[Sir Canvas Corpsey]

I've oft considered going into sex work to help pay the bills and all that but I've always decided against it because:
a) Lots of sex with different people not a problem but being paid for it? That just don't feel right to me for me.
b) You don't always get to pick your clients, which can be unfortunate in some cases to put it mildly, plus how hairy thing can go if they don't accept your refusal
c) The amount it could come back to bite me in the ass later in life either socially, politically or health-wise

Then I realized those are all reasons why I don't WANT to do it, the reason why I DON'T do it is because even when I only have $200 in the bank, $20 cash on me, no steady job and reliant on the government to help me pay rent and bills and for food while I study I'm still totally, absolutely in a position of privilege and able to make an informed choice to say no and be able to live. Those stats ad up to approaching poverty and extreme anxiety for my mother (which is why she thinks I have like $1000+ left in the bank) but compared to most of the people who go into sex work I'm REALLY well off right now.

You can't say anyone with less than I have has too many options, the informed choice is not between sex work and another career, its a choice between sex work and death, survival or non-survival and given the kind of things sex work can entail as outlined by other posters, sex work may financially create some small buffer for the sake of that survival but introduces a whole new set of risks or reintroduces current risks in new paradigms or probabilities.

We're talking Australia by the way,with a fairly good and open welfare system, and public healthcare and humanist principles despite some of the more hateful stereotypes we can get branded with because of some yobbos or when there's cultural dissonance and people incorrectly perceive hate where it's not.


<Sidetrack>
(eg. A Cricket based ad for KFC from a while back, where a lone Aussie supporter is surrounded by West Indie supporters at a Cricket game and so in the spirit of enjoying things despite them being different groups supporting different teams, he brandishes a bucket of KFC chicken and they all eat and get along and enjoy the game. Quickly, Australia and KFC were branded as racist: "lone white guy surrounded by blacks buys their love with fried chicken"

Uh, no folks, white Australian who would typically support his team in a match where they're involved is surrounded by West Indies who happen to black and support their team (most people tend to support their nation's or state's team, you know?) and so it's awkward cause they're from opposing teams so he shares a meal (Chicken because it's KFC) with them so they all get along. Why Australia and West Indies? Because they're big on the scene. Why Chicken? It's KFC. And according to my mother's West Indie acquaintances: "All West Indis fucking love chicken" )
<End sidetrack>

Now America on the other hand, for all its preaching about civil liberties pretty much enjoys grinding its boot on the poor and needy and powerless, those most likely to be forced into prostitution by circumstance or family.