Sex workers and advocates have been fighting to decriminalize sex trade for a long time, but now the push is getting renewed national attention. Presidential candidates have started to take a position on the topic, and some states are proposing bills that could decriminalize certain sex work.A few weeks ago, Washington, D.C. saw a public hearing on a controversial bill that would eliminate criminal penalties for selling or buying sex in the state. If the bill passes, D.C. would become the only U.S. jurisdiction to allow prostitution.

There’s a lot of tension between allies and critics of a bill like this and we spoke to Anna North, a senior reporter at Vox, to understand what the decriminalization of sex work actually means in practice.

The Takeaway also spoke to a sex worker in the field about her experience in the criminalized industry. Monica Jones is a black trans sex worker and advocate, and founder of The Outlaw Project.