Jon StojanFounded by Savannah Sly and co-directed by Melodie Garcia, New Moon Network is a revolutionary initiative championing the rights of sex workers and survivors of sex trafficking across the United States. At the core of the organization is a belief that debate around the validity of the modern sex industry leads to policy gridlock that inhibits the progressive development of this increasingly pertinent cause.
Coined by Carol Leigh in the 1970s, the term ‘sex work’ is in and of itself a debated topic that has remained a point of contention since its inception. As a rejection of the industrial term of ‘sex use’, Carol introduced the term to liberate women from the suggestion that their work is simply ‘to be used’. In coining the phrase “sex work”, Carol gave women around the world who participated in the sex trade a labor rights framework for their stigmatized occupations. While some feminist movements in the modern social landscape deem sex work to be an experience that inevitably leads to exploitation, New Moon Network encourages its audience to move beyond the debate and instead, prioritize initiatives that increase the wellbeing of all people in the sex trade.
For decades, feminists have debated whether prostitution should be fully decriminalized, meaning the removal of criminal penalties for all consenting adults involved in prostitution, or partially decriminalized under a policy referred to as the Nordic model – which stipulates removing criminal penalties for the sellers of sexual services, but not the purchasers. While the issue of decriminalization will always remain at the forefront of the movement for sex workers’ rights, New Moon Network encourages advocates on both sides to move beyond the debate and identify common causes. Savannah Sly comments: “New Moon aims to put our differences aside to refocus the narrative on what truly matters. Despite the elements we may never agree on, it is evident that we all care about the same underserved population of society: people with lived experiences in the sex trade. Sex workers and survivors should be working together to humanize and offer necessary protections for all people involved in the sex trade.”
Within the framework of a consensual transaction between all parties, sex work – particularly online sex work – has become an increasingly viable choice for people throughout the modern context. Within the United States, studies suggest the industry generates 14 billion dollars annually, with an estimated number of over 2 million full-service sex workers in the trade since 2019. Despite the growing prevalence of workers in this sector, many individuals still face violence, legal repercussions, and social stigmatization for their involvement. The legal status of sex work is cited by researchers as a crucial factor in the level of violence, abuse by police, human rights violations, and health disparities experienced by sex workers. Recognizing the injustices within this line of work, New Moon Network reminds all sides of the sex work debate that they agree on the primary motivations to expel deep-rooted social inequalities within this space. The initiative uplifts common cause reforms such as record expungement for those penalized for participating in the trade and repealing laws that deter individuals from calling emergency services such as 911, when experiencing a crime against them.
New Moon Network is leading an increasingly crucial social movement to change the way sex workers experience their occupational freedom. In modern-day, this transcends the United States of America as countries across the globe have begun adopting protection measures for industry workers, such as removing criminal penalties for sex workers and their clients via full decriminalization. In particular, the New Zealand Prostitutes’ Collective successfully aided a sex worker in her lengthy legal battle against an older, male employer. Winning the case, the Human Rights Review Tribunal of New Zealand awarded the 22-year-old with financial compensation in a landmark case for sex workers worldwide.
Today, New Moon continues its mission to support grassroots leaders with lived experience, as they navigate policy conversations surrounding sex work and the sex trade. Both Savannah Sly and Melodie Garcia are inspirational voices within this sector, as their work promotes rights and welfare for some of the most marginalized and under-resourced portions of contemporary society at the grassroots level.