FTM Zachary Prince

Yeah, women who escort face a lot of extra danger, so it’s been necessary for the industry to develop these practices to make things safer & more sustainable. I’m not really willing to give up my screening practices yet, but I’m trying to understand how to adapt them to the gay escort world to make my services more accessible to people who aren’t comfortable providing me their legal identity. I’m transgender and my legal name is a real nightmare for me; I would be too turned off to ever give it to a provider if I hired, so I have a certain level of sympathy for clients who don’t feel comfortable giving theirs, even if the circumstances are different. I happily accept references in lieu of legal identity, but I’ve been curious whether gay escorts even exchange references or if trying to ask for them would be perceived as competition & a lost cause to pursue. Will probably start a thread about that sometime.

Sounds kinky!

OK, first of all, just to clue you in, the OP is not mine. I agree with some aspects of it and disagree with other aspects, which I’ve explained in my earlier comments. I’m not going to offer “evidence” that I’ve taught a business model that has allowed some people to command $800 an hour consistently. But I have. If you don’t believe me, so be it. That’s your prerogative.

Yes, almost all of them do. It is industry standard. Not to necessarily conduct “background checks”, but they have their own private verification networks and procedures, plus the mere possession of someone’s identity is a form of protection in and of itself. For example, there is an ability to file a court order against someone whose name you possess. So there is more of a focus on confirming that the client legitimately is who he says he is, and that he hasn’t already been reported as a dangerous client, than in running a full background check. If he is allowed to book under an alias, he could be dodging previous reports of dangerous behaviour toward other escorts. But every escort’s procedures may vary. Most feel safer just knowing that they have the client’s identity and find that their clients are less likely to behave in ridiculously inappropriate ways when he doesn’t feel anonymous. Some do allow clients to book anonymously (using a reputable forum handle or email address) by checking references from other escorts who the client has met. That’s also a standard practice and may be employed instead of or in addition to verifying a client’s identity. Doesn’t seem like gay escorts have much of a reference-sharing practice as far as I can tell? Or maybe only privately among friend groups.

Amazing how you can literally put words and ideas in my mouth that I never expressed. I said that CLIENTS expect flawless professionalism and absolute discretion when they book escorts who charge a premium. What type of logic are you employing that leads you to interpret that as me saying that your $225 escorts are not flawlessly professional and absolutely discreet? If you even bothered to read the context for my comment, it was to establish that CONSPICUOUS consumption is not a primary motivating factor for consumption of Veblen services within the sex industry. Usually quite the opposite: discretion is.

Unfortunately you don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve studied the market and you obviously haven’t. I’ve also literally trained newbie escorts into this market from scratch. I am intimately familiar with this market in a way that you are not. You are right about one point tho: clients like this do demand a high quality experience. You are VERY wrong to assume that means the escorts must be “young and attractive”. All escorts must be some degree of attractive to be successful, but “extremely high quality” level attractiveness is not necessary to succeed on the $800 per hour level. Nor youth.

Sure, and you can make the same argument about $500 escorts vs $200 escorts. The $500 option will typically offer a better location, more personalised & experienced service, have wider availability in his schedule, and practice a higher level of overall professionalism. With both examples (hotels & escorts), there are lots of exceptions. I’ve toured almost every major city in the USA and stayed in a variety of different hotels in the same areas of the same cities for years, and there are lots of $150 hotels that equal the $350 options in location, service, and room size/quality. Sometimes they are even owned by the same owners and literally the only difference is the branding. Some $150 hotels are superior to the comparable $350 options and will also offer free wifi, breakfast, and bottled water, which would cost you an extra $60 per day at those $350 hotels. Why do people continue to book the more expensive hotels when cheaper options are available with comparable location, rooms, and service? Well... some people simply IDENTIFY as the type of person who stays at a WESTIN rather than a HAMPTON INN. Even if they’re not posting any photos of their hotel room on Facebook or name-dropping it to their business contacts. And similarly there are $200 escorts that out-perform $500 escorts in various areas of critical importance to clients. It’s not that escorts with higher rates are inherently more talented or more professional, but we often can be, especially because our clients expect us to be and we wouldn’t last long in the industry with such high rates if we weren’t doing something special.

