Today, sex workers are still a vilified demographic in our society, despite the integral role that they play in it. They’re still targeted by police , and often unable to go to the police themselves when they face violence or danger, for fear of arrest. Politicians still use sex work — often incorrectly conflating it with sex trafficking — as a hot-button issue to collect votes on a platform of moral superiority. Systems that are in place to facilitate safer conditions for sex workers are still constantly under attack. There are actual laws in New York City that allow police to use condoms as evidence of prostitution and arrest women carrying them — essentially forcing sex workers to choose between decreasing their chance of arrest and using protection with clients. The recent censoring of Backpage , a move made by the company itself to protest what it views as an attack on its right to free speech, has driven sex work further underground, making it even more dangerous.