ABSTRACT
In evaluating the needs of male sex workers (MSWs), research and community-based outreach efforts have assumed they should receive counseling and be educated regarding drug abuse and human immunodeficiency virus/sexually transmitted infection prevention. Most research concerning the psychosocial and physical health of MSWs has focused on non-gay identified hustlers and those who work the streets. Due to the physical and sexual nature of escorting, the fact that it frequently involves private sessions in the client’s home or in a hotel room, and its marginal legal status, many of the men reported health and safety as high priorities. MSWs with a well-developed sense of their own sexuality may be more comfortable working with the sexual needs of their clients and, consequently, less likely to suffer job-related stress. MSWs may be a source of comfort and support to men struggling with feelings of internalized homophobia, or who have yet to come to terms with their sexual identity.
