In a perfect world, prostitution would be 100% legal tomorrow. But this isn't a perfect world. It is a world filled with people that view prostitution as a direct threat to society.
They think it destroys society by threatening their marriages, spreading diseases, and enslaving women. To them it makes no difference if prostitution does any of those things 99% of the time, 9% of the time, or 0%. They don't even consider the positives of prostitution: Lots of sex, lots of money...what's not to like?
The problem is HOW do you even talk to these people.
Let's look at what progress has been done to repeal the prohibition on another thing that makes people happy. Pro marijuana legalization groups realized that they are and will always be a minority. So to win a majority of votes, they needed to re-frame the issue in a way that the majority could understand. That's how the 'Tax Marijuana just like Alcohol' idea was born. Voters saw dollar signs and hoped that their OWN taxes would go down. They UNDERSTOOD how alcohol was controlled.
Groups advocating the repeal of prostitution prohibition could learn something here. Tell the majority why it is in THEY'RE personal self-interest to repeal prohibition. But IMO, it is even more important to cut a deal and take things in stages.
Here's what I'd do:
I'd start by stating that prostitution will still be illegal for BUYERS (aka MEN). Wives will be cool with this. Then I'd explain that we must make prostitution legal for SELLERS (aka WOMEN) because women that are victims of violence need to be able to report that violence to the police without losing their kids, their income, getting beat up by a pimp, or even killed. Women will sympathize. See what I did there? I just won over women, who make up HALF the population. That's WAY more than the 1%-25%(?) of people involved in the hobby.
Once the issues are split up in the court of public opinion, as they already are legally, then individual laws can be changed. It might even be worth it to increase penalties for men so that they're eliminated for women. But a better bargaining chip would to increase the penalties on pimps because...fuck 'em, they're pimps.
After prostitution prohibition has ended for women, then men get their turn. Ladies first, after all.
I'd also like to see Fornication, Sodomy, and Bawdy House laws ended. I'm looking at you, Utah.