(en) The Siege of Troy: Interview With a Sex Worker by Aotearoa Workers Solidarity Movement (AWSM*)

In recent decades the NZ economy has been restructured away from a basis in primary 
production, towards the service sector. This trend has been combined with labour laws 
taking collective protections from workers. These conditions along with other alterations 
in the economy have meant frequent changes of job for many people. It is becoming rarer
for somebody to remain within the same kind of work, let alone with the same company for 
their entire working life (assuming you aren?t unemployed). For some, this has required
doing more than one job simultaneously and in disparate fields. This includes those kinds 
of work once seen as ?off-limits?, illegal and/or dangerous. Below is a slightly edited
version of an interview with AWSM given by Troy, a male sex worker. The interview gives an 
insight into the experiences of someone who has changed his decisions in light of today?s 
economy.

AWSM: Thanks for agreeing to talk. Can you start by telling us about yourself?

Troy: I?m Troy. That?s my working name you understand. I?m in my late 20s. I?m from a 
small town in the North Island but I don?t want to say which one because it was so small. 
Everybody knows everybody, you know what I mean? My family is small, just an ordinary 
bunch of people. Dad went to work, Mum stayed home, that sort of thing. I went to school 
there, and got through it ok, even though I wasn?t a great student. I went to university 
for a couple of years but didn?t graduate. I kind of got bored there and also my finances 
weren?t great. I?ve had different regular day jobs but my main job is in the sex industry. 
I?ve been doing that a few years now.

AWSM: Ok thanks for that. So, what got you into sex work?

Troy: You know at school they make you write those ?What I want to be when I grow up? 
essays? Well I don?t think anyone writes ?prostitute? do they?! For me its always been the 
money, pure and simple. I needed money and working for minimum wage in a convenience store 
just wasn?t going to bring in the sort of cash I needed to pay my bills. And maybe I?m 
just not good at taking orders anyway [laughs]. It wasn?t the first thing that came to 
mind and I spent a long time thinking it over before I made the choice. I had a friend who 
I found out was doing it, so some of our discussions helped take me in that direction too. 
My first experience of it was positive. I got paid well and it worked out ok. Maybe if it 
had gone differently I would have made another choice. I don?t know.

AWSM: Do your friends and family know what work you do? What do they think?

Troy: Some do and they get what it?s about. Sure they ask a few questions at times, but
just because they are looking out for me. Some people think its about sex.

AWSM: Can you explain that last comment?

Troy: About it not being about sex? I mean I?m not doing it because I need to get off all 
the time. Sure I want sex myself sometimes, but that?s not why I?m doing it. It?s not 
about my body, it?s about my bank. I don?t totally hate it as a job though.

AWSM: Do you work alone or for a brothel?

Troy: I?ve always worked alone, at home.

AWSM: Something that would turn a lot of people off doing your kind of work is the 
perceived danger. Can you speak to that a bit?

Troy: Sure. I thought about that. Like I said, I gave it thought before getting started. I 
guess the main dangers are disease and physically dangerous clients. I?m always careful to 
do safe sex and despite pressure to make more money by taking risks, I never do. I realise 
there?s no 100% safe method to use, but I cut that down as much as possible and haven?t
caught anything. I get regular checks. There are ways of dealing with possibly dangerous 
clients. I have a few ?security measures?. Nothing is totally safe of course and I?ve had 
a few near misses along the way. Its not really exactly the same as every other kind of
job, but there is some danger in lots of other jobs too. Construction workers can fall off 
buildings, firemen get burnt and that kind of thing. There probably is more risk in what I 
do though.

AWSM: Do you or have you ever had a pimp?

Troy: No way! Fuck that! Why should I give somebody else money? I work hard and look after 
myself.

AWSM: Sounds like a government.

Troy: What do you mean?

AWSM: They promise to protect you, but mostly just take your money and do something you
can do for yourself anyway.

Troy: Um, yeah ok [laughs] I suppose you could look at it that way.

AWSM: Going back to terminology. You mentioned the ?sex industry?. So what about your 
self-description? Are you an escort?

Troy: Escort seems to be the one most people use, isn?t it? Personally I don?t like it 
that much. I mean, it sounds like somebody taking somebody to the school dance or 
whatever! [laughs] I don?t ?escort? anybody anywhere, do I?! I prefer ?prostitute?. It?s 
more straight forward and to the point. I can sort of see the point of ?sex worker? 
because it makes it clear that it?s a job and that I?m getting paid for it. I can see its 
a bit dry though. The sort of stuff I don?t like is ?whore?. Just feels negative to me.

AWSM: What about the people you work with? Clients?

Troy: Yeah I?m ok with ?clients?. Again, it keeps things clear that this is a business 
thing. I don?t use slang to describe them, you know ?Johns? or whatever. That sounds vague 
and I also don?t use any negative ways of describing them. I try to respect them, that way 
there?s more chance I get respected, you know?

AWSM: Do you get that respect from them in reality?

