ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the narratives of female sex-workers in Chennai and Tambaram with an aim to understanding the various axes of power and domination that shape their lives as they earn a living through sex-work, negotiate police harassment and sexual violence from both police and rowdies. It draws parallels and distinctions between the experiences of female sex-workers who are the subjects of the author analysis in this chapter, with the experiences of MSM and aravani sex-workers taking into explicit account the role of interplay/intersection of sexuality, class and gender. The chapter is based on the narratives of street based and brothel based female sex-workers in Tamil Nadu, India. Many of the sex-workers the author interviewed were old enough to remember a time when they did not know anything about condoms, HIV transmission or safe-sex. It is important to note the differences in the responses of female sex-workers regarding condom use and that of sexual minorities who also engaged in sex-work.
