CA state Sen. Scott Wiener (D) introduced a bill this week to repeal a law commonly known as “walking while trans” that advocates say has led to decades of discrimination against the transgender community, particularly Black and brown trans women, reports CNN.
Wiener, drafted SB 357, which would overturn the “loitering for purpose of prostitution” law.
When California’s current anti-loitering code went into effect in 1995, the intention was to make it easier to arrest a person before they engaged in sex work, Wiener said.
Bamby Salcedo, president of the Los Angeles-based TransLatin@ Coalition, says this legislation would help bring an end to some of the multi-faceted levels of oppression faced by her community.
“I do know many trans women who have been arrested after just walking down the street or hanging out with their friends,” Salcedo said. “It’s like a double-edged sword. We experience both institutional and interpersonal violence.”
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