.
Belgium Protects Sex Work Employees' Right To Refuse Customers, Sex Acts
A new labor law getting bad press is explicitly drafted to stop sex businesses from punishing workers who set boundaries.
Cop Who Dodged Sentence for Killing Sex Worker Gets 11 Years for Abducting More Sex Workers
The victims received no restitution payment.
The Best of Reason: The Future of Porn Is Consensual Deepfakes
OnlyFans lets women distribute their own porn. Artificial intelligence will give them even more control.
OpenAI Is Open To AI-Generated Erotica…but Not 'Porn'
The company's confusing statements about how ChatGPT should respond to sexual prompts
The Future of Porn Is Consensual Deepfakes
OnlyFans let women distribute their own porn. Artificial intelligence will give them even more control.
Alabama's New Sex Trafficking Law Could Mean Life in Prison for Trafficking Victims
It's the war on drugs all over again, folks...
Supreme Court Won't Stop Texas Porn Law From Taking Effect
"We will continue to fight for the right to access the internet without intrusive government oversight," says the group challenging the law.
Backpage: A Blueprint for Squelching Speech
How the Backpage prosecution helped create a playbook for suppressing online speech, debanking disfavored groups, and using "conspiracy" charges to imprison the government's targets
Judge Acquits Backpage Co-Founder Michael Lacey on Most Counts
The court found insufficient evidence to sustain 53 of 84 remaining counts against Lacey.
States Keep Passing Unconstitutional Age-Verification Laws for Porn Sites
Kentucky's governor signed a law last week that could require porn sites to ask for users' government IDs before allowing access to adult material.
Defending Pornography in the Age of Safe Spaces: A Q&A With Nadine Strossen
The civil liberties lawyer talks to Reason about the misguided impulse to attack free speech in the name of protecting women.
Trump and Biden Both Get Globalization Wrong
Free trade brings us more stuff at lower prices.
Defending Pornography on Feminist Grounds: A Q&A With Nadine Strossen
"There were many of us who opposed censoring pornography...precisely because of our commitment to feminist goals and principles," says the former ACLU chief.
Pornhub Pulls Out of Seventh State
The company leaves Texas over an “ineffective, haphazard, and dangerous” age-verification law.
Florida Lawmakers Vote To Raise Stripping Age to 21
Employing an 18- to 20-year-old at an adult venue could mean 15 years in prison, even if the young person used a fake ID.
Texas Sues Pornhub for Failing to Check IDs
A federal judge in an ongoing case called the porn age-check scheme unconstitutional. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton doesn't seem to care.
PROTECT Act Could Require Removal of All Existing Porn Online
Sen. Mike Lee's "technological exploitation" bill also redefines consent.
It's Time to Retire Super Bowl 'Sex Trafficking' Stings and Myths
For sex workers and their clients, Super Bowl season can mean a higher chance of getting nabbed by cops.
He Was Charged With Human Trafficking for Driving His Wife to Work
"The sole basis for targeting Joe was the race/ethnicity of his wife and her occupation" at an Asian massage parlor, the lawsuit claims.
Feds Will Try Backpage Co-Founder Michael Lacey for a Third Time
It's a frightening reminder of how far the government will go to get their way—and to warn tech companies against platforming speech it doesn't like.
Oklahoma Bill Would Ban Sending Sexy Selfies Unless You're Married
It could also outlaw any sort of sexualized image, play, or performance, pornographic or not.
Maine's Bad Prostitution Law Could Be Coming Soon to Your State
Beware the “Equality Model” of sex work law reform in 2024.
North Carolina Strip Club Now Safe From County's Eminent Domain Efforts
After public backlash, Hanover County Commission has decided to pursue a voluntary purchase of the Cheetah Premier Gentlemen's Club next door.
Ohio Vice Cop Who Got Away With Killing Sex Worker Pleads Guilty in Kidnapping Case
Andrew Mitchell, who was acquitted on state murder charges in April, plead guilty this month to abducting and detaining two sex worker victims.
The Backpage Defendants Never Stood a Chance
Moral panic plus government power is an inescapably potent combination.
The World's First Libertarian President
Plus: A listener asks the editors about libertarians and "reflexive contrarianism."
Backpage: The Monumental Free Speech Case the Media Ignored
The mere act of publishing sex ads online is enough to send most potential free speech allies scurrying for the exits.
Don't Believe Janet Yellen's Shoddy Wartime 'Girl Math'
Plus: President Joe Biden’s weird economy and Rep. Mike Johnson as the unlikely new speaker of the House of Representatives.
Aella: Is Porn Too Pervasive?
The former OnlyFans star and outspoken libertarian defender of sex workers considers the acceleration of government crackdowns on online porn, the sexual revolution, and sex work.
Is There Too Much Porn?
Join Reason on YouTube and Facebook at 1 p.m. Eastern this Thursday for a discussion with Aella about the escalating government crackdown on online porn, the sexual revolution, and sex work.
In Scathing Rulings, Federal Courts Block Arkansas and Texas Age Verification Laws
Plus: Meta revises controversial "dangerous organizations" policy, a win against civil asset forfeiture in Detroit, and more...
Have We Lost Track of the Trump Indictments Yet?
Plus: Why don't journalists support free speech anymore?
Backpage Founder, Alt-Weekly Entrepreneur, and Free Speech Warrior James Larkin Has Died
Larkin, 74, took his own life on Monday, just a little over a week before he was slated to stand trial for his role in running the web-classifieds platform Backpage.
Dallas Law Against 'Manifesting' Prostitution Declared Unconstitutional
Plus: The right to call neighbor a "red-headed bitch," the case against a Digital Consumer Protection Commission, and more...
Sex Workers Want Rights, Not Rescue
Horrible things are happening to vulnerable people, but we cannot help them by sending groups of vigilantes or law enforcement officers to hunt them.
Court Says Prostitution Law Doesn't Violate First Amendment but Language Should Be Interpreted Narrowly
Plus: Democrats dismiss nonwhite moderates, Schumer wants investigation into energy drink, GOP prosecutors threaten Target over Pride merchandise, and more...
Prosecutors Say Backpage Defendants Shouldn't Be Allowed To Reference the 1st Amendment
Prosecutors also want a judge to take basically all possible defenses off the table.
Maine's Legislature Passes Bill To Partially Decriminalize Prostitution
Plus: Court rules that naked female spa can't exclude transgender women, Biden vetoes bill blocking student loan forgiveness, and more...
The Naked Feminist
Victoria Bateman thinks "my body, my choice" should include how much clothing you wear.
5 Years After the Backpage Shutdown, Sex Workers—and Free Speech—Are Still Suffering
As former Backpage execs await their August trial, the shutdown is still worsening the lives it was supposed to improve.
States Try To Reform Prostitution Laws—for Better and Worse
New bills in six states showcase some right and wrong ways to help sex workers, from full decriminalization to ramping up penalties for prostitution customers.
All Porn Is 'Violence Against Women,' U.K. Parliamentary Committee Says
Plus: The SAFE TECH Act, Reason talks to young conservatives at CPAC, and more...
