Terminology: Sex Work

People bristle at the term “sex work.” They feel it’s too PC. They often argue because prostitution is illegal it’s “not a job.” Or they over-think the term, usually in a lame attempt at humor (exemplified here). Even though these pontificators have nothing to do with sex work — at least not publicly admitted — they argue and attempt to define “sex work” for sex workers.

Everyone ignores that sex workers themselves freely use the term in self-identification. In recent years, gays and blacks have gained the autonomy to identify themselves how they want. Being gay used to be illegal (and technically still is in some states). Being black was essentially illegal for a long time.

Yet somehow sex workers are still not seen as human enough to deserve the autonomy to identify themselves with their own language, even though “sex work” has been around for more than 20 years.

NYT: “The Double Lives of High-Priced Call Girls”

The New York Times actually did pull off a very good article during Spitzergate. While one should not ignore that sex workers inhabit a wide range of social classes, I’d say based on sex workers I’ve met, the article describes the lives of indoor prostitutes pretty accurately (avoiding both the jetset demimonde and the Farley-esque degraded whore caricatures), even if it does go off into the headline-grabbing “high-priced call girl” shtick.

Check it out