(source)
In this post I’m happy to feature two short clips of sociologists at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas talking about the sex industry in Las Vegas.
First, in this two-minute clip, Barb Brents discusses the way that the sex industry in Las Vegas is set up in ways that protect “referral services” (the organizations that arrange for what often includes sex work), while exposing sex workers to policing and criminalization:
Second, Crystal Jackson, takes two minutes to explain that the stereotype of sex workers — women who have sex with men — makes male sex workers invisible and transgender sex workers seem deviant. This has consequences. It means that men in the sex industry are more able to evade the police (who aren’t looking for them), while transgender sex workers are even more likely than women to experience abuse from both the police and clients. This means that patriarchy is an insufficient theory with which to theorize sex work.
Lisa Wade, PhD is an Associate Professor at Tulane University. She is the author of American Hookup, a book about college sexual culture; a textbook about gender; and a forthcoming introductory text: Terrible Magnificent Sociology. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Comments 21
Guest — October 22, 2011
In your article, you say "transgender sex workers are even more likely than women." Trans women ARE women. By framing it that way, you are implying that trans women do not fall into the category of "woman." Instead, you should say "non-trans women" or "cis women."
Ali Mushtaq — October 22, 2011
The latter argument doesn't make sense because Adrienne Rich (and to an extent, Judith Butler) would argue that that the sex-work system is constructed through compulsory heterosexuality. So by definition, even though "women" are not the only ones being oppressed through the sex-work industry, patriarchy still constructs alternative ( subordinate and marginalized i.e. RW Connell's framework) genders that are "lesser" than those constructed by hegemonic masculinity. Like how can you argue patriarchy doesn't construct oppression against transgendered people when patriarchy structures the gender binaries (a la Butler)? lol
Ryan — October 22, 2011
I want to highlight the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (www.traffickingresourcecenter.org) and hotline (1-888-3737-888) to learn about human trafficking as instances of providing commercial sex or labor under force, fraud, or coercion, which says that not everyone in this industry is there by choice.
Kat — October 22, 2011
"This means that patriarchy is an insufficient theory with which to theorize sex work."
Yes, cause it works great for the men and the women get screwed... Oh wait.
lex — October 22, 2011
"This means that patriarchy is an insufficient theory with which to theorize sex work."
Only when your understanding of the theory is as simplistic it can possibly be.
Boner Killer — October 23, 2011
Yay women are commodities, how empowering!
withoutscene — October 24, 2011
My understanding of the word insufficient is that it means "not enough." Saying patriarchy is insufficient isn't the same as saying it is useless or irrelevant. I think that's a claim that most feminists would be familiar with, as lots of folks have made similar and equally valid claims.
I'm all for valid criticisms and many do come up on this blog...but really? Somehow I doubt that contributors to this blog, including Lisa, have a simplistic view of patriarchy.
Amias Maldonado — October 24, 2011
I agree with withoutscene. Patriarchy, by itself, IS "not enough" to understand the experiences of transgender sex workers. If we were to take classical patriarchal theory and that's it, I would imagine that it would predict some amount of advantage (or lessening of abuse) for transmen, and an equal level of abuse towards transwomen as regular women. Obviously not the case from Jackson's remarks. All this means is that you'll need to incorporate more theory (hegemonic masculinity, queer, intersectional) into theorizing sex work. Which I think is more or less Lisa's point. It may seem obvious to the community here, but if you go into policy making or non profits, you'll find this notion (Sex Work is a function of male dominance and oppression and that's all there is to that) still quite prevalent.
Blix — October 24, 2011
Nefarious
Ggilberto — October 25, 2011
I'd like to see proof that transgendered men experience more violence than women in prostitution.
Vegas sells women as if they are commodities- oh, wait! Of course, women are commodities!
It's supposed to be illegal in the city and yet you can't walk from one casino to another without swarms of men shoving pictures of available woman-meat into your hands. Why is it that the cops kept harrassing the homeless people and didn't bother with the pimps' various operatives?