Working Guys: A Transmasculine Sex Worker Anthology - Kickstarter Live May 1st!
While we are slowly seeing more accounts about the experiences of sex workers being shared, there are large gaps in the representation. As a transmasculine sex worker myself, I have tried to seek out stories about people like me and had immense difficulty in doing so. I come across people like myself all the time, but they rarely have a platform to discuss the nuances of sex work as a trans man or transmasc non-binary person. Over the last year, I have been interviewing them and obtaining quotes in anticipation of this project!
The intention is for this anthology to serve as a snapshot of a broad range of transmasculine experiences selling sex and porn and other sexual services. It will include the stories of roughly a dozen transmasculine sex workers, with quotes from more, interspersed with an analysis of the common patterns we see. My hope is that projects like this will make other trans sex workers feel less alone, and inform the wider public about our lives.The accounts that are showcased in this anthology will come from sex workers from various countries and with a range of backgrounds. Thus, the book will discuss how racism, misogyny, ableism, homophobia and other forms of bigotry impact our experiences.If we exceed the funding goal, the first priority will be to pay even more contributors.
Jack Parker - find my writing at JackViolet.com
As someone who has sold sex before, during, and after my transition, in addition to other forms of sex work, it is extremely apparent to me that my work has been changed by my transness.I have had to deal with clients who fetishize trans men, clients misunderstanding what it means for me to be trans no matter how clear I am, transphobic violence, the loss of my ability to sell sex in certain venues (like brothels only accepting women), and a plethora of other difficulties. Only through being open about my own status as a sex worker have I discovered many other transmasculine people in the industry, who are often overlooked, and I am so tired of hearing people say it is very rare for trans men and transmasculine non-binary people to sell sex!Prior to my current project, I ran a very successful Kickstarter for the first ever English translation of "La Prostitution Contemporaine" (1884), which I published and fulfilled orders for in January 2024!
The anthology will include content about:
How coming out as transmasculine whilst doing sex work impacts income and the number of clients.
What it feels like to hide being trans and to sell sex under the guise of being a cis woman.
The gendered way that people tend to discuss sex work and how resources or services for sex workers fail to consider trans men and non-binary people.
Whether the sexuality of clients makes a difference in their behaviour.
Using sex work to pay for transition-related surgeries.
Solidarity between transmasc and transfem sex workers.
Submissions are still being accepted from transmasculine sex workers, including both short narrative pieces (500 words) and longer essays (1000 words). If you are interested, or know someone who is, please e-mail me at: [email protected]
I've written about trans guys and non-binary people doing sex work before, including my own experiences - I'd like to be able to pay a range of other transmasc sex workers to share their stories too, especially because there's so little out there which discusses our lives! Some of my writing is linked below.
Please feel free to share this project with others!
