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NEWS FROM THE EAST BAY LIBERTARIAN PARTY
www.eblp.org
August 12th, 2004
Reporters may contact:
Richard Newell, 408-882-4785
media@...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Libertarian Party Endorses Angel's Initiative
Three local Libertarian groups endorse Angel's Initiative, Measure 10 on the November Berkeley ballot
BERKELEY, CA The East Bay and San Francisco affiliates of the Libertarian Party, and the local chapter of the Outright Libertarians, a GLBT oriented caucus, have endorsed Angel's Initiative. Berkeley voters will vote on Angel's Initiative, now designated as Measure 10, in the November elections. Angel's initiative will put Berkeley on record as supporting the decriminalization of prostitution in California, and directs that enforcement of existing prostitution laws shall be given lowest priority by the city.
Curt Cornell, chair of the East Bay Libertarian Party said, "The East Bay Libertarian Party endorses Angel's Initiative. Libertarians are opposed to any government interference in free markets whether domestic or international, local or interstate, even if some people, because of their religious beliefs or for any other reason disapprove of the goods or services offered. People who disagree should censor themselves and leave their neighbors to live by their own conscience. The city of Berkeley and the other cities of California have many more important law enforcement priorities than incarcerating people for mutually voluntary activities."
Christopher Maden, speaking as chair of the Libertarian Party of San Francisco, noted, "There are no victims when everyone involved in an activity participates voluntarily. Instead, by criminalizing prostitution, we create a new group of victims, as sex workers are often unwilling to report real crimes against them, such as assault, rape, or robbery, for fear of being arrested themselves. In addition, coercion into prostitution, such as the cases recently revealed in San Francisco's Sunset neighborhood, is much more likely to occur when all prostitution is forced underground." The Sex Workers Outreach Project, which is sponsoring Measure 10 in Berkeley, has indicated that they plan to introduce Angel's Initiative in San Francisco next.
"What people do in private in their bedrooms, or why they do it, is not a valid concern of the state", said Michael Acree, chair of the Outright Libertarians of the San Francisco Bay Area, "so long as nobody is forced to do anything against their will. Prostitution laws have long been used to persecute gay and bi-sexual sex workers and their clients. We strongly urge the passage of Measure 10 in Berkeley and ultimately the decriminalization of all prostitution, gay and straight, statewide."
About the Libertarian Party
Currently, more than 590 Libertarians hold public office, more than all other third parties combined. During the year 2000, the Libertarian Party ran more than 1430 candidates, more than twice as many as all other third parties combined. The Libertarian Party has affiliate parties in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and organizations at many university and college campuses. The world wide web site of the national Libertarian Party is http://www.lp.org. The web site of the California affiliate is http://ca.lp.org.
About the East Bay Libertarian Party (EBLP)
The EBLP is the affiliate of the Libertarian Party of California that covers Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. The web site of the EBLP is http://www.eblp.org.
About the Libertarian Party of San Francisco (LPSF)
The LPSF is the affiliate of the Libertarian Party of California for the city and county of San Francisco. The web site of the LPSF is http://www.lpsf.org.
About the Outright Libertarians of the San Francisco Bay Area
The Outright Libertarians are a group that promotes Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, and
Transgender issues within the Libertarian Party, and promotes the Libertarian Party within the GLBT community. It has chapters in cities throughout the United States, with one of the most active being the one in the San Francisco Bay Area. See http://www.outrightusa.org for more information.
About the Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP)
Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP) focuses on safety, dignity, diversity and the changing needs of sex industry workers, to foster an environment which enables and affirms individual choices and occupational rights. Their web site is http://www.swopusa.org.
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