New York introduces country's first state bill decriminalizing sex work

New York lawmakers introduced a state-wide bill to decriminalize sex work on Monday — the first proposed legislation of its kind in the country.

The Stop Violence in the Sex Trade Acts is a package of bills that seeks to amend state statues in order to decriminalize sex work between consenting adults while upholding existing anti-trafficking laws.

“Sex work is work and should not be criminalized by the state," said state Sen. Julia Salazar (D), a lead sponsor of the bill, in a Decrim NY press release.

The bill is backed by Decrim NY, a coalition of more than 30 organizations across LGBTQ, racial justice and immigrant rights. Decrim NY launched in February and lobbied in Albany in May for the decriminalization of sex work.

Salazar added that the state's current policies empower traffickers, "keeping sex work in the shadows."

Other sponsors on the bill are state Sen. Jessica Ramos (D), and Democratic Assembly members Richard Gottfried and Yuh-Line Niou.

"We will finally make strides against trafficking by empowering sex workers to report violence against them. Sex work is work and everyone has an inherent right to a safe workplace," Ramos said in the release.



https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/447764-new-york-introduces-first-state-wide-sex-work-decriminalization-bill?__twitter_impression=true

Kylie Jenner slammed for throwing a 'Handmaid's Tale'-themed party: 'Ignorance and privilege'

Kylie Jenner enjoyed a weekend full of festivities that she threw for her BFF Anastasia “Stassie” Karanikolaou’s birthday. But some people are “disturbed” after getting a glimpse of one part of the celebration — The Handmaid’s Tale–themed party held at Jenner’s Hollywood Hills home.

In photos and video shared on both Jenner and Karanikolaou’s Instagrams on Saturday, party guests were seen walking through the door of Jenner’s home, which was redecorated to look just like the fictional setting — Gilead — of the dystopian novel and television adaptation. Once they arrived, each attendee got matching Handmaid’s red robe costumes and drank cocktails inspired by the show. And although the Instagram content ensured that all partygoers were having a good time, many people on Twitter have voiced concerns that Jenner doesn’t really understand what the show is about.


Plenty of others have gone so far to say that they’re “disturbed” that Jenner thought the dystopian television show made for an acceptable party theme, considering how real its storyline has become.


https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.yahoo.com/amphtml/entertainment/kylie-jenner-slammed-handmaids-tale-themed-party-192214186.html

Tweet of the Day

Virginia House Democrats Surpass 2017 Candidate Records

RICHMOND (June 10, 2019) – With just one day until the primary elections, Democratic candidates have filed to run in 90 of 100 House districts, including the 49 seats currently held by Democrats. In 2017, the year that Virginia sparked the national Blue Wave, Democrats ran for the House of Delegates in 88 districts across the Commonwealth.

“The level of candidate and voter enthusiasm is extraordinary,” said House Democratic Leader Eileen Filler-Corn (D-Fairfax). “Rather than slowing down, we’re seeing that Democrats are more energized than ever to build on our 2017 victories and achieve even more legislative successes, like expanding access to affordable healthcare.”

This year, House Democratic candidates are continuing to build on the record diversity achieved in 2017. Of the current Democrats in the House of Delegates, 45 percent are women, 45 percent are of color, 24 percent are under 40, and 8 percent are openly LGBTQ+.

Among the 57 non-incumbent Democratic candidates, 56 percent are women and 26 percent are people of color.




https://bluevirginia.us/2019/06/virginia-house-democrats-surpass-2017-candidate-records

Mindy Kaling Has Discussed Ms Marvel with Marvel

Writer, actor and producer Mindy Kaling (The Office, The Mindy Project) confirmed that she has spoken with Marvel about the prospect of bringing the character Kamala Khan, Ms. Marvel, into the Marvel Cinematic Universe at some point in the future.

"I think the people I've spoken to [at] Marvel about it are so excited about the character, and I think that they're trying to figure out what to do with it, and I told them I would help in any way, because I truly love her." Kaling told MTV News. "But they seemed really interested, and I think they will probably do something."

?q=50&fit=crop&w=798&h=407&dpr=1.5



https://www.cbr.com/mindy-kaling-ms-marvel-discussions/

Bonus Tweet of the Day

White nationalist group interrupts Detroit pride event, members appear to urinate on Israeli flag

A group of white nationalists marched on an LGBTQ event in Detroit on Saturday, demonstrating Nazi salutes and carrying weapons.

Members of the National Socialist Movement (NSM) caused outrage at the event meant to celebrate gay pride, and one member was photographed appearing to urinate on an Israeli flag.

The Motor City Pride is described on its Facebook event page as the largest pride month event in Michigan, with 40,000 people marked as attending. On Saturday, some individuals tried unsuccessfully to stop the NSM group from entering the streets, which were blocked off by police and lined with rainbow flags.

NSM members were photographed tearing apart one of the flags, which represent gay pride.

The group is considered one of the largest neo-Nazi organizations in the United States and is known for "theatrical and provocative protests," according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.



https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/white-nationalist-group-interrupts-detroit-pride-event-members-appear-to-urinate-on-israeli-flag/ar-AACCGvZ?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=mailsignout

Tweet of the Day

Tweet of the Day

Just got back from Dark Phoenix (No Spoilers)

Skip it and watch Umbrella Academy on Netflix for a much better adaptation.