On December 22, 2025, CUSP — Community United for Safety and Protection — filed a lawsuit in Alaska Superior Court challenging the constitutionality of Alaska’s prostitution statute.
Case No.: 3AN-25-11371CI
This is a big step. Not because we love courtrooms (we don’t), but because we’re tired of watching the same cycle play out: stigma → criminalization → increased danger → silence → more harm.
This lawsuit asks the court to permanently stop enforcement of AS 11.66.100(a)(1). The law that criminalizes consensual adult sex for a fee.
We’re represented by attorney Megan M. Rowe, and the defendants named in the suit are Attorney General Stephen J. Cox and Department of Public Safety Commissioner James Cockrell in their official capacities.
So what is this actually about?
At its core, this case is about privacy, equal protection, and safety.
CUSP argues that Alaska’s prostitution statute violates the Alaska Constitution’s right to privacy (Article I, Section 22) by intruding into private, consensual adult decisions about bodily autonomy, without a compelling government reason.
We also argue it violates equal protection because the law doesn’t apply equally. In practice, this hits the people who are already the easiest to punish: people who are poor, marginalized, housing-insecure, battling addiction, trying to survive, or living under the weight of stigma that follows them everywhere.
And yes people hear “prostitution statute” and assume this is about morality.
It’s not. This is about how the law functions in real life and the reality is that criminalization doesn’t “solve” sex work. It just makes it riskier.
The part people don’t like to talk about
The complaint also raises a hard, ugly issue. What law enforcement is allowed to do in the name of investigating prostitution.
The lawsuit describes what it alleges is state-authorized sexual misconduct including investigative practices that allow undercover officers to engage in sexual acts or sexual contact with suspects to obtain evidence.
The complaint calls this state-sanctioned sexual assault and argues it shocks the conscience.
We are saying plainly. No state should be allowed to use sex as a weapon, humiliation as a tactic, and coercion as “evidence gathering.”
That shouldn’t be controversial. But here we are.
Why CUSP is doing this
CUSP exists to protect the health, safety, and dignity of people impacted by the sex trade in Alaska, including current and former sex workers and sex trafficking survivors.
We do this work because we know what criminalization does. It pushes people into isolation. It makes it harder to screen clients. It makes it harder to work together. It makes it harder to report violence. It makes it harder to ask for help because help can come with handcuffs. It kills us.
And when people can’t protect themselves openly, violence gets easier.
The lawsuit also points to research showing that decriminalization improves public health and can foster safer cooperation between workers and law enforcement. That’s what “public safety” should actually mean.
What we’re asking the court to do
We are asking the court to declare AS 11.66.100(a)(1) unconstitutional and to stop enforcement of the law.
This isn’t about creating chaos. It’s about correcting a system that creates harm and then pretends it’s protection.
Where things stand right now
Right now, we’re waiting for the other side to respond in Case No. 3AN-25-11371CI. As soon as there’s movement we can responsibly share, we’ll update the public.
Why you should care (even if you think this has nothing to do with you)
Because this case isn’t just about one law.
It’s about whether Alaska can keep using stigma as policy.
It’s about whether the state can treat certain people as disposable.
It’s about what we allow to happen to human beings under the excuse of “public safety.”
CUSP is doing this because we believe safety is a right not a reward for being respectable.
If you want to follow along, share this post, and keep up with updates, stay connected with us.
Website: sextraffickingalaska.com
Email: cuspalaska@gmail.com
