What would NYC look like if Mamdani decriminalized prostitution?

October 8, 2025 | 5:15pm

With only a few weeks to go before November’s election, Mayoral frontrunner and Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani has been wishy-washy on what decriminalized prostitution could look like in the Big Apple.
Mamdani has long called to decriminalize sex work and, as a state assemblyman, co-sponsored a bill to lift criminal penalties from some prostitution offenses.
So if Mamdani were to become mayor in November and move forward with a decriminalization plan, what would that look like in NYC? The Post sat down with the Manhattan Institute’s investigative reporter Adam Lehodey to find out what kind of effects prostitution decriminalization would bring to the city.