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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
"It's a Business Doing Pleasure With You": An Interdisciplinary Reader on Male Sex
Work
Page Range: 1 - 6
Todd G. Morrison PhD, Bruce W. Whitehead
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ON THE STREETS
Male Prostitution: Pathology, Paradigms and Progress in Research
Page Range: 7 - 35
David S. Bimbi PhD (candidate)
The body of research on male sex workers (MSWs) in the social science literature has
evolved concurrently with the research that de-pathologized homosexuality. Unfortunately,
the majority of studies focusing on MSWs have been dominated by paradigms that dehumanize
the researched. Psychopathology, social deviance and, with the advent of HIV, MSWs
as "vectors of disease," framed research questions. Further, many researchers have
focused on typologies of MSWs, reporting respective associated characteristics. However,
the knowledge gained by past research was often a product of the places MSWs were
sampled; social scientists relied heavily on street MSWs, although other places and
venues for sex work existed. What has been learned through this narrow focus has often
been generalized to all men engaged in sex work resulting in stigmatization, stereotyping,
and demonization. In the past decade, two important developments related to the field
of sex work have been introduced. First, researchers have embraced a new paradigm
that respects MSWs' personal motivations for sex work. Dominant among these motivations
is the view of sex work as a job and, hence, a valid source of income. Second, the
Internet has emerged as a new venue for sex work; a venue to which researchers are
just beginning to turn their gaze.
Keywords: Male sex work, research, psychopathology, deviance, Internet
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Sex and the Unspoken in Male Street Prostitution
Page Range: 37 - 73
Kerwin Kaye PhD (candidate)
Although the overwhelming majority of male prostitutes work through agencies or by
placing their own ads, most studies of male prostitution focus upon young men who
work on the street. Remarkably, these studies seldom identify the dynamics of poverty
and street-level violence as important elements of their examination. Investigations
of male sex work-few though they are-focus almost exclusively upon sexual aspects
of "the life." Despite the importance of these networks in shaping the contours of
street life, and often in enabling one's very survival, the primary research focus
has remained on questions of sexual identity, sexual practices with clients, and sexual
abuse as a causative factor. Meanwhile, studies that do examine the dynamics of male
street life typically do not examine questions of prostitution or other issues related
to sexuality. A dominant theme within this literature consists of specifying the social
mores of the most aggressive and socially problematic participants within street society,
particularly gang members and drug dealers. The dissimilar nature of these images
relates directly to the political projects of the dominant culture, which, in a very
general way, seeks to "rescue" (reintegrate) deviant white youth, while controlling
and excluding deviant youth of color. The political aim of reintegrating runaways
into middle-class trajectories has the effect of authorizing certain discourses regarding
their behavior on the streets, while marginalizing or completely disallowing others.
This article seeks to examine and challenge these trends of representation.
Keywords: Male prostitution, street life, youth homelessness, urban poverty
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Exploring the Interpersonal Relationships in Street-Based Male Sex Work: Results from
an Australian Qualitative Study
Page Range: 75 - 110
David Leary MCouns, PhD (candidate), Victor Minichiello PhD
While the literature on male sex work has increased significantly over the past decade,
few studies examine the influence of relational dynamics in the lives of those engaged
in male sex work. This qualitative study, conducted with a sample of male street sex
workers in Sydney, Australia, explores how relationships color their involvement with
sex work. The findings reveal the complexity of their relationships and how their
interactions with others shape their engagement in sex work. The data also offer insight
into how exit pathways are influenced by money and relationships that occur within
this particular male sex work setting. Implications for health policy and intervention
are considered.
Keywords: Male sex work, street sex culture, relationships, adolescents, prostitution
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IN THE CLUBS
Power and Control in Gay Strip Clubs
Page Range: 111 - 127
Joseph R. G. DeMarco
The gay strip club is a place in which more than displays of male beauty take place.
The mix of customers, performers, liquor, and nudity results in fascinating dynamics.
Of interest in this article are the power relationships and issues of control played
out both among and between strippers and customers. Based on extensive participant
observation conducted in eight cities and numerous bars/clubs and including more than
150 in-depth interviews, this article concerns just one aspect of the world of male
strippers who perform for men.
Keywords: Male strippers, gay strip bars, erotic labor, power
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Alienation of Sexuality in Male Erotic Dancing
Page Range: 129 - 152
David M. Boden JD, PhD
This ethnographic study investigates a male-for-male gender arrangement of erotic
dancing. Analysis of the data suggests that the men in this occupation understand
their labor as titillation, a pleasurable erotic flirtation, for the entertainment
of the consumer. Central to the performance is a constructed sexuality that is not
reflective of the desires of the dancer but, rather, those of the consumer. The alienation
of the dancer from his sexuality may result in behaviors and encounters that violate
his normative and moral expectations.
Keywords: Sexuality, males, strippers, eroticism, sex work, homosexuality
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The Closing of Atlantis
Page Range: 153 - 172
Jonathan David Jackson
This article examines the author's experience of cultural bias as a spectator at a
now-defunct, predominately white, working class American burlesque house called Club
Atlantis in Baltimore, Maryland. The club was well known in the mid-Atlantic region
for its all-nude male dancers. According to the author, Club Atlantis was less known
for its sometimes subtle and sometimes overt unwelcome treatment of black American
or dark-skinned patrons and its unwritten policy of banning black American or dark-skinned
would-be strippers. Based on personal observations and informal interviews conducted
between 2002 and 2004, and written in a manner common to the author's disciplines
of creative nonfiction and the performing arts, the article argues for increased examination
of erotic performance as a form of sex work. The article also argues for further study
of the racial politics of commercial sex.
