Receipts Please! Myths Don't Stand A Chance!

Myth #7: Sex Work Causes Community Decline

From city zoning boards to neighborhood watch meetings, sex work is often blamed for everything from falling property values to rising crime.

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The stereotype of the “red light district” as a breeding ground for danger and disorder is deeply ingrained in public imagination, and its influence stretches far beyond dinner-table gossip or neighborhood complaints.

This myth has directly shaped legislation and policy: city councils pass exclusionary zoning laws that push workers out of sight, police departments justify costly “vice” units and sting operations, and local governments use “community safety” language to increase surveillance and criminal penalties. In reality, these measures do little to improve neighborhoods but succeed in destabilizing the lives of sex workers and low-income residents.

By misinforming the public and lawmakers alike, the myth becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy—fueling over-policing, displacement, and stigma, while masking the true causes of community decline such as poverty, disinvestment, and systemic neglect.

Where This Myth Comes From

This myth has its roots in moral panic and social control. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, reformers and city planners used the presence of sex work as a justification for aggressive policing and urban “clean-up” campaigns. Brothels and street-based work were framed as symbols of moral decay, and later, zoning laws were written to push sex workers out of sight under the guise of protecting “community standards.”

Politicians, developers, and neighborhood associations have continued to weaponize this narrative, using sex work as a convenient scapegoat for larger social problems like poverty, disinvestment, and crime.

Why This Myth Persists

Sex workers remain an easy target because they are highly visible, heavily stigmatized, and criminalized. Instead of tackling systemic issues—like underfunded housing, lack of healthcare, or failing local economies—politicians and community groups often point to sex work as the culprit. Street-based workers, in particular, become symbols of “community decline,” allowing officials to claim they’re restoring safety while actually ignoring the deeper drivers of inequity.

What the Facts Actually Say

Research tells a different story. Multiple studies show that sex work itself does not increase crime or decrease property values. In fact, when sex work is decriminalized and health and safety services are accessible, communities experience less violence and better public health outcomes. On the other hand, crackdowns don’t solve anything—they simply push workers into less visible, less safe areas, making conditions more dangerous for workers without improving neighborhoods.

How the Confusion Causes Harm

Blaming sex workers for community decline does real damage. It justifies over-policing and harassment that destabilize lives rather than build safety. It fuels gentrification, where entire low-income communities—including sex workers—are displaced to make way for wealthier residents. And it diverts attention from the true drivers of neighborhood decline: lack of investment, unemployment, systemic neglect, and poverty.

In other words, it punishes those already struggling while letting policymakers off the hook for addressing root causes.

What Needs to Change

If we want healthier, safer communities, we need to stop treating sex workers as scapegoats and start addressing the real issues. That means investing in housing, healthcare, and economic opportunity—not more policing. It means recognizing that when sex workers can work safely, communities are safer too. And it means building coalitions between sex workers and neighborhood groups, rather than setting them at odds.

👉 Learn more about sex work and community health at SWOPBehindBars.org.