Studying the female escort industry would prove to you that Veblen services have an extremely strong demand even when their usage is inconspicuous, which is a commentary on human nature that deems your analysis marginally irrelevant. Yes they may be “usually” associated with conspicuous consumption, but that does not preclude their dynamics from applying in the case of escorts. And many clients DO hire escorts in a “conspicuous” manner, for example every client who comments on this board as a poster and every client who has ever written a review online. The reports about hires may be anonymised under an Internet handle/personality, but they are conspicuous nevertheless. BUT typically those who hire high-end escorts are much LESS likely to post on review and discussion boards, contrary to your ideas about conspicuousness being a driving force behind paying a premium for what is assumed to be top-tier service. Typically, what clients expect most seriously when paying a premium rate is flawless professionalism and absolute discretion.

Your post assumes that higher priced products and services can’t succeed in the presence of cheaper options, tho. You can study any industry in existence with differentiation between the various options being offered to learn that this isn’t true. Demand for escorts can thrive simultaneously at both $150 an hour and $500 an hour. They’re not even in direct competition with each other at that point. There will always be budget shoppers, and there will always be those who prefer Veblen goods and services. And besides that, the service offered by escorts is highly personal and largely not interchangeable with what another escort is offering, especially with someone who has managed to hone his craft enough to command a higher rate. Sure, someone could be charging $400 an hour and offering a very generic service that’s exactly the same as someone charging $200 an hour, in which case your analysis might apply. But that’s generally not the case. $150 a night hotels don’t ruin the market for $350 a night hotels. And a lot of the time, $150 a night hotels offer way more free amenities than $350 a night hotels!! So why does anyone continue to book the $350 option when they can get a better deal at the $150 option? Simple: human nature. I don’t think this is an attempt at forming any type of “cartel”. Rather it’s an attempt to encourage as many escorts as possible to raise their rates together so that clients can see it as the coordinated and necessary move that it is in an industry where we don’t have the same privilege of formal organising as do other industries that aren’t criminalised. Which is why I joked about adding a SESTA/FOSTA “surcharge” as a gesture of solidarity.

You haven’t booked me once, so I assure you it’s not possible for you to book me less often. Nor does it sound like you’re planning to increase your budget or your income in order to experience what I have to offer any time soon. Your prerogative of course, but to pretend that it’s of any loss to me is laughable...

To everyone who enjoys the services of escorts but did nothing to stop the passage of a law that removed our freedom of speech. So you also have a good point. Surcharge waived for anyone who can produce evidence that they campaigned against the passage of the bill or engaged in public speaking to raise awareness about the damage it would do!

Because my rates were already raised. Again and again and again. The majority of gay escorts would also raise their rates if they thought they could. Many feel like there is a glass ceiling regarding what gay escorts can charge. Honestly many straight female escorts feel the same, mostly because of the vast amount of messaging from society and the budget end of the client pool devaluing sexual labor (I’m not saying that all clients on a budget devalue our labor, but unfortunately many of them do). My rates are already adjusted to compensate me for what I need to be compensated for, and cultivate a client base that strongly values my labor, which is why I’m still going strong in the industry 8 years after getting started (at $200 an hour, by the way). I personally started making a lot more money and ended up with much more loyal clients and a higher quality of life/work when I raised my rates from market average to above market average. That’s why I encourage others to do the same. I could raise my rates by $100, sure, my clients are going to book me whether I’m charging $900 or $1000 or $1100. Maybe I will be even more political than suggested and literally tack on a $100 FOSTA/SESTA surcharge just to make a point! (But not for the extra income. Most of my clients tip generously already.)

I’m thinking about printing business cards. I already have a website that’s more informative and contains much more eye candy than my RM ad.

If most escorts wanted to participate in a hobby that involved spending $200 a week on entertainment, they would have to get a 2nd job. Why is it ridiculous to suggest that clients should do the same? A lot of the clients who complain about rates above $X hire frequently. (In fact many escorts already do have to work two or more jobs to make ends meet.)

