1 December is World AIDS Day, 14 February is Lovers’ Day and 3 March is International Sex Worker Rights Day. Nowadays, which is a good thing, almost everything has its own international day. At these a group of people or an issue takes centre stage. While it was originally initiated by sex workers, it is also considered a day for male and diverse sex workers. Regardless of whether they are heterosexual, homosexual or otherwise define themselves.
Origin of International Sex Worker Rights Day
The history of this day begins in 2001 when more than 25,000 sex workers gathered in India for a festival. Efforts were made by various prohibition groups to prevent the festival. Pressure was put on the government to revoke the permission that had been granted. The festival was organised by the Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee. This Kolkata-based group has over 50,000 sex workers and various communities as members. As a result of the event, sex worker groups around the globe have since celebrated March 3 as International Sex Worker Rights Day.
Who is actually considered a sex worker?
A generally accepted definition of a sex worker is a person who (irrespective of their sexual identity) works as a prostitute, porn actor or peep show performer. Essential for the definition of sex work is that the term sex work, according to an entry by Carolin Küppers in the Gender Glossary: “describes a consensual sexual or sexualised service between adult business partners in return for payment or other material goods”. Non-consensual sex or sex with minors is explicitly excluded. By the way, the term sex work or sex worker is not a legal term in Germany.
Sex workers must therefore also include all those men, famous or less known. Who earn money on online platforms such as OnlyFans with free and often sexual activities such as masturbation, oral or anal sex (with or without the support of corresponding sex toys). According to the definition, this is exactly what has just been described, “consensual, sexual or sexualised service”.
How many male sex workers are there in Germany?
Official figures on male sex workers in Germany do not exist. And this circumstance reflects very well the situation of male sex workers. They hardly appear in the public eye, if at all. This is mainly because male sex work operates differently than that of women. There are no street lines for male sex workers, and they are not found in brothels either.
Sex workers and johns either meet in local pubs, at well-known cruising places or make contact on the internet on dating platforms such as Gayromeo, Grindr or Hornet. The invisibility of male sex workers in the public eye is attributed to a double stigma. They still have to struggle for social acceptance as prostitutes and homosexuals.
Homosexual sex workers face various challenges. State authorities often have no experience with male sex workers, which can lead to problems. One example of this is Frankfurt am Main, where checks were carried out in pubs. Therefore, making meeting places for sex workers and clients public. This makes prevention work in the LGBTIQ* community more difficult.
A growing group of male sex workers are migrants and refugees. They often opt for sex work to support their families. Many are not homosexual, but see the work purely as a job. Homosexual migrants and people with a migration background are also subject to discrimination.
In addition, many of these sex workers are not allowed to work legally due to their residence status and therefore offer their services illegally. Some of them are also minors. This group urgently needs protection from state authorities and appropriate laws, but the situation means that they are forced into illegality.
Law as potential risk for sex workers
The Prostitution Protection Act can even actively promote exclusion. This becomes clear in the example of a Berlin sex worker. He uses an artist’s name for his protection, as a sort of “spacer” to his clients. Since he is registered with the authorities as a sex worker, they not only have this professional name, but also know his civil name. In his opinion, this is what he calls “black mailable data”. He fears that the state could use this knowledge as leverage, because his way of working (at home without the landlord’s knowledge, without condoms) is illegal according to the law and could boomerang on him in the worst case.
This is another reason why a day like the International Sex Worker Rights Day is important, because it brings into focus groups that are often, consciously or unconsciously, discriminated against by state and society, even in 2023. If you want to support the often overshadowed sex workers around the world on 3 March, you can take part in events and show your solidarity.
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