Sonia Ossorio – National Organization of Women (NOW) – “Zohran Mamdani doesn’t highlight it in his campaign materials, but the 33-year-old mayoral candidate has endorsed a radical policy that would turn New York City into the nation’s first testing site for a fully open, decriminalized sex trade — where men would be free to buy sex without any fear of law enforcement interference and promoting prostitution would be a protected business venture.
It’s clear he hasn’t thought this through. A decriminalized commercial sex market would lead to a range of devastating social consequences. One of the most immediate impacts would be the expansion of street prostitution, gang activity, drug sales and violence.
New York City would become a sex tourism destination attracting men from across the metropolitan area — and even from international locales flocking to the city to buy sex much like Times Square prior to the mid-1990s, only this time, it’s legally protected.
De facto prostitution zones and pop-up brothels would depress real estate values and increase the strain on our overburdened city already grappling with affordability and quality-of-life issues.”