I do agree with one sentiment expressed by clients on this thread, which is that raising rates across the board is not a universal solution for every escort, and it shouldn’t be pushed on everyone as something that we ALL need to do. It’s actually not necessary to stigmatise the practice of charging less in order to create room within the industry for charging more. Let’s go back to economics and hobbying and Maslov’s hierarchy of needs and income disparities. Some clients hire for entertainment... some hire for healing, needed sexual release, or even to relieve loneliness. These are definitely all NEEDS, not merely hobbies or entertainment. So while I think its absolutely right that escorts should have the same opportunity to earn a good living like all other professionals, there’s not a one-size-fits-all prescription for that. Don’t clients who only earn $20K a year also deserve to meet their sexual needs, and aren’t some escorts happy to live on $20K a year because their living expenses may be lower? Sure. Don’t some escorts enjoy seeing 40 clients a month because their life circumstances are conducive to it? Sure. And a $200 or even $160 an hour rate may serve certain scorts in certain situations and their client base very well. And there’s no shame in any of that and no reason to stigmatise escorts who choose that type of business model over people who don’t. As noted previously, in the age of SESTA/FOSTA, existing client retention and private referrals will be key, so I could see why plenty of people wouldn’t want to change their rate at this time. At the same time, clients will be pressured to continue to see the escorts they already know and have good relationships with in an era where escorts can’t advertise. So someone talented with a strong client base of regulars could easily raise their rates during this time. We certainly hear plenty of arguments made by clients about how no one would EVER hire an escort who charges above $X, so I think it only makes sense that some escorts who have learned firsthand the possible success of having higher rates would want to encourage other colleagues to feel like they also have the option of charging more for their time. We are tired of seing our craft de-valued. Our work is criminalised so we don’t have a union. Spreading messages like this isn’t a “money grab”, it’s organising to expand the possibilities within our industry in the only way available to us. At the end of the day, it’s a free market and people are going to continue to charge anywhere from $5 to $5000 for intimacy and sexual services, in various forms of hustles from sugar babying to massage to escorting. What I find problematic about the current state of the m4m escort side of the industry is not the prevalence of people charging relatively lower rates, but the idea that there is a “ceiling” above which gay male escorts cannot charge. There’s room for all types of rates within the industry and I think Blake’s efforts are just trying to create room for a wider range of price options. For a lot of escorts it will be the difference between making just enough for things to feel worthwhile and making enough money to really thrive, which honestly means more career longevity and a higher standard of service for clients in the long run. And really, nothing is ever gonna stop there from being escorts who charge lower rates either, and that’s good because that’s all some clients can afford to budget out for it. I think we get this kind of reactive blanket encouragement for escorts to charge MORE tho because there’s a lot of forces in society that devalue our labor and generally don’t care whether we earn a respectable living or not. We gotta advocate for ourselves and sometimes it comes out STRONG. But yes I do ultimately agree that its not necessary for every escort to raise their rate. Tho it is a good idea that I strongly encourage escorts to evaluate, taking their client base, availability, and desired income level into consideration. And I encourage clients to stand up against ideas being spread by other clients that its ridiculous for a gay male escort to charge more than $X amount. Vote with your dollars in the free market economy that is capitalism. Don’t spread propaganda that is ultimately based in the devaluation of our sexual labor or the disregard for our economic well being. And stand up against it if you see someone else doing the same...

LOL @ this entire inaccurate and revealing paragraph. You write very well, but your analysis is distorted by your selfishness, or perhaps your privilege. Couldn’t really say without knowing more about you. If you’ve never been an escort, though, which is obvious from your unrealistic perspective, then you really have no place to speak so authoritatively on this subject.

I guess that’s really the most important and universal part! (Maybe I should hire you as my editor.)

