Hawaii’s Speaker of the House has introduced a bill that would decriminalize prostitution.

The bill would make it legal to buy sex and to act as a pimp. It would also make it legal for police officers to have sex with prostitutes during the course of an investigation.

The Associated Press notes that trans activist Tracy Ryan is trying to convince state lawmakers to pass the bill “because transgender women are overrepresented in the sex trade and therefore disproportionately affected by criminalization laws.”

“I don’t like seeing people sent to jail that don’t belong there,” Ryan says.

When interviewed, Joseph Souki, Hawaii’s House Speaker, said he doesn’t have a position on the bill but actually just introduced it as a favor for Ryan.

Also in the works is a bill to decriminalize marijuana in the state.

BRB, we’re moving to Hawaii.

(Header image via Flickr user Alan Light)