Trigger warning for a brief mention of drugs, violence and suicide - though not graphic!

What is whorephobia?

Simply put, whorephobia is the prejudice against sex workers by civilians (non-sex workers) or other sex workers themselves. When someone says that sex work isn’t real work or calls a sex worker a derogatory slur, it’s whorephobia in action. When a phone sex operator classes themselves as superior to escorts because escorts have sex with their clients, it’s whorephobic.

Whorephobia has been fostered by society to make us think that sex work is inherently bad, and the idea that sex work isn’t real work. Of course, as many adult workers will tell you, it is real work! Bloody hard work at that. We pay rent and bills like everyone else, we pay taxes, and we take care of our families using the money from our jobs. Surely if sex work wasn’t “real” work, we wouldn’t be paid real money? Food for thought.

As an adult entertainer for over two and a half years, I’ve for sure seen more than my fair share of whorephobia in action, and had a hell of a lot directed at me personally. Just the other day I was catching up with notifications on my Pro Domme Twitter account and found the perfect example of whorephobia- a man telling me that ‘real Dommes don’t get naked because it isn’t dominant’. So using that logic, somehow a naked body automatically makes you submissive, which is simply not the case. But to him, a Domme who chooses to show her own body is made less of a Domme due to her nakedness… Which is of her own volition.

So called ‘white knights’ are big players in the whorephobic world. These are the men who believe that they should try to save sex workers by messaging them and telling them how beautiful they are and how they can’t possibly be doing sex work since they’re so beautiful. They even go as far as to threaten the sex worker with outing them or by posting their personal information online (known as doxxing).

[clickToTweet tweet="So called ‘white knights’ are big players in the whorephobic world" quote="So called ‘white knights’ are big players in the whorephobic world"]

If a Pro Domme makes a throw away comment about how she’s successful without having to show her body, she’s still putting down Dommes who do as well as other aspects of sex work where people do show their bodies. You can be successful by not showing your body, but you can also be tremendously successful if you do choose to do that.

You also get the rejected whorephobes, as I like to call them. These are the people, usually clients, who have had their request / comment / message rejected by the sex worker and who turn particularly nasty. Suddenly because they have been denied the sex worker is dirty, pathetic, money-grabbing, and a whole load of other insults that they barrage you with. Unfortunately this is the kind of whorephobe that I deal with on almost a daily basis.

Why is whorephobia dangerous?

The world, unfortunately, is still not the best of places for adult workers. While it is changing and progressing it still isn't an entirely safe place for us. You read in the paper about escorts being murdered, you see cam girls being outed to their families, and a year ago I had an online sugar baby friend commit suicide because she was being blackmailed by a man she was seeing.

Whorephobia makes the world an even more unsafe place for us to live and work in. How do we set an example to civilians if sex workers are still being whorephobic towards each other? By doing this we are solidifying the idea that it’s normal and acceptable to pit different types of sex work against each other. News flash: it isn’t!

No aspect of sex work is better than another, because it’s all still sex work. It doesn’t matter if that sex worker chooses to be naked, have sex with their clients, go into the adult industry purely to make money, or whatever it may be! At the end of the day, sex work is still sex work no matter how you may dress it up. We need to support each other and challenge negative views on adult work.

[clickToTweet tweet="No aspect of sex work is better than another, because it’s all still sex work" quote="No aspect of sex work is better than another, because it’s all still sex work"]

We need society to recognise sex work as a valid choice of career. While not everyone is going to go into sex work if it was suddenly considered a ‘normal’ career, the acceptance would mean better protection in many forms for those working in the adult industry. From porn actors to professional fetish folk, we contribute back to the society that shames us through taxes and other legal requirements. Surely we wouldn’t if adult work wasn’t legal or a ‘real’ job.

How you can help to challenge whorephobia

Tackling whorephobia can be surprisingly easy. By standing up to those who talk down sex workers and voicing your support of adult work, you’re helping. By challenging the stereotypes of sex workers (eg that escorts are drug addicts who engage in sex for money to fund their habit) it can make a huge difference. If you hear someone making slurs then speak up, there may be a sex worker within hearing distance. We need allies.

For civilians reading this, educate yourselves. A quick Google search will bring up hundreds of articles giving advice on how to be a better ally to sex workers. Educate yourselves on sex work and keep an open mind.

For example, if a woman runs a kinky blog and posts sexy and explicit photos of herself, and you find that okay, why is it then different and ‘bad’ if she decides to sell her images, or create custom photos for customers, or charge an access fee for a private blog?

The only difference there is that she is now financially capitalising on her talent. If the exchange of money somehow makes a negative impact, you’re still being whorephobic.

Sex workers, you need to realise and remember that what another sex worker chooses to do is none of your business. It doesn’t make them any less of a person if they choose to do something you don’t, or don’t like / agree with.

In summary

Sex work is a totally valid form of career. Whorephobia shames and endangers those who work in the adult industry. We need both sex workers and civilians to challenge whorephobic attitudes and to support the adult industry as an acceptable form of employment.

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