ABSTRACT
This interesting account of male sex work in Australia provides important information about the history of sex work in the country, profiles those who participate in the buying and selling of sex, and details the support available for male sex workers. It also speculates on how innovative technologies may affect sex work in Australia in the future. A legacy of legal and social activism has established Australia as one of the most sex-work-friendly places on the planet. But while Australia enjoys some of the most liberal sex work laws in the world, there are nevertheless significant differences between jurisdictions, and these differences can introduce uncertainty among sex workers traveling between different states and territories: what is permissible in one place may be illegal in others. Australia also boasts a world-class network of peer support for sex workers, including programs tailored to the specific needs of men. This network has been a key factor in maintaining the health and well-being of male sex workers while advocating for their rights across Australia’s diverse legislative frameworks. In addition, male sex workers in every Australian jurisdiction have access to free and anonymous sexual healthcare through sexual health clinics, many of which offer sex work-specific initiatives. These programs and clinics probably deserve credit for the fact that male sex workers in Australia enjoy some of the lowest rates of HIV and other sexually transmissible infections found anywhere in the world.
Most of the estimated 9,000 male sex workers in Australia now operate via the Internet, a pattern that is likely to continue. Digital and health technologies may offer new ways to engage with sex work clients, who remain largely outside the support and advocacy efforts, as well as those who sell sex infrequently and may not identify with the label “sex worker.”
