If you are trans and considering selling sex, it is important to fully consider the legal, health and safety for trans sex workers and how to reduce risk. Think about whether to tell clients about your trans status or genitalia. If you don’t disclose your status, think about how clients might react if they find out.
Harassment of Trans Sex Workers
By engaging in sex work, you run the risk of experiencing harassment, violence, or not receiving payment. Do you pass convincingly and want to work as a woman, perhaps restricting your service, or do you advertise as a ‘chick with a dick’? Some people get by unnoticed by well-concealed genitalia, known as ‘tucking’, but this can depend on the size of your genitalia, and how practiced you are at this technique. Voice or mannerisms can ‘out’ people. Voice and deportment classes can help. There are trans support groups, but they may not know about the specifics of sex work.
Projects working with trans and sex worker have found that some trans and male sex workers become victims of violent crime because they are the victims of Homophobic and Trans Phobic hate crime. They may also be victimised because of their sex working status. Trans sex workers are especially vulnerable because their clients are typically young, heterosexual and male – but are wanting the services of a pre-op trans sex worker. These clients often present with their own issues around their sexuality.
Trans sex workers also have to “pass” in their chosen gender (usually male to female) to avoid been targeted. They are more vulnerable if they are visibly seen as being Trans. Trans sex workers are less likely to report crime – for fears of being misunderstood about their gender and work. Projects in London have found that currently a large number of Trans workers are on student/tourist visas and need the support of projects to report crime.
Many of the safety issues which pre- and post-op trans people face when selling sex are similar to those outlined already in the main pages. Some male to female pre-op Trans sex workers have reported problems with disclosure. Should they tell their clients their gender of origin? Others find that there is a market for pre-op MTF Trans people, as clients want ‘chick with a dick’ type workers.
Transitioning while working
Many Trans people believe sex work is a viable alternative to conventional work. They may make money quickly, and use this to pay for laser surgery, private hormones and psychotherapy as these are not often available on the NHS. However, there are disadvantages to this approach. For example, choosing the right laser technician can be confusing, as there are several types of laser, some are not suitable for male hair growth, and prices can vary considerably.
Some people buy hormones over the internet without ever seeing a doctor, let alone a specialist in hormones (endocrinologist). This means that taking hormones without checking or monitoring hormone levels can produce nasty side effects. There is an array of products, and choosing is difficult. It means relying on biased sales pitches, friends’ experiences and potential misinformation. Not all hormones sold on the internet or unregulated market are real. There are reports of fake, out-of-date or banned products. Find out as much as possible in advance, and cross-check your information.
You need to think about whether to continue with sex work whilst undergoing the transition process. Some gender identity clinics do not consider sex work a viable form of work, and they will not deem it relevant for the ‘real life’ test. Voluntary work is, however, acceptable, so it is possible to do both. But hiding your sex work from those assessing you for SRS can lead to additional stress. If transitioning whilst sex working, allow for not working after surgery. So put aside some money for this if you can. Get advice from trans or sex work support agencies about benefits such as incapacity benefit, housing benefit and council tax benefit. SRS is not for everyone. Some people choose to have breast implants, whilst keeping their genitals because they can get more custom and earn more.