New York, NY — On Saturday June 16, Suraj Patel, challenger to Rep. Carolyn Maloney in New York’s District 12, will host the first ever town hall for people with lived experiences in the sex trade.

Patel’s campaign is partnering with Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), Gays and Lesbians Living in a Transgender Society (GLITS) and WOMANKIND for the event. Turnout is expected to be high.

The event is being held from 2 – 4:30 pm on June 16. YNOT has reached out to organizers for the event location and will update this post when more information is available. Questions may be directed to lolabalcon@protonmail.com.

Just over two months ago, Congress passed FOSTA (HR 1865), a bill which expanded criminal and civil liability around sex trade. Previous coverage via YNOT described FOSTA as “…a controversial bill which its supporters say is designed to clarify that section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) ‘does not grant immunity to websites that facilitate sex trafficking,’ but critics say excessively erodes the protection available to website operators with respect to content posted by third parties.”

Since the bill’s passage, websites utilized by sex workers to find clients, safety and community have shut down. Sex workers have reportedly faced increased economic instability and vulnerability to exploitation and trafficking as a consequence.

“Too often, legislators fail to reach out and listen to communities most impacted by policymaking. That was the case for the passage of FOSTA, where lawmakers ignored concerns about the bill taking away anti-violence tools for sex workers and trafficking survivors, and it is the case with much other legislation around the sex trade,” Patel said.

“We are hosting a town hall for people with direct experiences and asking — what do you need to be safe? What do you need to survive? What do you need to thrive?” Patel continued.

SESTA/FOSTA has rolled back internet freedoms and inflicted deep damage on already-marginalized communities, putting lives at risk while setting the fight against trafficking back decades. I’m excited to participate & hear from tonight’s panel at Hacienda! Photo by Danielle Blunt pic.twitter.com/raNx6WnGXg

— Suraj Patel (@surajpatelnyc) June 11, 2018

Carolyn Maloney, Patel’s opponent, was one of the co-authors of FOSTA and has continuously celebrated the bill’s passage even as people in her district have talked about increased violence and loss of income as a result of the bill.

Katie Z., a community organizer with Survivors Against SESTA, is in district and helped plan the town hall meeting. Z. is particularly focused on making the event accessible to everyone. The campaign will provide food, MetroCards and Spanish translation to minimize barriers for attendance and participation.

“We want to set a new mold for how political campaigns engage with marginalized and criminalized community,” Z. said. “Elections can be empowering, they can be a moment for people whose voices are otherwise lost to speak up and be heard.”

Kaytlin Bailey, an activist and former sex worker, started canvassing for the campaign after Patel announced his opposition to FOSTA and support for the rights of people in the sex trade.

“Sex workers are scared, angry and activated in a way we’ve never been before,” Bailey said. “We’re showing up for Suraj because he’s showing up for us.”

For media and other queries, contact lolabalcon@protonmail.com.

Image via Suraj Patel for Congress.