Arizona Congressional Candidate Once Backed Legal Prostitution So Trans People Can ‘Provide For Themselves’
A Democrat seeking an Arizona congressional seat once backed decriminalizing prostitution so transgender people could earn a paycheck, according to footage.
JoAnna Mendoza voiced that position during a 2020 Zoom interview with Michael Soto, president of Equality Arizona, according to the New York Post (NYP). The nonprofit’s leader asked Mendoza if she would move to “decriminalize sex work for sex workers” after claiming “trans folks” often must resort to prostitution. The then-Arizona state senate candidate said she supported legalizing prostitution and called for the end of allegedly “discriminatory laws and practices” and helping the “LGTBQ community” secure employment, according to the footage. Mendoza is running to unseat Republican Arizona Rep. Juan Ciscomani in November.
“[S]ometimes the only work available to folks, especially trans folks, especially trans women of color, is sex work. Would you work to decriminalize sex work for sex workers, knowing that discrimination is so pervasive in our employment sector, in the formal employment sector, and because people should not be discriminated against because of the circumstances they hav e to live under?” Soto asked in the interview.
Mendoza answered, “Right. Yes. And that’s, you know, once again it’s important to ensure that there’s access to the resources, the support networks, the social services, access to health care.”
She tied her support to ending what she called discriminatory laws, according to the footage. “Eliminating the discriminatory practices and laws so that every individual has the opportunity to be able to provide for themselves. We need to stop criminalizing people for their situations, and, you know, folks don’t want to go down that path, but […] no other choice, and they have to. And that is the — it’s heartbreaking to me that folks find themselves in these situations that they have no way out of. So to me, I would definitely like to see more services, social services and resources and support networks in place for the LGBTQ community so that they can have access to employment that would allow them to live their best lives,” Mendoza said.
Mendoza also reportedly agreed when asked if offenses such as jaywalking or spitting should be decriminalized, according to the NYP. The video has reportedly been pulled from Equality Arizona’s social media. (RELATED: California’s Most Degenerate Lawmaker Listens Stone-Faced As Man Describes Horrors Of Minor Trans Procedures)
Republicans addressed the resurfaced remarks. “Democrat lobbyist Joanna Mendoza has got her priorities completely backwards,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Ben Petersen said in a statement. He alleged that she fixated on legalizing prostitution rather than cutting costs for residents worried about drug use and crime.
The Democrat candidate brings a military background to the race. She enlisted at 17 and served as a drill sergeant and gunnery sergeant in the Marine Corps and served in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Tucson Spotlight reported. Neither Mendoza nor her GOP opponent, Ciscomani, face challengers within their own parties ahead of the July 21 primary, the Tuscon Sentinel reported.
The contest carries national weight. Arizona’s 6th District ranks among an estimated 18 toss-up races nationwide, according to the Cook Political Report. Ciscomani held the seat in 2024 by fewer than 11,000 votes, and Democrats need only three additional seats to seize the House majority, AZPM reported.
Mendoza has raised more than $5.3 million since launching her bid, Federal Election Commission filings show. She has received backing from Democratic Arizona Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego.
Equality Arizona describes itself as an LGBTQ+ nonprofit in Arizona focused on human and civil rights.
The Daily Caller has reached out to JoAnna Mendoza’s campaign and Equality Arizona for comment.
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