Benefits of Sex Work
Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera
Sylvia Rivera (left) and Marsha P. Johnson (right) stand behind a police barrier at a protest.
Even though there are many risks for transgender women who work in the sex trade, there are also many benefits. Many trans women have found a source of income, community and mentorship, and a safe place to express their gender identities. Many trans women have found a “place of belonging” amongst other trans women through the friends and connections they have made. [1] Trans women find other trans women who work the streets with them, and they will often create a bond with these women. Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, discussed in the previous page, found each other through sex work and stayed friends for the remainder of their lives. Sex work provides trans women with mentorship from older, more experienced trans women. Often, these older women will act as “mother hens” and protect or otherwise help the younger trans sex workers. [2]
For many trans women who work in the sex trade, money is a major benefit, and often the reason they continue working. Financial responsibilities, such as bills, food, and medically necessary procedures, cause trans women to continue working in the sex trade, even if they are capable of working other jobs. [3] Due to the income they are receiving, trans sex workers are able to afford medically necessary processes, such as hormone replacement therapy or gender-affirming surgery. [4] Trans women also find a place where they are able to express their gender identity without fear of extreme discrimination. Many use websites to promote certain characteristics of their body, especially more feminine characteristics. [5]
Although sex work has many risks for trans women, it also has given them a chance to shine. Through the oppression they face in sex work, they are able to lift up others who are oppressed in different ways, as Sylvia Rivera did during her lifetime. Trans women, especially trans sex workers, are valuable parts of feminism, and their voices should be lifted so others see that.
References:
[1] Schmidt, Samantha, and Marissa J. Lang. “Transgender Sex Workers Feel under Attack. These Women Are Working to Protect Their Own.” The Washington Post, September 16, 2019. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/transgender-sex-workers-feel-under-attack-these-women-are-working-to-protect-their-own/2019/09/16/2cfa1856-d58b-11e9-86ac-0f250cc91758_story.html.
[2] Fedorko, Boglarka, and Lukas Berredo. Rep. The Vicious Cycle of Violence: Trans and Gender-Diverse People, Migration, and Sex Work16. Vol. 16. Transgender Europe, 2017.
[3] Sausa, Lydia A., JoAnne Keatley, and Don Operario. "Perceived Risks and Benefits of Sex Work among Transgender Women of Color in San Francisco." Archives of Sexual Behavior 36, no. 6 (12, 2007): 768-77. doi:http://dx.doi.org.mutex.gmu.edu/10.1007/s10508-007-9210-3.
[4] Fedorko, Boglarka, and Lukas Berredo. Rep. The Vicious Cycle of Violence: Trans and Gender-Diverse People, Migration, and Sex Work16. Vol. 16. Transgender Europe, 2017.
[5] Vartabedian, Julieta. “Bodies and Desires on the Internet: An Approach to Trans Women Sex Workers’ Websites.” Sexualities 22, no. 1–2 (February 2019): 224–43. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363460717713381.