Sex Industry Crisis In Queens, NY

Prostitution Surges in Queens as Liberal Feminism and Policy Failures Enable Sex Trade Expansion

By Ximena Rodríguez-López

Queens, NY – New York City’s ongoing prostitution crisis is reaching new heights, particularly in Queens, where Roosevelt Avenue has once again become a hotspot for street-based sex work. The rise is the direct result of legislative changes, a decline in policing, and the influence of organizations advocating for the decriminalization of prostitution—despite overwhelming evidence that the majority of women in the trade are trafficked, controlled, and abused by male pimps.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch have all pushed for full decriminalization of the sex industry, arguing that regulation would provide protections for those involved. However, the reality on the streets tells a different story. Prostitution in New York has long been tied to organized crime, human trafficking, and systemic abuse, with the majority of sex workers being coerced or forced into the trade rather than participating by choice. Studies have consistently shown that most women in prostitution experience violence, rape, and financial exploitation at the hands of their pimps and buyers—yet these same advocacy organizations continue to push policies that allow the sex trade to thrive.

The resurgence of prostitution in Queens is a direct result of a broader breakdown in policing and enforcement. Annual prostitution-related arrests in NYC have dropped dramatically, from tens of thousands in the 1980s to just over 100 in 2022. In response to feminist advocacy groups who argued that prostituted women should not be criminalized, law enforcement shifted focus to targeting johns (sex buyers) rather than prostitutes—a strategy that, while well-intentioned, has done little to curb the presence of pimps and traffickers who continue to exploit women with impunity.

At the same time, liberal feminism has played a significant role in normalizing prostitution under the banner of “sex work is work.” This ideology, widely pushed by modern feminist groups, ignores the stark reality that the sex industry is built on male power, male profit, and male sexual entitlement. Women in prostitution are overwhelmingly under male control—whether by pimps, traffickers, or the buyers themselves. Yet, calls for full decriminalization serve only to protect the men profiting from the industry, not the women suffering in it.

The collapse of proactive policing, the decriminalization of crimes such as public drinking, urination, and disorderly conduct, and the elimination of cash bail for most offenses have further contributed to the return of visible street prostitution. As the internet pushed much of the trade indoors over the past two decades, law enforcement efforts weakened, allowing traffickers to operate with little fear of consequence. Now, as migrants and vulnerable populations flood the city, the sex trade is once again thriving in the open, with Roosevelt Avenue becoming a well-known hub for illicit activity.

Despite mounting evidence of abuse, coercion, and trafficking, organizations like the ACLU continue to push for policy changes that directly benefit pimps, traffickers, and buyers, under the guise of protecting so-called “sex workers’ rights.” The truth is that violence, control, and male sexual deviancy drive the industry, and as long as full decriminalization remains on the table, the exploitation of women in New York City will only continue to grow.