Carrying three or more condoms in Washington, D.C. isn’t a sign that you’re a responsible adult who has a big night ahead of you, instead it could mean you’re a prostitute. Police in D.C. are setting up “Prostitution Free Zones,” in which officers can arrest anyone they suspect of being a sex worker. And the police have been accused of using the number of condoms a person has in their possession as an indication of their intent to sell sex. While this law can be a nuisance to people who aren’t in the sex trade (condoms are often sold in packs of three), it really is dangerous to sex workers because it forces them to abandon safe sex practices, which puts their health and that of the public at risk. D.C. has HIV/AIDS rates greater than a severe epidemic. And this law will make matters worse because prostitutes, who are often controlled by pimps, will be further criminalized and won’t seek medical attention for fear of being arrested. Sadly, this practice has also been adopted by police in San Francisco and New York City. [Change.org]