Keywords: Cultural bias, erotic performance, stripping, racial politics, class, sex
work
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ON THE NET AND BEYOND
Porn Star/Stripper/Escort: Economic and Sexual Dynamics in a Sex Work Career
Page Range: 173 - 200
Jeffrey Escoffier
This article explores the career dynamics of performers in the gay male pornography
industry, by focusing on a common career pathfrom porn star to stripper to escort.
Between 1995 and 2005, most men performing in gay porn films, unlike contract actresses
in the straight porn industry, have been unable to earn enough income to work exclusively
as performers in front of the camera. The industry's constant search for new faces
and fresh performers creates what sociologist Paul Cressey has called "the retrogressive
dynamic": The longer a person works in a sexual occupation, the less one is paid,
and the lower the status of the work venue. In the porn industry, one aspect of this
process is referred to as "overexposure," during which the performer experiences a
diminishing "fantasy potential" as fans lose erotic interest in the porn star who
has appeared too frequently in too many movies. Performers attempt to confront the
retrogressive dynamic by limiting the number of adult films in which they appear in
a year, diversifying their sexual repertoire, or shifting into other roles within
the industry (behind the camera, marketing, production, etc.). One common option is
to pursue work in economically complementary forms of sex work such as stripping and
escorting.
Keywords: Sex work, porn star, stripper, escort, pornography, gay porn industry, fantasy
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"Nobody's Ever Going to Make a Fag Pretty Woman": Stigma Awareness and the Putative
Effects of Stigma Among a Sample of Canadian Male Sex Workers
Page Range: 201 - 217
Todd G. Morrison PhD, Bruce W. Whitehead BA
The purpose of this study was to examine male sex workers' awareness of the social
stigma surrounding involvement in the sex industry and the possible effects of that
stigma. Personal interviews were conducted with 21 men (9 independent escorts who
advertised via the Internet and 12 escorts/erotic masseurs who were on contract with
an agency). Results indicated that a majority of interviewees believed sex work was
stigmatized but attributed this stigma to society's tendency to conflate escort/erotic
masseur with street-based prostitute and society's negative view of human sexuality
in general and homosexuality in particular. It should be noted that interviewees did
not necessarily perceive the gay community as more tolerant than the heterosexual
community of persons involved in the male sex industry. In terms of how participants
saw the sex trade, both prior to and during their involvement, multifarious viewpoints
emerged (i.e., some engaged in "whore mythologizing" while others reported having
no clearly defined perception of male sex workers). Finally, results suggested that
some participants believed their involvement in a stigmatized industry was deleterious
to them personally whereas others maintained that the consequences of being an escort/erotic
masseur were largely positive.
Keywords: Male prostitution, sex work, Canada, gay men, escorts
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Looking Beyond HIV: Eliciting Individual and Community Needs of Male Internet Escorts
Page Range: 219 - 240
Jeffrey T. Parsons PhD, Juline A. Koken PhD (candidate), David S. Bimbi PhD (candidate)
In evaluating the needs of male sex workers (MSWs), past research and community-based
outreach efforts have assumed they should receive counseling and be educated regarding
drug abuse and HIV/STI prevention. These assumptions have been based upon studies
that predominantly sampled heterosexually identified men who work on the street as
'hustlers.' The purpose of this study was to set aside previous assumptions, and elicit
directly from MSWs their perceived needs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted
with 46 gay and bisexual male escorts who advertise on the Internet, an understudied
group that is expected to differ greatly from street-based MSWs. The men identified
several areas where attention should be directed beyond safer sex, such as business
advice (e.g., taxes, income investment) and assistance with navigating legal issues.
These findings have direct implications for community-based organizations, advocates
for MSWs, and men in the commercial sex industry.
Keywords: Male escorts, gay men, sex work, advice, education
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'Western Union Daddies' and their Quest for Authenticity: An Ethnographic Study of
the Dominican Gay Sex Tourism Industry
Page Range: 241 - 275
Mark B. Padilla PhD, MPH
This article draws on ethnographic research among two categories of male sex workers
in the Dominican Republic in order to describe the relationships between gay male
tourists and the Dominican men they hire on their trips to the Caribbean. Drawing
on both qualitative interview data and quantitative surveys, the discussion examines
the usefulness of theories of 'authenticity,' as they have been applied in the analysis
of tourist practices more generally, in accounting for the behaviors and practices
of male sex workers and their foreign gay clients. While the flow of international
remittances from 'Western Union daddies' to their Dominican 'boys' creates a continuous
reminder of the utilitarian nature of the exchange, both sex workers and clients are
motivated to camouflage this instrumentality in their construction of a more 'authentic,'
fulfilling relationship. The article examines the consequences of this ambivalent
negotiation for the emotional and economic organization of gay male sex tourism in
the Caribbean.
Keywords: Male sex work, prostitution, tourism, authenticity, gay men, bisexuality,
Dominican Republic
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CONCLUSION
Musings on Male Sex Work: A "Virtual" Discussion
Page Range: 277 - 318
Rebecca L. Harriman PhD (candidate), Barry Johnston MA (candidate), Paula M. Kenny
MA
Contributors and editors were asked to respond to a series of questions concerning
male sex work in order to stimulate an informal "conversation." Some of the topics
explored include: why people seek the services of prostitutes; is the term "sex work"
favorable to "prostitution"; is it right to pay for sex; and is exploitation a necessary
part of the sex worker/client interchange? Contributors' responses were compiled and
listed in the order they were received. Common elements of their responses are summarized
and the advantages of this informal approach are articulated.
Keywords: Male sex work, sex work, prostitution, sex industry
[Copies are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Center. The Haworth Press, Inc.,
10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580, USA]
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