Shift Calgary

May 4, 2011 - AIDS Calgary Awareness Association (ACAA) would like to formally announce their support of the decriminalization of prostitution. ACAA has recently created a position statement which carefully examines both sides of the decriminalization of prostitution argument including issues such as stigma, public health concerns, deterrence and moral arguments.

ACAA’s Executive Director Simonne LeBlanc has hope that this new policy statement will encourage others to think about valuing all people and broaden conversation of the issue to include males and trans-gendered individuals involved in the sex trade. LeBlanc also states, “We [ACAA] fundamentally believe that those individuals involved in the sex trade who wish to exit should be given every opportunity to do so, and those individuals who choose to stay in the trade should also be allowed the right to do so with their health and safety protected. Our new position statement adopted by our Board of Directors safe guards this belief. We are proud to make our organization’s view points on this issue available to the community.”
ACAA’s recent declaration for the support of the decriminalization of prostitution is also congruent with the beliefs of the Shift program; a program under the ACAA organizational umbrella. Shift is dedicated to providing support, education, outreach and advocacy for those individuals who are currently involved or were previously involved with the sex trade.

This new position statement in support of the decriminalization of prostitution along with ACAA 's position statements on other issues is available online at: http://www.aidscalgary.org/resources/publications.cfm or on Shift's website at http://www.shiftcalgary.org/Page_2.html