The History of Trans Sex Work
Why have the two communities been linked together for so long?
Historical Context
“No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us,” cried Marsha P. Johnson. A leader of the Stonewall riots, Johnson said that she was arrested over 100 times for sex work. Sylvia Rivera, who was rumored to have thrown one of the first bricks at Stonewall, also talked openly about solicitation. The push for LGBTQ+ equality has always been connected with the sex industry, with advantages and disadvantages for both causes. Time reported, “Indeed, the fight for LGBTQ rights was and is inseparable from the fight for sex workers’ rights. Both movements insist that the police have no right to tell consenting adults how to use their bodies; both movements demand that the state keeps out of marginalized folks’ bedrooms.”
"Inside News" May 5, 1969
Across the country from New York, San Francisco was also a focal point for gay rights. Historian Laura Renata Martin’s dissertation for UC Santa Cruz explains how, in the midst of a growing trans population, “Unemployment, non-unionized informal and illegal employment, and unwaged work increasingly came to define the experience of being working class in San Francisco.”
Unsurprisingly, it is poor trans women of color who are most likely to engage in these types of jobs and thus transition to sex work as a result. The National Transgender Discrimination Survey found that “Black and Black Multiracial respondents had the highest rate of sex trade participation overall (39.9%),” with Latinx people following at 33.2%. Furthermore, the rates of transfeminine sex workers are double that of transmasculine people.
"The National Insider" November 3, 1963
Why are more trans people in sex work?
Often, choosing to do sex work is just that- a choice. Although, there is a historical precedent for higher rates of trans people in sex work, often due to discrimination. There is rampant workplace harassment against trans people which pushes this demographic out of traditional employment. Transgender Europe writes, “Trans people engage in sex work for a variety of reasons, most commonly because they live in a transphobic environment and face structural barriers to access to education and employment, and thus have limited economic and employment opportunities.” According to the Movement Advancement Project, unemployment rates among the trans community were twice that of the general population. 97 percent of surveyees in a study by the Journal of Trauma & Dissociation said they experienced workplace discrimination. Difficulties in obtaining accurate paperwork and gender documentation also push trans people away from a 9-5.
In addition, homelessness rates are higher among the LGBTQ+ population. This is related to the aforementioned employment discrimination but is also a result of unsafe home and school environments. Homelessness presents a number of dangers and often leads to sex trafficking or being recruited by a "pimp," rather than engaging in voluntary sex work. The coinciding poverty also creates desperation for employment. This is a trend seen globally. In Singapore, for example, Project X quoted a source as saying, “Several sex workers noted that you could become ‘stuck in this life’ in order to pay rent.” In conclusion, researchers found that due to rampant discrimination, “many transgender women view the sex work industry as their only viable career option.” That is not to say, however, that sex work is always an undesired path for people or something that they are forced into.
"Inside News" May 5, 1969
Face, a transmasculine sex worker and dancer in Los Angeles, says "Sex work, especially for the trans community, goes way back. And I think that's due to a lot of the things that our people have been through as far as not having support or acceptance at home. It starts there."
Face explains that living on the streets puts young trans people in a survival mindset. Although for those like himself, being a sex worker was not the result of any perceived coercion- it was a conscious decision. "I was kicked out at a young age but I didn't have terrible experiences up to where I had no other options. Sex work, to me, was fun. It was a choice and it's something I love to do." Face has been a dancer for about a decade and enjoys the opportunity to get paid for his skill.
"The People" September 30, 1962
"The Sun" May 15, 1981
The Hypersexualization of Queer People
The LGBTQ+ community has been consistently oversexualized. Thus, it makes sense that when being pushed out of traditional career paths, trans people would gravitate towards sex work as their very existence has been sexualized- often since before puberty. “Many queer people today would benefit drastically from their identities (being) separated from the sexually promiscuous and ‘unnatural’ identity many people place on them.” This quote from Unnati Patel’s 2020 CUNY thesis refers to an overall trend in media and social attitudes that associates queerness with sex and often perverted sex. Drag queens in particular have been accused of pedophilia on numerous occasions.
Pete Buttigieg was accused of sexual assault, a claim that has been found to be false. An article by the Washington Post quotes experts and activists who believe Buttigieg’s targeting is a result of “‘far-right attempts to characterize the LGBT community as dangerous and predatory.’” Furthermore, according to Face, there is a "huge market" of customers with a fetish for trans people.
"National Bulletin" January 24, 1972
Stripping
Tony Manriquez moved to San Francisco as a “female impersonator” (what would now be called a drag queen) in 1956. He performed at an early gay club, Finocchio’s. According to Manriquez, even a place like that avoided hiring dancers who were physically transitioning. He recalled a trans employee, Stormy, during an interview with Don Romesburg and the GLBT Historical Society. “It got to the point where the breasts were starting to get shape, and it was getting to the point where he (sic) would strip and just show a little bit. And he was told that if he was going to do that, he was not to remove the strap. I'm sure the hormones or whatever that they were using in those days must have been very crude.”
Decades later, June Remus stripped in the Twin Cities during the 1970s. She was the only “trans in the group” and worked while transitioning. She said, “If you’re ashamed of what you’re doing, you shouldn’t be doing it.”
Stripping and sex work do not necessarily have an empowering or traumatizing impact- for some, it is a job like any other. Everyone’s experience in the industry is different. That being said, the modern strip scene has more space for trans performers. Some spots, like Precinct, host nights just to highlight queer dancers. Face says he has had a monumentally better experience dancing at queer-friendly clubs rather than cishet ones. In fact, engaging in sex work post-transition has been empowering for Face. "I get a lot of respect and a lot of love... It's been really gender-affirming to dance the way I want to dance."
"Jet Magazine" November 10, 1955