If you really care about the safety of sex workers like me, let us make our own choices
When I tell people I’m an escort, they sometimes react strangely. “Wow, I’ve never met someone like you,” they say. Then, before I can reply, they simply start talking. They tell me what they think about sex work, how I should do my job, what age I should retire, and how safe they believe my work is, without pause for breath.
It’s often clear they don’t have the facts. I’d be happy to set them straight ... if only they’d ask.
This month, the Victorian government is debating the sex work decriminalisation bill 2021 in parliament, and it seems everybody has an opinion. But if you want people like me to have safe working conditions, you need to listen to the real workplace health and safety experts – sex workers themselves.
When it comes to sex work, fact is much less strange than fiction. Television, movies and the media suggest that the sex industry is rife with drama and misadventure. Anti-sex-work activists take advantage of society’s cultural discomfort around sex by describing scenes of degradation and abuse that evoke a sympathetic horror.
But I’ve worked in this industry for 12 years, offering intimate and companionate services to people from all walks of life, and my experiences have shown me that sex work really is just another type of service-based business, if somewhat specialised.
This mismatch between public perception and reality means that the people I meet in everyday life often don’t understand my job. But they feel uncomfortable admitting it, so they rehash those same negative tropes as they talk over me, wanting to appear knowledgeable and show that they care. They assume I’m in need of their expertise, not realising that I’m already an expert.
In many ways, sex workers are the ultimate experts in workplace safety. Our health, wealth and happiness all rely on our ability to select the clients that are right for us, handle privacy and security, negotiate consent, and manage safer sex practices. All of this requires specialised skills – stuff that eludes even trained health professionals. Sex workers also excel at sharing support: we provide each other with the tools and information we need, both informally and via peer-run organisations (such as Victoria’s Vixen Collective).
The key to workplace safety is allowing sex workers to make the choices that are right for them. To do this, we need full decriminalisation of the sex industry. This means the removal of all sex-work-specific criminal and licensing laws, and no special police powers that can be used to target sex workers. Under this approach, we follow the same rules and regulations as any other type of business.
In Victoria, full decriminalisation would remove misguided laws that force us to act against our best interests. This means, for example, that I could choose to see clients at my home rather than having to travel to their house or hotel.
It means I’d be able to communicate clearly in my advertisements, so that customers wouldn’t make assumptions about which services I offer. Under full decriminalisation, all kinds of sex workers – including those who are often judged and marginalised, such as street-based sex workers – would be able to make the individual choices that help keep them safe.
The Victorian government’s current plans for reform are a step in the right direction, but not quite a home run. Although the bill decriminalises most kinds of sex work, it still leaves streetbased workers behind, with laws in place that make them vulnerable to persecution by law enforcement and limit their ability to choose where and how they work.
I love the fact that regular people I meet every day take an interest in my wellbeing. But guesswork isn’t the answer. If you really care, ask sex workers what they need. It’s OK to admit you don’t know, and there are plenty of professionals such as me who would be delighted to fill you in on the realities of this specialised kind of service. It’s time to recognise that sex workers are the ultimate experts – we understand what’s needed to stay happy and healthy on the job.
• Georgie Wolf is a writer, sex educator and sex worker. She is the author of ethical dating guide The Art of the Hook Up and the founder of the Satisfaction Project
Street-based sex workers are vulnerable to law enforcement persecution and limited in choosing where and how they work