Advocates Worry About Sex Worker

Sex worker advocates are expressing concern about the representation and fate of a prostitute allegedly hired by Governor Spitzer.

Several groups — including Sex Workers Action New York, the Sex Workers Outreach Project NYC, Sex Workers Outreach Project-USA, and Prostitutes of New York — said the prostitute, identified in court papers as "Kristen," has been dragged into the scandal and subjected to public humiliation. The groups also said the scandal underscores the need for legislation to protect the rights of sex workers. Law enforcement officials arrest disproportionately more prostitutes than individuals who purchase their services.

"Every single sex worker, regardless of whether they're working on the street or at the Mayflower Hotel, faces discrimination and oppression in our society," a founding member of Sex Workers Action New York, Madeleine Dash, said. Sex workers "don't have knowledge of their rights."

Sex workers said Mr. Spitzer's disclosure was ironical because he took a lead role in developing New York's anti-trafficking law.

In a statement circulated by sex worker advocates, a 26-year-old Brooklyn woman who identified herself as a sex worker said "many" of her clients are lawmakers, attorneys, and police officers. She raised a question others have asked in recent days when referring to Mr. Spitzer: "Why do they think they won't get caught breaking the laws they make?"