Tale of a retired male sex worker
BRAAMFONTEIN – Former sex worker says he was beaten, pepper sprayed and detained by police while working the streets.
James Bailey,* a recently retired sex worker says he got into the sex work industry because of unemployment and need to make a living.
He worked in the Northern suburbs of Johannesburg since 2005 after he moved in with his friends in Hillbrow.
Bailey got into the industry aware that sex work is a crime.
Although he used the money to take care of his family, because of stigma and discrimination against the industry, Bailey has never disclosed his former occupation to his family.
“On my first day on the job, I was very nervous because I was afraid I could get arrested or victimised by clients and not have anyone to turn to,” he said.
His urge to make a living, however, gave him the strength to soldier on working as a transverse and male sex worker.
“I would dress in drag and pose as a woman because people would not just pull over for a man because of the criminal state of the country.”
He worked as an independent sex worker but had people protecting him to make sure he was safe.
“We usually took precautions like making sure we don’t work alone on the street. When someone comes and picks you up, the other sex workers would take a picture of the number plate of the vehicle. The corner we worked on also had a CCTV camera so everything was being recorded.”
Bailey informed that being victimised by clients is not the only worry of a sex worker.
“We were victimised by police all the time because they cannot prove what you were doing they would use bylaws and arrest us for things like loitering. We would spend a night in a cell and be released the next day, sometimes they pepper sprayed us or pulled off our wigs to show that we are not women.”
He told of the time when he was beaten by a police officer after he had tried to run away from being detained.
“I felt violated and it was very emotional being slapped around. I don’t understand why something as non-violent as sex is considered criminal like murder and theft,” he said.
Following his retirement, Bailey now works for Sisonke, a Braamfontein-based movement of sex workers by sex workers.
Its primary focus is on mobilising sex workers to speak out on issues of importance to them.
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* Not his real name.
