Lobby Day in support of 2013 No Condoms as Evidence Bill (S1379/A2736) is a success!
Members of Make the Road NY hold up signs at the 2013 Lobby Day for the No Condoms as Evidence bill. Photo by redupnyc.
Check out the latest coverage of the lobby day here!
No Condoms as Evidence Bill re-introduced as 2013 New York State Bill S1379/A2736! Follow this link to read the text of New York State Bill S1379/A2736 (2013) and to stay updated on the Bill’s actions in the State Legislature.
Join us for a lobby day in Albany April 23, 2013 to advocate for an end to this practice!
See our Memos of Support for this legislation.
Check out another recent New York Times editorial in support of this legislation. For more press coverage, click here.
President’s Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS and Nassau County District Attorney support the No Condoms as Evidence Bill.
The President’s Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS recently passed a resolution urging an end to the use of condoms as a basis of criminal prosecution or sentence enhancement.
Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice shows leadership in taking a position that attorneys in her office will not seek to introduce condoms as evidence of any prostitution-related offense!
Three reports released in 2012 document the harms caused by the use of condoms as evidence in multiple cities and countries.
On Thursday, July 19th, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH released a report entitled “Sex Workers at Risk: Condoms as Evidence of Prostitution in Four US Cities,” about the harms caused by this practice in 4 major U.S. cities. The report reveals that efforts to take condoms in multiple U.S. cities negatively impact the health of sex workers and transgender women, and furthermore undermine public health campaigns for HIV prevention. Read more about the HRW report here.
On Tuesday, July 17th, OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATIONS released a report entitled “Criminalizing Condoms,” about the use of condoms as a means to target sex workers in six different countries. This report reveals that the “treatment of condoms as contraband forces sex workers to make a choice between safeguarding their health and staying safe from police harassment or arrest” by documenting law enforcement practices and the resulting harms for sex workers in Kenya, Namibia, Russia, South Africa, the United States and Zimbabwe. Read more about the OSF report here.
On Tuesday, April 17th, as part of lobbying efforts, New York advocates released a brand new report summarizing the results of two studies documenting the impacts of police confiscating and prosecutors introducing condoms as evidence of intent to engage in prostitution! The report, Public Health Crisis: The Impact of Using Condoms as Evidence of Prostitution in New York City, was co-authored by members of the PROS Network, a coalition of organizations providing services and resources to people who are or are perceived to be involved in the sex trades.
This New York City-based research revealed that:
The practice of confiscating and using condoms as evidence of intent to engage in prostitution is undermining New York City and New York State public health intiatives handing out millions of free condoms every year to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, STIs, and unwanted pregnancies.
Lobby Day in support of 2012 No Condoms as Evidence Bill (S323/A1008) a success!
Check out the latest coverage of the press conference and lobby day here!
On Tuesday, April 17th advocates representing a broad coalition of public health and reproductive rights advocates, civil and human rights organizations, LGBT groups, and sex workers’ rights organizers met with dozens of legislators to ask for their support in moving SB323/A1008 to a vote this spring!
Advocates also released a brand new report summarizing the results of two studies documenting the impacts of police confiscating and prosecutors introducing condoms as evidence of intent to engage in prostitution! The report, Public Health Crisis: The Impact of Using Condoms as Evidence of Prostitution in New York City, was co-authored by members of the PROS Network, a coalition of organizations providing services and resources to people who are or are perceived to be involved in the sex trades.
Join us in demanding passage of legislation that would end the use of condoms as evidence of prostitution-related offenses!
Lambda Legal filed a memo in support of SB 323/A1008 and spoke out against the use of condoms as evidence, urging the Senate to move the bill out of the Rules Committee:
http://www.lambdalegal.org/news/ny_20120405_condoms-as-evidence
http://outqnews.com/2012/04/06/ny-bill-would-end-condoms-as-proof-of-prostitution/