An Inside Look At eHooking – Part I

Professional male escorts tend to advertise independently on male escorting websites, or through an escorting agency. Escorts usually pay a monthly fee to list themselves with pictures, text, and contact information on a website listing male escorts. These fees range from around $30 to upwards of $300 monthly. Clients contact the escorts directly, and the escorts keep all their earnings. With the agency business model, the agency runs a website listing the escorts, clients contact the agency, and then the escort and client meet at a determined time and place. Escorts turn over a percentage (usually 25-33%) of their earnings to the agency, and keep any gratuity for themselves. In most cases an escort agency will examine, interview a potential male escort, offer him photo session and will include the details it receives in the profile of the escort. It is not rare that one male escort works for multiple agencies to secure full time employment and maximum income.

Occasional, infrequent, or one-time escorts tend to find clients through “m4m” (male for male) message boards or online chat rooms. Not knowing the market or because of an immediate need for cash, they tend to charge below the market price. They also tend to be less willing to show pictures of themselves online, and tend to be more restrictive in the services offered (many will not kiss, or not engage in anal sex). They will frequently use weakly concealed code phrases like “looking for generous” or “$eeks help”.

In this 7 part series we are going to touch on the various risks associated with male escorting, the risks faced by both client and escort. I strongly encourage readers to take part in the discussion by placing their comments and thoughts below. By creating a discussion we can develop the story further.

As in all forms of prostitution, the male prostitute and his client can face a number of risks and problems: health-related including sexually transmitted diseases, drug-use, physical abuse; legal/criminal including solicitation, drug and age of consent laws; societal/familial social stigma, rejection by family and friends, gay-bashing (in the case of male-male prostitution), loss of job; and emotional including sense of exploitation or of leading a “double-life”, loss of affect, self-destructiveness. Teenagers and runaways engaging in sex work are particularly at risk. For clients, risk may come from being robbed, or, much more rarely, being blackmailed or physically injured.

When male prostitutes steal from their male clients or take money without “putting out” sexual services, it is sometimes referred to as “rolling a john”. Scams online even exist whereby people pose as escorts and collect money (deposits) from potential escort clients.

Research suggests that the degree of violence against male prostitutes is somewhat lower than for female sex workers. Men working on the street (hustlers) and younger escorts (especially teens) appear to be at greatest risk of being victimized by clients. Conversely, the risk posed to clients of male sex workers (in terms of being “rolled”) seems to be less than many imagine. This is especially true when clients hire male sex workers from an established agency or when they hire men who have been consistently well reviewed by previous clients

PART ONE

Explore the insightful–and oftentimes intense–accounts of Beau (we have changed his name for the express purpose of privacy), an Atlanta, Georgia based escort who doesn’t looks squarely into the eyes of his clients, the sex industry, and society as a whole and shares with me how he works while being HIV positive and shares with me his views.

“Doctors, lawyers, clergymen, it all goes on. Busy people, married men… a few come to me because they love getting fucked. But I’ve never had anyone famous… oh, except that prince.”  Beau laughs. It’s a sunny summer afternoon on the balcony of his apartment. Beau’s a devastatingly handsome escort in his early 20s; muscular, well dressed, immaculately groomed and HIV positive. Beau no longer picks up clients in bars and clubs. He gets most work online.

“Usually, it’s a ten or 20 minute massage then they want to suck my cock and 98% of guys want me to fuck them. Only a few last the whole hour.” He charges between $150 and $250 an hour and gets 14 to 20 clients a week.

“I got into it when I was 18 through my then-boyfriend. I started for the fun and money. I was earning $200 a week from shit jobs; now I get that in half a day. I couldn’t imagine going back. In 2008, I tested HIV positive. I’m pretty sure I got it from a client. I was off my game and couldn’t tell if he was using a condom. Once he came, he left in a rush and I never heard from him again.”

It is believed that roughly 10% of male escorts are HIV positive, a rate similar to that found among gay men with multiple partners. Just under 8% of men who had paid for sex were HIV positive compared to an estimated 6% of gay men generally. “I don’t disclose to clients,” says Beau. “If I was hiring an escort it would put me on edge. I’m confident I’m not always safe, but it’s up to the individual to look after themselves. Of course, I wish I didn’t have HIV. They ask me my status and sometime even if I have mediacl proof of my status. It’s not unreasonable when they’re paying that much. I hide my meds from them.”

“Some clients ask for bareback but I wouldn’t do it unless the money is damn good and I mean really good. If someone is offering $500 for bareback, they’re seriously getting fucked, I mean fuck it is $500 for what 20 minutes and what would the odds be? I can always pull out before I cum.”

YOUR FEEDBACK PLEASE ?

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