The rise of the part-time gay prostitute

[BaronArtz]

http://fusion.net/story/107376/part-time-male-gay-sex-work/

 

I don't quite agree with some of the opinions and findings expressed in this article, but an interesting read regardless.

[+ FreshFluff]

Interesting article! I think I mentioned the article when it first came out, possibly without the link. What parts do you agree/disagree with? To me, the researchers' view that male escorts feel less guilt/shame than female ones makes sense. But they may still feel like shit when a client is cruel or treats them like a piece of meat they've rented.

[adannyboy]

It's straightforward for its topic. I thought they could have better represented marginalized groups. I mean, they pretty much buried that stat about women are being murdered at a higher rate.

the stories could've been better diversified.

[BaronArtz]

Interesting article! I think I mentioned the article when it first came out, possibly without the link. What parts do you agree/disagree with? To me, the researchers' view that male escorts feel less guilt/shame than female ones makes sense. But they may still feel like shit when a client is cruel or treats them like a piece of meat they've rented.

 

What surprised me most is the following: "but the men we spoke with said they aren’t burdened by feelings of worry, guilt, or shame. True, they aren’t telling their mothers (too personal) or bosses (for fear of discrimination or other repercussions), but they’re open about the work with close friends." The article is really focused on gay men doing part time work as escorts. It leaves out entirely, unless if I missed it, the issue of straight men catering to a gay client base. I would think a straight man would not be open to his friends about it, and would have a whole range of other issues to deal with as well.

[+ SundayZip]

What I take away from the article is that many guys who escort do not feel bad about themselves because they exchange sex for money. Yes, they recognize that there continues to be a stigma around prostitution and are therefore selective about who they tell, but this is not the same as feeling guilty or a personal shame. Maybe that's the message that resonates with me because I've met so many escorts -- gay, straight and in between -- who are proud of what they do and the services they provide even though they may be selective about who they tell.

[+ FreshFluff]

"but the men we spoke with..." It's possible that the male escorts who aren't proud of what they do were unwilling to talk to the reporter..

[+ SundayZip]

"but the men we spoke with..." It's possible that the male escorts who aren't proud of what they do were unwilling to talk to the reporter..

 

Ah! Good point. It would be interesting to know results from a random sample selected from across a broad population set. Meanwhile, this article seems intuitively correct to me.

[+ WilliamM]

"but the men we spoke with..." It's possible that the male escorts who aren't proud of what they do were unwilling to talk to the reporter..

 

I have hired college students who are 'available' because of their needs to pay college costs. It was a long time ago in New York City though. I do not remember any guilt; they would have been willing to talk about it to strangers and clients, but probably not families and friends.

 

Usually once classes started they went back to just being students again -- too bad for me.