As the key industry stakeholders of the sex industry, sex workers should be at the forefront of sex industry law reform. When sex worker voices are centred in lawmaking, , we see the application of best-practice, human rights-based approaches to legislating the sex industry.

With closures to strip clubs, brothels, massage parlours and independent work deemed illegal, the world’s oldest profession was forced to reanimate its identity in the online sphere. But what does this rapid shift to OnlyFans mean for workers who fell through the cracks, those who need to stay faceless, or those who don’t possess self marketing and admin skills or have access to resources, let alone excessive lingerie collections and high quality cameras?

Support for workers during major global emergencies should include all workers, with special attention paid to vulnerable and marginalised communities. Rather than supporting these communities, the government is excluding and over-policing them. Sex workers’ organisations are doing as much as they can to stop people falling through the cracks.

In March, the US Senate passed a bill known as the Fight Sex Trafficking Online Act (FOSTA), with ninety-seven votes in favour and only two opposed. This bill and its predecessor, the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA), seek to address widespread concerns about child trafficking in the sex industry by targeting internet platforms deemed to facilitate trafficking, particularly Backpage.