A Side To The Coin: What is it like to be a sex worker?

“I initially got into sex work because I needed the money… It was like any job. My husband and I were in a tight situation financially.”

“I hope to be involved in the sex industry as long as I can. I’ve been doing it for nearly a decade now and it’s the place where I really feel at home and I really
feel comfortable and I hope I can just do it as
long as it is possible.”

— Jenna Love, Sex worker

“I started when I was 15 because I had a child and I needed
to pay for all kinds of expenses to take care of my child”

“There were times I tried to stop doing sex work.....I remember how
good unionized protected jobs and wages were once. Those
just don’t exist anymore.”

— Tamika Spellman, former Sex Worker and Advocacy Director at HIPS

“I hate when people say that I'm doing this because I'm
stupid and that I'm a slut.”

”It always makes me laugh because at the end of the day, we're
all sluts because we're all getting fucked by capitalism. I'm just
smart enough to collect a check; you're doing it for free, so
that's on you.”

— Karmenife, Professional Dominatrix

“On average studies has shown that sex only last 5.4 four minutes, so if they’re paying for an hour or three, whatare they actually paying for? They’re paying for a place to betheir true selves, a place to talk about challenges without being criticized or judged, a place to try new things without losing what they’ve built.”

— Nicole Emma, Relationship and Intimacy Coach, and Sex Worker

“It’s not prostitution. It is not pornography.
To me it is just another form of art.”

— UWL Student and Sex Worker

“It’s ridiculous that people have to carry their marriage certificate
with them to prove that the person walking next to them
is not a client.”

— Bianey Garcia, former Sex Worker and TGNCIQ Justice Organizer at Make the Road

“I was violently sexually assaulted while doing sex work and
when I went to my supervisors in the military for help, they
were more interested in whether other members of the
military were gay than helping me recover.”

— Tamika Spellman, former Sex Worker and Advocacy Director at HIPS

“I think sex work should be decriminalized, but I don't
think it should be legalized. I don't feel comfortable with the government capitalizing off of my body more than it already does.”

“Our sexual body is connected to every other part of our feelings; it can affect and influence many other parts of your whole existence, so I feel like I’m there to guide them into the places where they're not willing or comfortable going by themselves”

— Mare Simone, Certified Sex Surrogate

“Sex work is something that allows us to have autonomy—if you
are consensually doing it with your own free will.”

— Pauli Cakes, Sex Worker