The Los Angeles Red-Light District with AnneMarie Kooistra

The Extreme History Project: The Dirt on the Past

Join us as we have a wide-ranging conversation about the history of red-light districts, including the Los Angeles Red-Light District during the 1920's and 1930's. AnneMarie Kooistra is a historian who has conducted extensive research on the history of prostitution in Los Angeles during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Her research has focused on the red-light district of the city which was located in the heart of downtown LA and was home to a thriving underground economy centered around sex work. Kooistra's work has shed new light on the lives of the women who worked in the LA district, many of whom were immigrants or women of color who faced significant discrimination and marginalization in wider society. She has also explored the social and economic factors that contributed to the growth of the sex trade in LA during this period, as well as the efforts of reformers and social activists to combat prostitution and regulate vice in the city. The conversation wraps up with a discussion about why this history matters today in light of the MMIW and sex trafficking. A BIG thank you to the Western Heritage Center located in Billings, MT for sponsoring this podcast episode!