Boyfriend

The opportunity presented itself where I could get paid a lot of money basically for doing not much, doing something that was fun, an experience. It didn’t pose much of a dilemma, it was never a secret, if I kept it a secret from people I know then it would be a dilemma. But then I’d never come and blurt it out, so I guess it is a secret.

People freak out with the word “prostitute” because of the media manipulation. On top of the issue of closeting sex for money that all workers face, homophobia is an additional issues that boys face.

There’s lots of good things about working. The money, fun, experience, the flamboyance of it. It’s doing something different, something else, something I would have always wanted to try. It’s about crossing boundaries, it’s not just about the money.

When I think about the stigma associated with sex work, I think people are down on sex workers because they are in awe of them. We’re saying “I’m doing what I want to do. I’m not supposed to be doing this because it’s not what society tells me I’m allowed to do.”

I’ve never really thought about the client in terms of the stigma they face, I just think “I was there for him.”

I remember finishing my first job and walking home. I was just beaming. Nothing scared me. People were passing me in the street and I was sniggering to myself, thinking “do you know where I’ve just been? You don’t!”

First published in “Working For A Living” Magazine, Phoenix, Issue 10, page 11, 2003.