1. Highlighting gay and
bisexual men in research
on Canadian experiences
of paying for sexual
services
Chris Atchison
University of Victoria

2. Sex Industry
Adult Film
and Print
Live Erotic
Performance
Web Cam
Internet
Phone
Sex
No physical contact between
worker/seller and buyer
Erotic
Dance
Fetish
B&D/S&M
Physical contact between
worker/seller and buyer
Overview of the Canadian Sex Industry
Prostitution

3. Prostitution Venues
Street
Roughly 15-20%
of
prostitution
MicroBrothel and
Brothel
Massage
Parlour
Escort
In-Call
Independent
Out-Call
Bar/Club
Roughly 80-85% of prostitution
Overview of the Canadian Sex Industry
Online

4. • Most studies of prostitution have focussed on the street-based “survival” sex
industry and workers (mostly female).
• Little theoretical or empirical attention has been paid to people who purchase
sexual services.
• Even less attention has been paid to people who purchase sexual services who
self-identify as gay or bisexual
• Assumptions made about the sex industry often fail to consider the health and
safety needs and concerns of the diversity of people involved
• Gay and bisexual sex buyers appear to have specific needs and concerns that
reflect a complex interplay between life course stage and key interpersonal, social
and structural constraints
The Problem

5. “Johns’ Voice”
Sex, Safety and Security
•
2008-2010
•
2012-present
•
Methods
•
Methods
•
•
•
•
•
•
Self-administered questionnaire
(n=922)
Phenomenological interviews (n=24)
Recruitment
•
• Simultaneous nested mixed methods
Simultaneous nested mixed methods
•
•
Gay and bisexual participants (n=183)
Recruitment
•
Network, viral, and purposive sampling
•
Self-administered questionnaire
(n=816)
In-depth interviews (n=14)
Network, viral, and purposive sampling
Gay and bisexual participants (n=136)
A Tale of Two Projects

6. “Johns’ Voice”
Sex, Safety and Security
 Range in age from 20-77 (x=42)
 Sexual preference
 42.1% “gay” or homosexual
 56.8% bisexual
 13% visible minorities
 Average income - $40-60,000/yr
 81.7% employed full time or self-employed
 55.1% completed university degree
(bachelor or higher)
 47% in marital or common-law relationship
 Range in age from 19-73 (x=45)
 Sexual preference
 66.2% bisexual
 20.6% "gay" or homosexual
 9.6% “questioning”
 6.7% visible minorities
 Average income - $55-60,000/yr
 76.3% employed full time or self-employed
 30.5% completed university degree
(bachelor or higher)
 50.4% in marital or common-law
relationship
Sample characteristics

7. “Johns’ Voice”
Sex, Safety and Security
•
•
•
•
Lifetime buying – range 1-3000 times
(x=98.6)
Buying in previous 12 months – range 0-100
times (x=5.93)
Venue
• 30.6% independent in-call
• 24.6% escort
• 12% massage parlours
• 11.5% independent out-call
• 11.5% street
• 7.1% online
•
•
Lifetime buying – range 1-3000 times
(x=102.9)
Buying in previous 12 months – range 1-100
times (x=14.67)
Buying venue
• 35.8% independent in-call
• 17.2% massage parlours
• 15.7% online
• 9.7% independent out-call
• 9% street
• 6.0% escort
Sex buying history and
venue preferences

8. • Many gay and bisexual buyers report living with high levels of physical pain
•
For some, this pain provides an entry point into purchasing sexual services through
massage that turns sexual
•
For those, particularly those older adults, living with physical disabilities purchasing sex
is often the only way they can experience touch
• For others the sex industry serves as a sphere of exploration and expression of
sexuality and sexual identity
•
Some younger buyers use paid encounters to explore what sexuality is all about – both
as buyers and sellers of services
•
Older men who find their sexual capital declining find emotional and psychological
comfort in their ability to pay for sexual companionship
•
Sexual safety appears to be an issue for buyers whose lifestyle involves excessive use of
drugs or alcohol
Key Findings: Physical and
Sexual Health

9. • Many gay and bisexual buyers do not know the laws relating to
prostitution
• Less likely to associate their behaviour with “prostitution”
• Unlikely to be arrested in “stings”
• Many do not trust the criminal justice system and do not place
much faith in government regulation of the sex industry
• This appears to be tied to life course stage, with early adults
expressing more ambivalence than late adults and those in old age
• For some this lack of trust is connected to experiences of rejection
or abuse as well as resiliency experienced during youth and young
adulthood
Key Findings: Relationship to
safety, security and the law

10. • Studying gay and bisexual men only in relation to sexual health serves to hide
potentially more important aspects of the experiences of individuals as well as
those shared among „communities‟ of individuals
• It is problematic to talk about sex buyers (regardless of gender or sexual
orientation) as though they represent a homogeneous group or class.
• Laws, policies, educational and outreach endeavours designed from the vantage
point of the majority have a real potential to negatively affect minority/ies
• Yet, it is important not to study gay and bisexual sex buyers as separate from
heterosexual
•
•
This perpetuates gap and allows for generation of stereotypes
It also could result in gay and bisexual communities having to fight battles that would be
unnecessary if the separation didn't exist
Key insights from studies

11. •
Much more work needs to be done to investigate the role that transitioning to later stages in
the life course plays in terms of sexual desire and desirability among gay and bisexual men
•
We need to develop a much more complete understanding of the degree to which some gay
and bisexual men transition from selling to purchasing sexual services over their life course
•
We need to better understanding the relationships that some gay and bisexual men have to
authority figures and to better understand how this impacts their involvement with the sex
industry
•
Much more needs to be done to include gay and bisexual buyers and sellers in current
discussions relating to the development of policy and law
•
We need to build bridges among and between social and health researchers working “in” and
“out” of community to encourage inclusion
•
As researchers we need to figure out better ways to reach out to gay and bisexual people
involved in the sex industry so their voices and experiences can be included
Points for Discussion