Written by FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Andy Reynolds, Popular Publicity, andy@popularpublicity.com
(New York, NY) July 7, 2016–Few professions are as misunderstood, disparaged and infamous as that of the oldest of professions: sex work–particularly male sex work.
Though in reality the profiles of male sex workers are nearly as varied those of their clients–encompassing a wide range of personalities, needs and lifestyles–sex workers remain the targets of myriad, centuries old, ugly culturally ingrained myths: Guys become prostitutes because they’re too dumb to get a “real job.” They do it to support a drug habit. They must be self-hating victims of sexual abuse. They have low self-esteem. They are walking petri dishes of yet uncataloged STDs.
The new website, Me, Us & Male Escorting at www.aboutmaleescorting.com aims to not only challenge these ignorant misconceptions, but to also lobby for the decriminalization of sex work through an on ongoing series of informative blogs and resources, including links to widely cited and read books and research papers published on male escorting.
The website is the result of a joint research collaboration between Professor John Scott and Professor Victor Minichiello, who together authored the groundbreaking book “Male Sex Work and Society” (Harrington Park Press, 2014).
See “Male Sex Work And Society’ Examines Sex Work Throughout History” on Huffington Post
In creating this blog Scott and Minichiello’s intent is “to create an innovative forum of collaboration between researchers, writers, sex workers, sex work organizations, and the media to further support the development of an ethically operated and entrepreneurially responsible business enterprise in society.”
Inaugural blog posts include “The Professionalization Of Male Escorting,” “Women Who Buy Sex: Challenging Popular Prejudices,” and two blogs written by male escorts, “Male Escorting: What It Takes To Make It Work” and “The Benefits Of Prostitution To Society.” A forthcoming blog will discuss the differences between legalization and decriminalization and highlight the benefits of decriminalizing sex work.
Above: Guest blogger, David-SF, who contributed the eye-opening article “Male Escorting: What it Takes to Make it Work” to Me, Us & Male Escorting
Me, Us & Male Escorting is for everyone from male sex workers to their friends, families and romantic partners, to government agencies and the general public. Deeply informative, frankly fascinating and utterly necessary, Me, Us & Male Escorting hopes to de-stigmatize male sex work and create a more informed forum for male escorting. “Male sex workers face a double stigma because same sex relationships are stigmatized and sex work is stigmatized,” state the sites founders.
“We need the government to come on board and see this as work,” says Me, Us & Male Escorting co-founder Professor John Scott. “That makes it better for the sex workers who can manage their health and safety and if sex work is decriminalised better in terms of making it easier for people to pay tax and follow all the regulations like all other occupations.”
Look for the soon to be released Me, Us & Male Escorting companion Android app, MALES, which will allow both male and female clients to search a directory of over 300 escort websites (in 60 countries).
About the founders of Me, Us & Male Escorting and co-editors of “Male Sex Work and Society”:
John Scott, PhD
John Scott is a Professor in the School of Justice, Queensland University of Technology, Australia. Trained as a sociologist, he is interested in social reactions to crime and how such reactions are mediated by historic and cultural contexts. He is especially interested activities sexual and gendered activities regarded as deviant. He has published widely, including over eighty articles and book chapters and Australian government supported research on the ecology of crime (crime in rural communities), gender and crime (sex work,) and drug use (the social supply of cannabis). His most recent books the co-edited Male Sex Work and Society (Harrington Park Press, 2014) and the co-authored Crime and Society (Sage, 2014). See Professor Scott’s full biography.
Victor Minichiello, PhD
Professor Victor Minichiello is an internationally recognised social scientist, who conducts studies in a number of countries on topics related to sexualities. He has written many books and research papers on the sexualities of young and older people, homophobia, ageism, and the sex industry that have influenced policy, the delivery of services, and social attitudes.
He holds a number of academic professorial appointments in medical, law and health faculties. See Professor Minichiello’s full biography.
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