Troy: Mostly a client just wants the service you have to offer. They aren?t there to make 
my life difficult. They have a need and I?m helping with that and as long as you?re fair 
to them and provide what you promised to the best of your ability and not rip them off or 
whatever, it usually works out fine. That?s about it.

What pisses me off the most is when I get clients who want to haggle about the price for 
my services. They try to get me cheaper, to bargain and argue about it. They wouldn?t do 
that with a plumber, electrician, lawyer, doctor or whatever. Because I?m selling sex, 
they think it?s different. I?m not seen like a professional trying to do a job that?s 
worth respecting. You know, my prices aren?t chosen at random! I have costs to cover. To 
be honest, there have been a few times when i?ve cut my prices a bit. I didn?t feel good 
about it, but it was about paying rent or not that week and business was slow.

Once or twice I?ve had clients who think because they?ve paid for my service, they?ve 
really bought me myself, you know? They push things beyond what we agreed to do and I have 
to set them right about it. Those guys need to know that I am the one in control of what I 
do. I try to be, anyway. You get all types. Most are ok. I don?t know what it?s like for 
other people in the business eh. It?s got to be worse for women working the street I 
imagine. I?m not saying my own experiences are what everyone goes through. I?m good at my 
job, but I?m not here to recruit people to it. I?m just telling you what it?s honestly 
like for me.

AWSM: And who are the clients?

Troy: Could be anyone really, but about 99% male. That?s the way it is. They are all ages 
from 18-80 and all shapes and sizes and backgrounds. You can imagine, I don?t spend heaps 
of time discussing their jobs or lives. Sometimes they like talking about that stuff, so I 
listen but I try not to be nosy. You have to be open and accept all types in this job.

AWSM: How many clients would you see in a typical day/week?

Troy: That?s a really difficult one to answer. I don?t know if there is such a thing as a 
typical anything in this job! [laughs] Sometimes I might not get a client all week, other 
times, it could be 5 a day. It?s feast or famine. I have to be really careful to manage my 
money. One thing is for sure, the bills keep coming in regularly, no matter what?s 
happening in my job. That?s true for everyone eh, no matter what job you do these days.

AWSM: What do you think of organisations that work with or support sex workers?

Troy: If they are staffed by prostitutes or ex-prostitutes and they are in control of how 
things get done, it?s good. They have a real understanding of what?s needed. You know, 
I?ve never needed to get help from any groups for myself. I know a couple of friends in
the business and we chat sometimes. They have a lot of experience and that has helped from 
time-to-time. This job can be stressful sometimes and its good just to let off steam with 
somebody who knows where you?re coming from.

AWSM: What do you think of organisations in society that take a conservative stance on the 
issue of prostitution? Those in opposition? For example, those who come at it from a 
religious perspective?

Troy: There?s definitely some lack of knowledge going on there. Probably some hypocrisy
too. You?d be surprised what goes on under the surface in some ?respectable? small towns 
out there! [laughs] Also, wasn?t Jesus helped out by an ex-prostitute? They forget their 
own book when it suits them eh. I think this country has improved on this stuff in recent 
years, and governments don?t listen much to the kind of people you?re talking about. 
Things aren?t perfect, but better than it used to be. I reckon there are some out there
who can separate out that maybe prostitution itself isn?t the greatest thing in the world, 
but that?s no reason to attack us as people. I?m just trying to make a living and I didn?t 
make things the way they are.

AWSM: Why do you think that is? The change in attitude?

Troy: I don?t totally know. Maybe a combination of people starting to talk about things
and changes in other areas too. People move around more, there?s the internet, so lots of 
ideas out there that were closed off in the past. There was homosexual law reform back in 
the 80?s. People in towns are usually more open and we are becoming less of a rural 
country. Its a combination. It?s not a simple thing.

AWSM: As you know, AWSM is an anarchist group. What do you consider your own politics to be?

Troy: I don?t give ?politics? much thought to be honest. I haven?t voted, even though I?m 
old enough. There are individual things that governments do that I can go along with, but 
I?m not really keen on any particular party. The Greens have a few ideas. I certainly 
don?t have time for a lot of what the National Party is about. I don?t know much about 
anarchists, but I think some of the ideas about people working together and co-operating 
makes sense. I think I?m good at the job I do, but I don?t really like the fact that we
have to do so much just to survive. Maybe there?s another way of doing things that would 
do it better. I don?t know.

AWSM: Can you imagine a future society without prostitution?

Troy: That?s hard to imagine. They say its the oldest profession, right? I think things
would have to be really, really different for that to happen. I don?t know if its 
possible. It?s an interesting idea. Right now, I have bills to pay.

AWSM: And what about your own future?

Troy: There?s no doubt that in this work there?s a natural limit to it. I mean, I?m going 
to keep doing it for as long as I can, but I realise it will begin to get really difficult 
in a few years time. I reckon I?ll just begin not to be wanted by clients as I get older 
or maybe I?ll just get fed up with it. It happens. I will have to look for something new. 
Maybe by then your revolution will have happened and I won?t need to worry about it too
much? [laughs]

AWSM: Let?s hope so! Anyway, thanks again for your time.
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* Anarchist organization