Within research and the
current debate about sex work , there exists a gap in our knowledge
and understanding of the male sex worker as a distinct group. The
feminist ideology that dominates so much of the sex work discourse in
the west, chooses to present sex work as being only about women
selling sex to men. If and when acknowledged, male and indeed trans
sex workers, are recognised only within this politically motivated
narrative of female submission to dominant male sexual desire. The
complex and varied experiences within the male sex work narrative
have too often been reduced to a caricature of a feminised boy, to
assimilate easily within this politicised perspective of sex work.
The arrival of “Male Sex Work And Society” therefore is a welcome
addition to a growing academic and political awakening to the male
sex worker as being a distinctive subject with a history and culture
deserving of recognition.
The book is a
collection of research by noted academics and specialists in sexual
health and LGBT studies. Despite being a substantial book, it is
easily accessible and each chapter carries its own section of
references. The topics are wide ranging, from a history of male sex
work, the influence of culture on how male sex work is engaged,
perceived and legislated to how sex workers and clients interact.
Continents and countries are dealt with individually, giving a
perspective on male sex work in the United States, Africa, Russia,
Western Europe, China and so forth. Stigma, political and religious
prejudice and their consequences are discussed.
The problems faced by
male sex workers especially in parts of Africa and Russia, where a
growing intolerance and violence toward the LGBT community has
created an especially hostile environment, is engaged at length, in
the book. Interviews with sex workers and their clients are included
too, which gives an authenticity to the research which very often is
missing within academic works. How sex workers feel about themselves,
how they understand and relate to their work, their aspirations and
fears are discussed and referenced extensively. Clients are also
interviewed and it is interesting to note the cultural differences,
but also the similarities.
A chapter on male sex
work and male sexual identity in Latin America was especially
fascinating. Research done by Victor Munichello, Tinashe Dune, Carlos
Disogra and Rodrigo Marino in chapter 15, “Male Sex Work From A
Latin American Perspective” discusses the influence of Catholicism
and the family, in defining male sexual identity and how male sex
workers accommodate and work within those boundaries. Another chapter
on “Male Sex Work In China” by Travis S K Kong, in his research
into the “Money Boy,” again reflects the influence of culture and
politics on how male sex workers identify and work.
I
especially enjoyed the fact that research concentrated on sex work as
a business with reference being made to a variety of marketing
strategies used by male sex workers. Inevitably awareness and
reality of class within societies was also reflected within the sex
work dichotomy, emphasising the influence that education and social
background has helped in optimising earning potential.
The male sex worker in
literature and in cinema has its own chapter and within a western
context, the development of the male sex worker is referenced and
traced within a context of a growing acceptance of sexual diversity
within greater society. Sexual health is naturally discussed
extensively, referencing the negative affects of politics and
culture, of criminalisation, on accessing health services and for
health specialists to monitor sexual health among sex workers.
The importance of
accessing and educating sex workers to help stop the spread of HIV is
discussed. Criminalisation of sex workers especially affects the
sexual health and awareness of those sex workers with social
disadvantages, be that addiction or lack of education, or who are
migrant and who may not speak the host countrys language and are quite often illegal. Those sex workers are the most at risk of
infection.
I concur with the
general consensus in the book that sexual health and social support
for male sex workers in general is secondary to that on offer for
female sex workers. This point in conclusion brings me to my only
criticism. As a more mature sex worker I noted little reference to
older male sex workers, to the wide age age range that exists within
male sex work. The emphasis in the book concurred with the common
perception that male sex work is predominately young boys and men.
From my perspective, advertising extensively throughout the UK and
beyond, this is not the case. I also would have liked
to have seen more references to men selling sex to women. This is an
area of sex work which is beginning to be recognised and researched.
I have a feeling that society may be in for a quite a surprise at the findings.
The book is available for purchase at Amazon UK and is published by Harrington Park Press. I would personally like to thank the publishers of the book for recognising my own blog and contribution to the sex industry and for asking me for my unbiased opinion on it's content.
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