We Live in the Grey

“And, after all, there was nothing wrong with sex. I had no need for shame. Society dictated that sex was only licensed by marriage documents, Well, I didn’t agree with that. Society is a conglomerate of human beings, and that’s just what I was. A human being.”

— Maya Angelou, Gather in My Name

Debate about Decriminalization

The above trailer previews my short documentary exploring the conversation around the decriminalization of sex work in Washington, D.C. The DC City Council had the first hearing on decriminalization in the country in October of 2019.

On the Street at 12th and Massachusetts Avenue, NW.

Her spine straightened and she turned to face me fully, her calf muscles flexing to accommodate the change in movement. Beneath a set of fake lashes, her eyes hardened with purpose as she started to give voice to the frustration of having the police “be hot” in the area. She emphatically stated she needed to be home when she was done working for the night around 7:30 am to be with her three children who relied on her. She told me she just wanted to be a good mom to her ten, eight, and almost two-year-old who don’t know how she makes her income. Being arrested could put that in peril. She would have to rely on her pimp not only to bail her out but also to cover her absence at home while she would have to deal with the demeaning experience of being treated like a criminal.

When discussing her kids, the face of the sex worker I encountered visibly lit up as she described her two-year-old’s giggle and propensity to crawl all over the apartment. As time edged into the early morning, the trees around us bristled at the wind and the night chill. It was after 3:00 am when we started to discuss the dangerous nature of the job. She crossed her arms, slumping her shoulders together in a protective stance. Looking into a vague spot in the distance she recalled a time when she got into a car with a client, not knowing he was wanted for murder. She wondered aloud “how could she have known?” She has to take a chance on every client and for the most part, the transaction happens without issue, but when there is danger, it is life and death. She recalled feeling incredibly blessed that there had been a cop parked up the block that had tagged the license plate. Only through the fortuitous circumstances of a cop sitting on the street having discovered the identity of the wanted man was she able to escape. He intervened in order to arrest him and she avoided an unthinkable situation. She shivered slightly, whether, from the memory or the wind, I do not know. She dropped her arms and stood straight again. What if that cop hadn’t intervened because she had chosen to do something illegal?