Sex work and pleasure. An exploratory study on sexual response and sex work

SummaryIn this exploratory pilot study, we want to empower sex workers in their sexual lives, identifying and promoting positive factors in the sexual response and in protective health behaviors, with clients and in their private intimate life. Our wish is to understand how pleasure is experienced and if it is experienced throughout the sexual response cycle. We interviewed seven sex workers (women, men and transgender) on sexuality issues and sex response. We used a semi-structured interview and analyzed the content from these interviews for identifying positive and negative factors in their sexual lives–both professional and private. Our results are preliminary and we have several limitations, but we can stance for better protection of sex workers in estate institutions and the involvement of the sex work movement in creating a legal context for Europe.