Is Prostitution Legal in Boston?
No, prostitution itself is illegal throughout Massachusetts, including Boston. The state criminalizes the exchange of sex for money or other forms of payment under General Laws Chapter 272, Sections 53A (Engaging in Sexual Conduct for a Fee) and 53B (Common Night Walker). While there are ongoing debates about decriminalization, the current law treats selling and buying sex as criminal offenses, often resulting in fines or arrest.
However, enforcement priorities and approaches have shifted significantly over time. Police may sometimes focus more on buyers (“johns”) or target situations involving exploitation or trafficking rather than individual consensual transactions, though this varies. Massachusetts also has laws specifically targeting human trafficking (Chapter 265, Section 50) and promoting minors for sexual services (Chapter 272, Section 4B), which carry far more severe penalties.
Where Did Sex Work Historically Occur in Boston?
The most infamous historical area was the “Combat Zone,” centered on Washington Street between Boylston and Kneeland Streets. From the late 1960s to the late 1980s, this designated adult entertainment district was characterized by strip clubs, adult theaters, peep shows, and visible street-based sex work. City policies concentrated adult businesses here in an attempt to contain them, but it became associated with high crime, drug use, and decay.
Redevelopment efforts starting in the 1980s dramatically transformed the area. Land was seized via eminent domain, theaters and clubs were demolished, and new developments like the Lafayette Place mall (now part of Millennium Place) and residential buildings replaced them. While some adult businesses lingered nearby or moved to Chinatown’s fringes for a time, the concentrated, visible street-level sex trade largely dissipated from downtown. Today, activity is less centralized and more dispersed or moved online.
What Safety Risks Do Sex Workers Face in Boston?
Sex workers in Boston face significant safety risks including violence, exploitation, arrest, and health issues. Criminalization forces many into dangerous situations to avoid police detection, limiting their ability to screen clients, negotiate terms safely, or report crimes without fear of arrest themselves.
Violence from clients, pimps, or traffickers is a major concern. Sex workers are disproportionately targeted for assault, rape, robbery, and even homicide. The risk is often higher for street-based workers, transgender individuals, people of color, and those struggling with substance use. Lack of legal recourse means many assaults go unreported. Additionally, criminalization creates barriers to accessing essential healthcare, stable housing, and financial services, exacerbating vulnerability.
Where Can Sex Workers Find Support and Resources in Boston?
Several Boston organizations offer crucial support, harm reduction, and advocacy specifically for sex workers. Access to non-judgmental services is vital for health and safety.
What Health Services Are Available?
Sidney Borum Jr. Health Center provides inclusive healthcare, including STI/HIV testing and treatment, hormone therapy, and mental health support, specifically welcoming LGBTQ+ youth and young adults, including those involved in sex work. The Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) offers free and confidential STI testing and treatment at various locations citywide, along with harm reduction supplies like condoms and naloxone. SPOT (Supportive Place for Observation and Treatment) provides immediate medical care for individuals under the influence.
What About Advocacy and Direct Support?
St. James Infirmary (SJI), though based elsewhere, has strong connections and resources often used by Boston sex workers. Local harm reduction groups like Access: Drug User Health Program focus on supporting people who use drugs, a population that overlaps significantly with sex workers. Rosie’s Place offers shelter, meals, advocacy, and resources specifically for women experiencing poverty and homelessness, including those involved in sex work. The Massachusetts Sex Worker Ally Network advocates for policy change and provides community support.
How Has the Internet Changed Sex Work in Boston?
The internet has largely replaced street-based solicitation and transformed how sex work operates in Boston. Online platforms allow workers to advertise services discreetly, screen clients more effectively (though not perfectly), set terms remotely, and arrange meetings in private locations like hotels or apartments (incall/outcall). This shift has reduced the visibility of street-based work but hasn’t eliminated it.
However, this shift brings new challenges. Platforms like Backpage were shut down, and laws like FOSTA-SESTA make it risky for websites to host adult service ads, pushing communication to encrypted apps or riskier, less moderated spaces. Online work still carries risks of scams, stalking, “blacklists” that may be inaccurate, and law enforcement sting operations conducted online. Digital evidence also complicates legal situations if arrests occur.
What Are the Arguments For and Against Decriminalization?
Decriminalization is fiercely debated, centering on reducing harm versus concerns about exploitation.
What Do Supporters of Decriminalization Argue?
Supporters, including many sex worker rights organizations and public health experts, argue that criminalization creates the primary dangers sex workers face. They believe decriminalization (removing criminal penalties for consensual adult sex work) would allow workers to:
- Work more safely indoors and screen clients effectively.
- Report violence and exploitation to police without fear of arrest.
- Access healthcare, banking, and housing without stigma or legal barriers.
- Organize for better working conditions and rights.
They point to models like New Zealand, where decriminalization has been linked to improved worker safety and health outcomes without increasing trafficking.
What Are the Main Objections?
Opponents, often including some feminist groups and anti-trafficking organizations, argue that decriminalization normalizes exploitation and increases demand, potentially fueling sex trafficking. They favor the “Nordic Model” (criminalizing buyers but not sellers) to reduce demand and provide exit services for sellers. Others oppose any form of legalization/decriminalization on moral grounds. Critics of the Nordic Model argue it still pushes the trade underground and makes it harder for workers to negotiate safely with clients.
How Can Someone Seeking to Exit Sex Work Find Help in Boston?
Boston offers several pathways for individuals seeking to leave sex work, focusing on holistic support. Transitioning out requires addressing the complex factors that led to involvement, such as poverty, trauma, addiction, or lack of opportunity.
My Life My Choice provides intensive prevention and intervention services for exploited youth. The Victim Rights Law Center offers free legal services to survivors of sexual assault, including trafficking victims. Local domestic violence shelters (e.g., Casa Myrna, Elizabeth Stone House) often have experience supporting survivors of commercial sexual exploitation. Job training programs like Roca or Jewish Vocational Service (JVS) can help build new skills. Substance use treatment centers across the city are essential resources. Accessing housing support through the City of Boston’s Office of Housing Stability or shelters like Pine Street Inn is often a critical first step.
What’s the Difference Between Sex Work and Sex Trafficking?
The key distinction is consent versus coercion. Sex work, as defined by advocates, involves adults consensually exchanging sexual services for money or goods. Sex trafficking, a severe form of human trafficking, involves the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for a commercial sex act through the use of force, fraud, or coercion. If the person induced to perform such an act is under 18 years old, it is considered trafficking regardless of the presence of force, fraud, or coercion.
Criminalization often conflates the two, making it harder for consenting workers to access safety and for true trafficking victims to be identified and helped. Anti-trafficking efforts focus on prosecuting traffickers and providing comprehensive services to victims, while sex worker rights movements focus on labor rights, safety, and decriminalization for consensual adult transactions.
