The Super Bowl has long been a magnet for sensationalized anti-trafficking narratives that often result in the criminalization of consensual adult sex workers and their clients. However, this year in New Orleans marked a shift—there were no arrests of adult consensual workers or their clients under the usual rhetoric. The Sex Worker Super Bowl Bail Out, typically focused on freeing sex workers impacted by these crackdowns, played a notably different role as the city simply chose not to waste resources on such stings.
This contrasts sharply with 2018 when aggressive strip club raids displaced hundreds of workers, sparking grassroots activism. The BARE NOLA (Bourbon Alliance of Responsible Entertainers) movement, formed by those directly affected, fought back against the crackdown, advocating for safety and labor rights. While many of these organizers have moved on to other projects, they still recall the devastation of club closures, traumatic raids and massive job losses right before Mardi Gras, completely devastating the income of hundreds of sex workers and those they worked with.
The tragic terrorist attack on New Year's Day 2025, where a lone assailant drove into a crowd on Bourbon Street, killing 14 people, profoundly impacted the city's security priorities. In response, officials focused on counter-terrorism over the usual anti-trafficking theatrics. Law enforcement efforts pivoted toward public safety rather than engaging in another round of clashes with sex worker advocates. With support from multiple federal agencies, approximately 2,000 law enforcement officers patrolled New Orleans during the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras. Measures included vehicle restrictions, drone prohibitions, and real-time surveillance. But in typical New Orleans fashion, they made it chill.
Ultimately, New Orleans made a strategic and practical decision to focus on genuine threats rather than engaging in yet another performative crackdown on sex work. Perhaps it was self-preservation after years of backlash, or maybe, just maybe, a sign of shifting attitudes toward harm reduction over criminalization.
In 2019 Chris Ash wrote an open letter calling for four simple things in order to amplify our response to the rhetoric around the Super Bowl nonsense. First, they called to stop arresting sex workers “full stop”.They wrote what we all can’t believe we have to say out loud, demanding that law-enforcement officers stop having sexual contact with sex workers. They then called for greater protection through the provision of immunity for sex workers who report violence against themselves, including exploitation and lastly they requested pathways to clear criminal records for the hundreds upon hundreds of people who had been wrongly convicted as a result of their victimization and criminalization.
In 2024 we look back and we can’t help but note the micro progress impact from these very basic requests. While the end demand folks continue to reincarnate this Zombie myth that arresting more people will end exploitation while it really perpetuates the cycle of poverty that is a root cause of trafficking. Law enforcement has not made a lot of progress on the sexual contact with sex workers thing but since many law enforcement predators have been arrested and successfully prosecuted for it in a few cases, we are cautiously optimistic. And as of 2024 there are 100’s upon 100’s of criminalized survivors in many states stepping forward with valid claims leading to a variety of post conviction relief pathways. So many, in fact, there are not enough lawyers to take these kinds of cases and the ones who do, like Freedom Network USA, are buried in them. These are, without question, positive small steps in the right direction. And in a world where we get to celebrate very much change, as exhausted Harm Reductionists, we embrace any positive change, no matter how small. As individuals, we want to pull our hair out, but here we are.
The Work Will Continue
Local organizations in New Orleans and around the United States like Operation Restoration, Women With a Vision, the Stop The Raids Committee and Woodhull Freedom Foundation contributed a great deal and have always been our allies in this effort. We are deeply grateful to them for their labor. It is alliances and coalitions working together, each bringing to the table a unique perspective, different skills and viewpoints, a variety of messaging and a desire to serve that can only be the result of diverse lived experience.
The anti-sex worker lobby didn’t disappear into the pre-game festivities. And yes, we said anti-sex worker instead of anti-trafficking on purpose - daily briefings at the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s office—featuring excellent food—hosted Nordic Model advocates, law enforcement acronyms galore, and reporters with little to report when it came to a spike in trafficking that simply didn’t happen.
The fight for sex worker rights is far from over, but moments like these remind us that change is possible when we stand together, push back against harmful narratives, and demand policies rooted in harm reduction instead of criminalization. The absence of mass arrests in New Orleans this year is not just a coincidence—it’s the result of relentless advocacy, coalition-building, and a refusal to accept the status quo. But our work doesn’t stop here. In fact, on Thursday of last week Reason Magazine reported the entire state of California boasted 547 arrests made during a purported Human Trafficking sting that yielded no traffickers but forever changed the lives of hundreds of entire families that very well may face job losses, the breakup of families and perpetuate the cycle of poverty which puts more young people at risk of exploitation, violence and criminalization. This is a stark reminder that this battle isn’t over.
SWOP Behind Bars will continue to support incarcerated and criminalized sex workers, fight for post-conviction relief, and push for policies that prioritize safety and dignity over punishment. Your donation directly funds the national hotline, bailouts, legal assistance, and reentry support for those most impacted by criminalization. Join us in making a real difference—donate today and help us continue the fight for justice and human rights.
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