After a series of discussions within the Strategic Planning Committee, Decrim NY will no longer affiliate with Melissa Broudo or the organizations with which she is affiliated: Decriminalize Sex Work (DSW), the SOAR Institute, SHORES RI, and Advocates for Safety and Health (ASH). This decision was reached in light of recent reports of mistreatment by Ms. Broudo of a directly impacted community member, as well as a longstanding pattern of bad faith behavior, both toward Decrim NY and toward other sex worker organizations. We have come to the conclusion that we are no longer values-aligned with Ms. Broudo, and have reached out to request that she no longer participate in our work. We urge Ms. Broudo to desist from participating in sex workers’ rights organizing in general, and advise other organizations to avoid collaboration with Ms. Broudo in the future; DSW is not a trusted organization within the worker community.
The Strategic Planning Committee is deeply committed to prioritizing the experiences of workers in the coalition. We are a worker-led organization and, as such, will not tolerate any harassment of community members moving forward. We have begun the process of developing a vetting strategy for future partners in order to ensure shared ethics and standards of behavior as the coalition continues to grow, and will share more about this process as it is refined.