GOSHH

Question Billie
Part 2

5. What is you view of sex work in limerick 2015?
My view of sex work in Limerick City is broad, detailed and unencumbered.

1) I see a city that enjoys itself. I see sex as an integral part of that enjoyment. I see sex workers who maximise their stay in our city by making more bookings than they normally would because the custom exists. I see sex workers who are very happy with the low level of crimes against sex workers in Limerick. I see sex workers who enjoy their careers.

2) I see drug dealers, using their clients for the sexual gratification of themselves and their other clients. Women who are addicted to heroin, selling sex in order to pay for rent, or pay back dealers, or get the bus fare to get into town for their methadone. I see a Limerick that has no systems in place to support people to exit sex work, and adds to the pressure people are under when they are struggling, which creates a higher possibility of entering sex work in the first place.

3) I see migrant women being moved around by men in vans. I see a city that wants to be the best it can, allowing the continuation of a situation where people are engaged in sex work under force, duress or out of necessity – not because they want to be. I see more systems, which are completely inaccessible for migrants trying to exit sex work. I see no investigations into trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation, and I see very little communication between services and service users.

I see a city that would rather they couldn’t see the sex work. A city where, if it happens behind closed doors, people would be happy. A city that ignores, denies and rejects sex work and sex workers, leaving people either isolated, vulnerable and unsafe or unwilling to engage with any services, avoiding telling people what they do.

6. What effects do you think stigma has on people working in sex work and who do you think creates this stigma?
There is such a thing as internalising. This is when people take a ‘known normal’ and turn it on themselves in a way that creates self-hatred. That is the impact that stigma has on sex workers. Stigma causes isolation. Sex workers are not allowed friendships, relationships, love. It makes a person believe they will not get assistance if they ask for it, that they do not deserve help, or justice, or kindness. It creates a person who understands that their human rights are not going to be met. A person who believes that no one cares, no one will help and life will get no better, so “I may as well not try”. Stigma causes fear. It develops in people until they believe that every service (sexual health, migrant, gards) will judge them, report them, sneer at them. It teaches people that they are inhuman and what they do is wrong. It teaches people to fear themselves and others. Stigma causes hatred. It tells people it is ok to abuse, beat and assault. It teaches people that any kind of gratification is here for the taking. It creates an environment where, even though consent is based on an agreement of payment – people feel they can take and not pay. It allows others to say anything they like and not be challenged. It promotes intolerance and disrespect. It allows others to undermine sex workers human rights. Stigma causes silence. Sex workers do not have a voice, cannot gain respect, cannot argue their own corner; cannot engage with systems, progression, development or community. Sex workers are talked at, talked about. Sex workers are not asked, or invited, or welcomed. Stigma incapacitates sex workers.

Who creates this stigma? – We all do. All of the social discourse around selling sex. The perpetual teachings of sex negativity. The insistence on limiting and restricting law. Anyone who uses the word whore, slut, bitch. Anyone who promotes sexual superiority, ownership of sexual partners or sexual entitlement.

7. What effect does stress have on sex worker and if so what types of stress is for a sex worker?
Stress has the same impact on a sex worker that it has on anyone else. Everyone is impacted differently by stress. Some of the common side effects of suffering from high levels of stress include tiredness, physical weakness, low self image, low mental health, considerable potential for negativity, low ability to engage socially, sleeplessness, inability to relax.

If you are working as a sex worker, there is a very high chance you will be working late evening. Many independent escorts also work early morning. If you are able to manage your business well, you will work for three days in a row and then take four days off. If you are unable to sleep, and feeling really tired. Your ability to work will be impaired. Sex work is a physically demanding job. If you are feeling physical weakness, or get ill often, your ability to work will be impaired. Sex work is a job that requires high levels of self confidence, a quick mind and an innate sense of self preservation. If you are feeling low mentally or emotionally, your ability to work will be impaired. Sex work is a lonely job, that carries a high level of imposed isolation. If you have a low level of social tolerance, your ability to work will be impaired.

When I say your ability to work will be impaired – because we are talking about sex work – it does not mean, you have a problem going into work and are glad the weekend has come. We are talking about sex. If your ability to provide sex is impaired, for mental or emotional reasons, then having sex (or doing your job) can cause a person to feel like they are being sexually assaulted. When a person has sex, and they don’t want it, but they say yes anyway (for whatever reason), this damages our self worth and impacts upon our enjoyment levels. If a person make money from having sex, and their ability to work is impaired, they may well decided to take more risks, to get higher pay, in order to do less work. Sexual health is about the mental, emotional, spiritual and physical aspects of a human being – including pleasure. So if a sex workers ability to work is impaired, it can cause long term mental and emotional; damage if they continue to do so. This is something society does not have systems in place to deal with.

So in a nut shell, stress and sex work, without coping mechanisms and social support, causes more stress and potential for long term emotional and mental health damage, as well as physical harm.

8. Where does sexual health stand in regards to the work of sex workers
Most sex workers are highly aware of the need to engage with sexual health. The majority of them would see this as using condoms. I see it as much more than that. I see sexual health as a holisitic view of a persons body, mind and soul – which is centred in their heart. I try to increase the mental and emotional aspects of sex workers sexual health, as well as talk about pleasure with them. I believe that – because we are talking about sex – if a person is not gaining pleasure, then it can be damaging. Many people enter sex work with little or no skill in pleasuring themselves, or other people. They see sex work as a purely physical function. The healthiest sex workers I meet are the ones who test regularly, gain new skills as they go along and always look to pleasure themselves in their job. Faking it is not sexually healthy. Forcing it is not sexually healthy. Ignoring pain is not sexually healthy and not being able to talk about it is not sexually healthy. Sexual health promotion work with sex workers has to include working with consent, pleasure, skills, negotiation, and self confidence, as well as providing condoms and lube and getting regularly tested.