Welcome back homies,

Today we are talking about sex work and discussing what it is. Let’s start by calling sex work what it actually is… it’s work. Sex work isn’t just prostitution. It’s stripping. It’s escorting. It’s cam work. It’s having an only fans page and posting regular content. It’s also valid work.

The sex work market place is one of the oldest and largest in the world. What we should be doing is taking away the shame and making it as safe as possible for the people within the industry. Making sex work legal makes it safer for the people in the industry.

What exactly is sex work? It’s not all about penetrative sex; however that is a large part of it. Sex work includes intimacy, companionship, non sexual work, stripping and online work. The roles played by the sex worker are predetermined and agreed by both parties to ensure safety. Thought of as mainly men purchasing the body of a woman for gratification; this simply isn’t true. Yes it’s a large part of it, but, it isn’t the only part of it.

It disgusts me sex workers are criminalised, when I can do what I want freely. I can write what I write freely. I write provocative words about sex and sexual pride. Is that not basically sex work in the written form? What makes me different and more respectable? Is it because I have a day job on the side in the IT industry? Is it the fact that I sit behind a laptop at my desk in my office that means I deserve more respect, safety and dignity? This shouldn’t be a thing. Sex workers deserve the same. They deserve not to have to hide their profession because society see it as some dirty, seedy back alley deal. It’s time to change how we think as a society.

Where it is legal for someone to sell sex alone in a property within the UK, it’s also far more dangerous. Sex workers tend to lie about their line of work, from fear of losing their homes or being denied housing. Working with other women / men is considered working in a brothel and known as “brothel-keeping” which is illegal in the UK. We are making it harder for sex workers in the UK to stay safe.

Why wouldn’t we help the women and men in this industry to be as safe as possible? Allowing them to work in shared spaces allows for safer working conditions. If there is an issue or something goes wrong then help is on hand, a network of people to support one another. You don’t get that in your own home. If the worst happens, what chance do you have to stop it?

In the UK it isn’t illegal to buy or sell sex from each other but soliciting and sex workers banding together is. A study by human rights charity RightsInfo found 49 per cent of British humans are in favour of decriminalising brothel-keeping – an offence that is currently punishable by up to seven years in prison.

The internet has transformed aspects of sex work, making it safer and handing power to workers.  Websites like Only Fans where you can sell monthly subscriptions to your nudes. This is becoming a bigger and bigger medium for earning for both men and women.  I know both men and women on Only Fans, using the site to top up their income.

Only Fans gives the user a chance to post the content they want. This can go from girl next door style underwear photos; all the way over to hardcore porn style. Subscribers can also request content personally. This gives the page owner a chance to earn extra money on top of the subscriptions they are already receiving. They also have a choice on if they wish to fulfil these requests. This is an all round safer way for sex workers to conduct business, especially during these uncertain times.

We need to realise as a society that sex work, no matter what platform it’s on; is valid work. We need to protect these workers the same as we would in any other industry. Let’s call sex work what it is… work.