Emily Bazelon had an enormous piece in the Times magazine about decriminalizing sex work last week. She interviewed quite a few Seattleites, including regular Stranger contributor Mistresse Matisse.

Bazelon's piece also mentioned Seattle's Nordic model experiment:

Until now, abolitionist ideas about punishing men and treating women as victims have dominated legal reform in the United States. Seattle, for example, has announced a shift toward arresting male clients and connecting sex workers with services. But sex workers I spoke to around the country, in a variety of life circumstances, raised questions about how punishing buyers would make their lives better; they would still be participating in illegal transactions and have something to hide. An older escort told me that if she didn’t dread exposure and losing her business, she would report under-age prostitution and trafficking to the police if she witnessed it.

The entire thing is worth reading. It delves deep into the history of both the sex workers rights movement as well as the abolitionist—or anti-sex work—view. Bazelon also accurately notes that many of the activists who can speak loudly about decriminalization in public are white. Sex workers, like sex work, are not monolithic, and Bazelon emphasizes that lack of representation in the public debate remains an issue. At the same time, the piece gives voice to lots of sex workers who have been shut out of policymaking decisions about their lives. Check it out here.