New Orleans cops charge prostitutes as sex offenders

[archerships]

New Orleans city police and the district attorney’s office are using a state law written for child molesters to charge hundreds of sex workers like Tabitha as sex offenders. The law, which dates back to 1805, makes it a crime against nature to engage in “unnatural copulation”—a term New Orleans cops and the district attorney’s office have interpreted to mean anal or oral sex. Sex workers convicted of breaking this law are charged with felonies, issued longer jail sentences and forced to register as sex offenders. They must also carry a driver’s license with the label “sex offender” printed on it.

via colorlines.com

Via Dan Lyke/flutterby. Remember this story when you hear a so-called feminist organization claim that anti-prositution laws "help" women.

Posted via web from crasch's posterous

Comments

[easwaran.livejournal.com]

I thought Lawrence v. Texas struck down all those laws!

[radiantsun.livejournal.com]

I think decriminlizing prostitution, would help women more. Not necessarily making it legal.

Anti-prostituion laws seem to make it harder for women who want to get out to get help. At least that is what I ahve observed.

[bigleeh.livejournal.com]

In New Orleans when the police start charging prostitutes in the courts it is often a response to the prostitutes charging the police for services rendered; the police are simply reminding them of the tradition of reciprocal professional courtesy between the two professions.

[seidhr.livejournal.com]

In Texas, if a stripper gets caught by law enforcement touching a guy's shoulder while her clothes are off, she can wind up on the registered sex offender list.

It's messed up, but these perversions of sex offense laws are common.