Rep. Ro Khanna to Reintroduce Bill to Study FOSTA/SESTA Effects

Rep. Ro Khanna to Reintroduce Bill to Study FOSTA/SESTA Effects

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) has announced he is planning to re-introduce a bill to study the effects that FOSTA-SESTA legislation has had on sex workers' safety, rights and issues.

Khanna told Capitol Hill news site Roll Call that the bill — which he first introduced during the last Congress and was supported by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in the Senate — was inspired by what he saw as a lack of representation of sex worker voices in the legislative process.

“There’s no politician who gains political currency for standing up for the voices of sex workers,” Khanna told Roll Call. “They’re not a voting bloc, they’re not a donor bloc, lobbyists don’t represent them on Capitol Hill. And they were just totally shut out. They were simply invisible.”

Roll Call also interviewed sex workers’ advocate Kate D’Adamo, a partner with the organization Reframe Health and Justice, who explained that “there are so many people advocating for the criminalization of the sex industry, whether it’s law enforcement or religious movements, folks who think they can criminalize the sex industry out of existence,”

“They have people on the Hill meeting with offices regularly, and sex workers don’t,” D’Adamo added.

A Crucial Context for Section 230 Reform

Sex worker advocates have pointed out that their voices and experiences are crucial to frame the current bipartisan debates on making further changes to Section 230 protections. FOSTA/SESTA was conceived as a Section 230 exemption, and drafted by religiously inspired Midwestern Republicans like Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.) who said it was the “most effective way to ensure websites can no longer traffic children with impunity.”

Khanna’s bill from last year was called “The SESTA/FOSTA Examination of Secondary Effects for Sex Workers Study Act” (aka the "SAFE SEX Workers Study Act") and would have required the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct a study on sex workers' health and safety, particularly how they've been affected by the 2018 passage of FOSTA-SESTA.

Last month, Roll Call reported, sex worker groups signed a letter from more than 70 organizations to the Biden administration and Congress “warning that further changes to Section 230 would do more harm to already at-risk communities than it would to embattled social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter.”

The organizations recommended passing Khanna’s bill to study the effects of FOSTA-SESTA before making any fundamental changes to Section 230 protections.

“It’s a cautionary tale,” Khanna told Roll Call. “Could you craft reforms to Section 230 that I could get behind? Yes. But we have to be thoughtful and understand that we may not be able to anticipate all the consequences.”

To read “Sex Workers, Sidelined in Last Section 230 Debate, Seek a Seat at the Table,” visit Roll Call.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

TeamSkeet, MYLF Launch New Website 'Pervz'

Sister studios TeamSkeet and MYLF have launched a new website, Pervz.com.

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches for January, February

AEBN has announced the top search terms for January and February from its straight and gay theaters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Porn Fidelity Signs Exclusive Partnership Deal With NMG Management

Adult studio Porn Fidelity has signed an exclusive partnership deal with brand management firm NMG Management.

Nigeria to Ban All Porn Websites, Penalize Non-Compliant ISPs

Nigeria's House of Representatives on Tuesday directed its telecom regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), to immediately block all porn websites across the country and to enforce that ban.

FSC Launches Action Modal for Adult Sites to Fight AV Laws

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has launched its new action modal web script for adult websites to help combat state age verification legislation.

SkyPrivate Announces New Communications Options

SkyPrivate has announced new communications options as alternatives to Skype, which Microsoft is retiring in May.

Cruel Reell Joins Pineapple Support as Supporter-Level Sponsor

Cruel Reell has joined the ranks of over 60 adult businesses and organizations committing funds and resources to Pineapple Support.

TEAs Show Hosts Defiant Celebration as Community Unites Amid Uncertainty

There was celebration in the air at the 2025 Trans Erotica Awards on Sunday night, but beneath the evening's festivities ran a strong undercurrent of defiance.

2025 TEAs Winners Announced

Winners of the 2025 Trans Erotica Awards (TEAs) were revealed Sunday night during an invitation-only event at Avalon nightclub in Hollywood.

NYU Study Finds Age Verification Laws Don't Work

A group of university researchers has published a study whose findings suggest that age verification laws are ineffective at achieving their stated goal of preventing minors from accessing adult content.

Show More