I’m not gonna raise my rates because I feel like I’m already ahead of the curve on this one. That said, my rate is already hundreds above average. I do agree with the premise of the letter and Blake’s sentiments tho. Being an escort is risky work. We lack benefits and social support. We lack legal rights related to our work. We are often ostracised from family and community support because of what we do. Sometimes we can’t find lovers, or our lovers tokenise us because they find it “sexy” what we do for a living (a completely unsustainable dynamic in the long term). We do not charge $200 or $300 or $500 an hour because we EARN that much per hour. That is merely a BILLING rate for BILLABLE hours. Our work is comprised of SO much more that is necessary and also non-billable. The risks we take and the social consequences we face due to stigma can also not be assigned a dollar value. We deserve to be compensated more than we are. As much as we can manage to charge. Why should sexual professionals be making $20-30K per year when the clients we serve often make $50-100K per year? There’s absolutely no reason for any client to take on the attitude that we don’t deserve to increase billing rate from $200 to $300 per hour or whatever. That’s not a 33% increase in our wage. To claim so displays a distorted and naive view of economics. Anyone who thinks demand is going to decrease with SESTA/FOSTA is very mistaken. We are not in an acute economic crisis, nor are clients being more heavily criminalised by this law. Clients will ALWAYS want sex as long as they have money. What’s decreasing is the SUPPLY in this case, the availability of escort ads. The demand is not going ANYWHERE. We have seen this pattern over and over again as various escort ad venues have been shut. Clients stick with their regulars and look for new ways to find escorts. Escorts who have their shit together and keep a mailing list or are constantly finding new ways to advertise are going to be fine. But the loss of ad venues, review boards, and screening resources means more marketing expenses for us. More risk. More labor as we explore new ways to reach our client base. These are all the “non billable” aspects of pur labor. When we see our non-billable expenses increasing, why the hell wouldn’t we raise our rates for billable hours?? Literally any industry would do the same. If you as a client can’t afford to book as often due to increased rates- here’s an idea: book less often. Here’s another idea: get a 2nd job. Make an investment into something income-generating so you can use the proceeds to supplement your escort budget. These are all things that people have to do when they participate in any expensive hobby on a limited budget. The only reason that clients who shop RM think that rates higher than $250 or $300 are “ridiculous” is simply market norms. Once male escorts widely start to raise rates above these levels, the market will adjust. It’s common for female escorts to charge $500 and I promise you that frequent renters make the EXACT SAME comments on those boards implying that they will stop hiring or that the demand will drain out of the market due to the high rates. It hasn’t happened. The market adjusts as rates increase and escorts who charge higher rates continue to earn well in a lower volume business model. I have been experimenting with offering $500/hr sessions, but my minimum was $1000 (or more) for two hours for years, and it continues to be my most often-booked session. Yes, I could see 20 clients a month for $200 each, or I could see 4 clients a month for $1000 each. Which business model do you think is more successful for me? Which business model do you think will suffer less in an era where all our advertising sites (including this website and RM) disappear?

You can do playlists during outcalls easily. Just carry a portable Bluetooth speaker in your pocket. Also, don’t feel stupid. It’s a common newbie mistake. I’ve had to explain this same issue to lots of my friends in the industry. You live and you learn!

It all depends on how and where you advertise your services. I know, because I’ve worked many different environments in many different ways and price ranges over the years. My current business model is designed to maximise my ratio of genuine/respectful clients to other inquiries and it works well.

I agree about this being insufficient to protect them from anything. Plus... people can still discuss rates via RM’s internal messaging system. Which makes them JUST as liable for the conversation in the eyes of the newly-passed law. I think their lawyers told them, either you have to get rid of explicit sexual content or you have to get rid of the rates. The owners know that explicit photos of hard-ons and free porn videos bring all the boys to the yard... so they chose to get rid of the rates. More work for the escorts, but not enough of a deterrent to stop clients from using their site. It’s really not going to protect them tho. I really do think that Rentboy’s related attention-drawing activities were what got them targeted tho. They were extremely bold. There are no female escort ad malls that are ever so bold as to do the type of stuff that they did. All the female escort ad venues are acutely aware that it’s dangerous to behave in such a manner. I really think Rentboy got overly-confident precisely because the government doesn’t typically target male escorts in its vice operations. Now that Rentboy has gotten so much negative attention from them, tho, I wouldn’t be surprised if RentMen or any other public site that’s obviously copied Rentboy’s business model could be targeted. The gay sex industry needs something like Preferred411 on the straight side of things. It’s a private network where escorts and clients both need to be verified before joining, including being vouched for by existing members of the site who have established their own reputation already. Clients can book escorts internally thru the site, and escorts give clients a thumbs up to display on their profile after the session if everything went well. When a client books an escort thru the site, the escort can view that page full of thumbs up from other escorts and feel confident that the guy is probably a decent client. At the same time, escorts who are scammers or who OUT a clients personal info will get kicked off the site by the administration, so clients can book with a little more confidence that the provider is a professional. The fact that the ad venue is gatekept by the administration makes it a little safer and easier for everyone involved. Guys find out by word of mouth from their favourite escorts and by participating in forums such as this one. Something like that, being so much less public, can survive for a longer time without becoming a political target.

I agree that it’s a cultural difference, but it’s not an America vs not America thing. Almost all of the friends who I have sex with sometimes are American. It’s very rare in India to find someone who is cool with it. If you think that Americans aren’t open to having sex with their friends, then it’s the specific Americans you’re connecting with. Look for more open-minded people and you would find that it’s no longer an issue.

