Sex work is one of the oldest jobs there is, and one of the most argued about. This piece covers where it came from, how different countries handle it now, and why so many workers and advocates are pushing for change.
A very old trade
Records of paid sex go back to ancient Mesopotamia. Greece and Rome taxed and regulated it. Medieval European towns licensed brothels in some periods and shut them down in others, depending on who was in charge and how worried they were about disease or sin.
The history also has a dark side. Colonial powers and the slave trade forced huge numbers of women and girls into sexual servitude. That's part of why the debate today is so heated: people are often talking past each other, with one side picturing an adult choosing the work and the other picturing someone with no choice at all. Both exist. Good policy has to deal with both.
The internet changed the business more than anything since. Webcam work, clip sites and paid photo platforms let people earn without meeting anyone in person, and screening tools gave in-person workers more control over who they see.
Who counts as a sex worker?
The term was coined by activist Carol Leigh in the late 1970s to describe the work instead of judging the person. Today it usually covers anyone who sells sexual services or erotic performance: escorts, strippers, porn performers, cam models, phone sex operators and people selling explicit photos online.
Not everyone in those jobs uses the word. Some dancers and online creators prefer "entertainer" or "model." Others claim "sex worker" deliberately, as a sign of solidarity with workers who face arrest. Legally, the categories are very different: in the US, stripping and selling adult photos online are legal, while trading sex for money is a crime almost everywhere.
The law in the United States
Prostitution is regulated by the states, not the federal government, and every state except Nevada bans it. Nevada allows licensed brothels in some rural counties. Outside those brothels it's illegal there too, including in Las Vegas.
Bills to decriminalize sex work have been introduced in places like New York State and Washington, DC, and some local prosecutors have chosen to stop charging it. None of those bills has become law. Meanwhile, FOSTA-SESTA, passed in 2018, made websites liable for ads linked to prostitution. Many sites that workers had used to screen clients shut down as a result, and workers' groups say it made the job more dangerous.
How other countries handle it
There are roughly 4 models around the world:
- Decriminalization. New Zealand removed criminal penalties for adult sex work in 2003 and gave workers ordinary employment rights. Several Australian states, including New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, have also decriminalized.
- Legal and regulated. Germany and the Netherlands allow licensed brothels and require registration and tax. Critics say heavy rules push some workers into the unlicensed market.
- The Nordic model. Sweden, starting in 1999, made it a crime to buy sex but not to sell it. Norway, France, Ireland and others followed. Supporters see it as protecting workers; many workers say it still drives the job underground.
- Full prohibition. Both buying and selling are crimes. This is the situation in most US states.
The case for change
Groups like the ACLU, Amnesty International and many workers' organizations support decriminalizing consensual adult sex work. Their main arguments:
- Safety. Workers who aren't afraid of arrest can report violence, screen clients openly and work together.
- Health. People get tested and treated more often when seeing a doctor doesn't risk a criminal record.
- Fighting trafficking. Police time can go to forced labor and exploitation of minors instead of consenting adults.
- Stigma. A record for prostitution follows people into housing, banking and custody cases long after they leave the work.
Opponents argue that legal markets grow demand and can hide trafficking. The research is contested on both sides, which is why countries keep landing in different places.
What about strippers and online creators?
Exotic dancing is legal across the US, though cities regulate clubs heavily. Selling nude photos or videos online is also legal for adults in the US; it isn't prostitution, because there's no sexual contact with a buyer. Many advocates still include both under the sex work umbrella, because the workers share the same stigma, the same trouble with banks and the same risk of being outed.
On SexySelfies, creators are 21+ and ID-verified, they sell photo and video posts at prices they set, and there are no in-person meetings. Hardcore material isn't allowed.
Further reading
The ACLU's case for decriminalization: https://www.aclu.org/news/topic/its-time-to-decriminalize-sex-work