The Limits of Labelling: Incidental Sex Work Among Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Young Men on Social Media

Abstract

Introduction The term incidental sex work refers to forms of casual, occasional, unsolicited commercial sex, arranged between gay, bisexual, and queer men on social media platforms such as Grindr. This paper explores the limits of labelling sexual identities, and how definitions of “sex” and “work” have become increasingly unstable in the digital age. Methods This study used mixed methods, with the primary mode of data collection being qualitative interviews with young gay, bisexual, and queer men conducted between May 2015 and April 2016. The interviews incorporated a nine-point sexuality scale and photo-elicitation procedures to prompt further discussions. Through the participant recruitment process, the study also generated an informal survey of 1473 Grindr users aged 18 to 28, finding that 14.6% had been paid for sex, most of whom (8.2%) had done so “incidentally.” Results The 50 interview participants discussed being paid for sex 358 times. This paper focuses on their narratives of labelling, identity politics, sexual normativity, and social stigma. All participants distanced themselves from labels such as “prostitute,” “rent boy,” or “sex worker” given that their behaviours were not seen as “regular” or “professional” enough, alongside seeking to avoid association with stigmatising stereotypes of sex work. These results are compared with the participants’ experiences of coming out as gay, bisexual, and queer. Discussion These narratives are interpreted using queer theory to understand those whose behaviours and identities do not conform to normative (legal, medical, social) discourses of sex work. The implications of this hidden population for campaigners, policymakers, and healthcare practitioners are discussed, contributing to ongoing debates around harm reduction and social policy.

The place where only gays go: constructions of queer space in the narratives of sexually diverse refugees

“…For many SD migrants and refugees, online dating may be perceived as being a safer and less intimidating way of meeting other SD people (Masullo, 2018, p. 60). This corresponds to the findings of researchers such as Mowlabocus (2010) and Morris (2021) who have charted the role of technology and the increasing availability of social media in shifting SD identities, encounters and communities. As such, the reliance on attending physical spaces should also be reconceived in recognition of the increasing digitalisation of social life.…”

Sexual Interaction in Digital Contexts and Its Implications for Sexual Health: A Conceptual Analysis

“…Attempts of non-consensual initiation of offline sexual encounters in digital contexts are described, however, as unethical and illegal grooming of children or harassment of adults ( Malesky, 2007 ; Thompson, 2018 ; Greene-Colozzi et al, 2020 ). When it comes to commercial sex, the literature acknowledges opportunities of reaching clients on social media or dating platform for self-determined sex workers of different genders and sexual identities ( Brennan, 2017 ; Kingston and Smith, 2020 ; Mergenthaler and Yasseri, 2021 ; Morris, 2021 ). At the same time, digital technologies are also characterized as dangerous because young women in particular can be lured and pressured by older men into the digital paysex market without them being able to fully consent, sex trafficking takes place online and prostitutes are contacted online by offenders ( Beckham and Prohaska, 2012 ; Jonsson et al, 2014 ; O’Brien and Li, 2020 ; see Table 4 ).…”

“Sexuality” through the Kaleidoscope: Sexual Orientation, Identity, and Behaviour in Asylum Claims in the United Kingdom

“…Those who had non-normative sexual desires or who participated in non-normative sexual activities were subjected to a series of logics where one's desires' and behaviours' transformed from what had historically been seen as aberrant behaviours (the act of sodomy) to a fundamental element of who one was (the homosexual person) (Foucault 1998). In this sense, the claim that one's sexual diversities were a form of identity, 'a sexuality', originates in the highly modernist, positivist, desire to categorize and label social phenomena (Morris 2021a). While this may initially have been used as a means through which to control and limit sexual freedom, these categories came to be utilized in demands for rights and respect by those to whom they were applied.…”

“…As such, the paper situates itself within a wider body of queer scholarship that attempts to render unfamiliar the assumptions, occlusions, and subjects of knowledge(s) associated with sexuality (Halberstam 1998, p. 13). In doing so, it poses critical questions regarding the embrace of identity politics, which has occurred within contemporary political and intellectual projects that aim to advance rights and protections for sexually diverse people (see also : Phelan 2000;Bernstein 2005;Adler 2018;Ashford et al 2020;Powell 2021;Morris 2021a).…”