Oh that’s because, as mentioned, I have no interest in dating. Literally none. Everything about the structure and concept of dating annoys me. I’m not interested in a partner who I am supposed to be committed to and building a life together with. Nor courting people in pursuit of that. I like living my own life and I like friendships and I like lovers. I don’t see the point in “dating” when I have no interest in finding a partner. And it’s not that I don’t do repeats. Most guys are just looking to USE their hookups for sex. I don’t do repeats of THAT. There’s nothing in that for me except the first time when I happen to be in the mood and they happen to be convenient. If they’re not a part of my LIFE, then how would it happen a 2nd or 3rd time without essentially making and keeping a dick appointment? I make and keep dick appointments for a living and I have no interest in doing it for free. I like spontaneous sex that happens in the heat of the moment from LIVE real time cruising. THAT is what excites me sexually when it comes to NSA hookups. I totally do repeats with my friends. What’s the difference? My friends are part of my real life. We have other shared interests besides using each other for sex. We are getting to know each other. We discuss other topics. We do favours for each other (not just sexual). We attend events in the same community circles. With or without sex, the friendship stands. I don’t consider these PEOPLE who are my friends to be my “hookups” even tho we are “hooking up”. Hope that makes sense.

Do my activities differ? Yes... I am nearly 100% top in my personal life. And nearly 100% gay. I say nearly because we all know that there are always exceptions to everything. But you can easily generalise my personal sex life as those two things. In my professional life I am very much versatile and very much bisexual. I can sell those experiences very well, but they’re not just not what I generally pursue in my time off. The pressing about what we REALLY LIKE can be invasive tho. It’s a deeply personal thing to inquire about, and doing so often violates the boundaries we may set between our personal and professional life. At the same time, we are selling a fantasy. We don’t want to ruin your experience by reminding you of those boundaries in that moment. But it’s an awkward question. Do you press the owner of your local pizza shop about whether he REALLY likes pizza or not? Do you ask your lawyer what legal matters he personally has pending? Do you ask your surgeon what surgeries he’s had done on him? I realize it’s different, but you need to understand that whatever we do in our personal lives is just that- PERSONAL. Whatever we sell to you is a fantasy geared toward providing an awesome experience. There’s a long standing joke in escort circles that clients constantly ask us escorts what WE WANT to do in bed, but aren’t ready for the REAL answer, which is to order takeout/room service and watch Netflix in bed for two hours. LOL Whenever a client asks that question, he’s typically hoping for an answer that falls within his realm of fantasy about what makes for a fun time. If we don’t even know the client, we are literally being asked to be MIND READERS in that moment. How can we come up with something to fulfill the client’s fantasy of fulfilling OUR fantasy when we don’t even know what the client hopes our fantasy is? If we say the wrong thing, he’s going to get turned off. A good escort should give you an idea of the type of experience that he enjoys selling in his marketing materials. If you want to make the session enjoyable for him, list everything you’re into and then ask him if he has any matching interests. Don’t pressure him or press his boundaries. Tip him an extra $20. Feed him nice snacks or drinks during the session. Give him a massage. Book him to sit in the jacuzzi and drink champagne with you. Let him make the first move. Pay him up front. Play some nice music. Send him home in a private car. There are SO many things you can do to make the session enjoyable for him. Most escorts who say they are in this for their own sexual pleasure are employing a marketing tactic. We are in it to make a living. Whatever we do for our own sexual pleasure is not typically something we would discuss with our professional clients under most circumstances. We are selling a fantasy of ourselves in that moment. Now... All that said, I have learned to be clear about what I’m into in any marketing. It leads to a more compatible client base for me. I would still cringe at being directly questioned about it, but hopefully anyone who has seen my marketing understands that I want to lick their ass, suck their dick, and stroke their prostate until they lose control of their legs & their ability to form complete sentences. But like what if I’m in a room with a client who is clearly very Toppy in nature and he presses me about whether I REALLY enjoy getting fucked? I’m there to fulfil this guy’s fantasy. Do you think he’s getting an honest answer from me?

Right, except Instagram is not sex worker friendly at all and will delete your account if they realize you’re an escort. Twitter and Tumblr are much more adult content friendly. You can do it on Instagram too, but just without nudity, and you have to be prepared to lose your account at any time. But otherwise yes, you’re exactly right.