what a way to make a living…

Hey Ho’s –

The big news in my life over the last few weeks has been the new job I recently started doing a study that looks at HIV/STD risk reduction counseling at a local SF STD clinic.  I’ve been very excited about working in this very nitty-gritty aspect of public health work.

After a long period where most of my public health work has focused on grant writing, which while important is somewhat removed from directly helping people, this new job feels great.

It’s nice to feel a concrete impact on people’s health by talking with them directly and engaging them in conversations around what kinds of sex they’re having, how they talk about HIV/STDs and how they feel about the risk they are  experiencing.

Also, as you know if you’ve read thru my past posts, I was really not feeling the sex work thing.  I was tired of dealing with weird clients, tired of screening people on the phone, tired of fucking around w/ ads, and just plain tired of fucking guys I had no interest in being naked with — much less fucking.  Plus, business had been hella slow, which was bumming me out big time, and causing me to sink deeper and deeper in debt.

Having read so much about how the economy sucks, and hearing from lots of friends who’d lost jobs, I was anxious about looking for a more conventional job.  Thankfully, this being SF, my sex worker experience was not a big hindrance in my job search, but all the same, I was super suprised (and thrilled) when I landed this gig in just a matter of weeks.

The great thing is that I’m getting paid an actual liveable wage to do the stuff I went to school to do, and I can still do the kinds of sex worker advocacy stuff that means so much to me.  Plus, I still get the occasional regular who rings me up, providing me some extra “mad money” for cocktails and other fun pursuits.

I have to say, for me, this is a much more comfortable place to be.  I wouldn’t trade away my year and half when sex work was my bread & butter — I learned some valuable lessons about the sex industry, gay men and my own sexuality, not to mention the many friends from the world of gay porn and escorting that I’ve made along the way — and all my girl hooker friends, too.

But certainly, doing a little escort action on the side is a lot less stressful than trying to make your whole living in sex work.  The income stream is so volatile — some weeks can be amazing and then you can go weeks with practically nothing.  And then there’s stuff like not having health insurance, not having sick leave, never being able to make plans with friends, etc.

Still, I know that I’m lucky that for me, sex work is a choice.  And for many folks it’s not a lucky opportunity, but an unfortunate last resort.  That’s the interesting thing about sex work, it can be so many different things to different people.

I know that sex work is in my life to stay — both because I still enjoy the work — and because I’ve found a significant part of my “family of choice” in the sex worker community, and I’m not about to let that go any time soon.

Take care and be safe, hookerboys.  More updates soon…

xoBH

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~ by Bradley on February 8, 2010.