Portal:Sex work

Portal topics: Activities; Culture; Geography; Health; History; Mathematics; Nature; People; Philosophy; Religion; Society; Technology; Random portal

Introduction

Sex work is "the exchange of sexual services, performances, or products for material compensation. It includes activities of direct physical contact between buyers and sellers as well as indirect sexual stimulation". Sex work only refers to voluntary sexual transactions; thus, the term does not refer to human trafficking and other coerced or nonconsensual sexual transactions such as child prostitution. The transaction must take place between consenting adults of the legal age and mental capacity to consent and must take place without any methods of coercion, other than payment. The term emphasizes the labor and economic implications of this type of work. Furthermore, some prefer the use of the term because it grants more agency to the sellers of these services. (Full article...)

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Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay), is a city in India which contains the neighborhood of Kamathipura, one of the largest red-light districts in Asia. India is regarded as having one of the largest commercial sex trades globally. These neighborhoods are so large and popular that Mumbai has been called the "ultimate destination" for sex tourism. The red-light districts or lal bazaars in Mumbai are inhabited by thousands of sex workers including women, men, children, and transgender people. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Selected images

Image 1Women in an early San Francisco bordello in 1870 (from Prostitution)
Image 2News report about three brothels operating in Albuquerque, New Mexico that were raided by police in 1922 (from Prostitution)
Image 3An oiran preparing herself for a client, ukiyo-e print by Suzuki Haronubu (1765) (from Prostitution)
Image 4
  Legalization – prostitution legal and regulated
  Decriminalization – No criminal penalties for prostitution
  Abolitionism – prostitution is legal, but organized activities such as brothels and pimping are illegal; prostitution is not regulated
  Neo-abolitionism – illegal to buy sex and for 3rd party involvement, legal to sell sex
  Prohibitionism – prostitution illegal
  Legality varies with local laws
(from Prostitution)
Image 5Prostitution Information Centre in Amsterdam (from Prostitution)
Image 6The red light district in Amsterdam (from Sex work)
Image 7A prostitute in Amsterdam's red-light district talks with a potential customer. (from Prostitution)
Image 8Statue to honor the sex workers of the world. Installed March 2007 in Amsterdam, Oudekerksplein, in front of the Oude Kerk, in Amsterdam's red-light district De Wallen. Titled Belle, the inscription to the piece says "Respect sex workers all over the world." (from Prostitution)
Image 9A political cartoon from 1787 jesting about the notion of taxation affecting prostitutes (from Prostitution)
Image 10World map of prostitution laws
  Decriminalization – No criminal penalties for prostitution
  Legalization (regulation) – Prostitution legal and regulated
  Abolitionism – Prostitution is legal, but organized activities such as brothels and pimping are illegal; prostitution is not regulated
  Neo-abolitionism (Nordic model) – Illegal to buy sex and for 3rd party involvement, legal to sell sex
  Prohibitionism – Prostitution illegal in all aspects (selling and buying)
  Legality varies with local laws
(from Sex work)
Image 11A prostitute and her customer illustrated on an ancient Greek wine cup; the act of prostitution is indicated by the coin purse above the figures. (from Prostitution)
Image 12Tart cards in a British phone box advertising the services of call girls (from Prostitution)
Image 13The Procuress by Dirck van Baburen (1622) (from Prostitution)
Image 14De Wallen red-light district in Amsterdam (from Prostitution)
Image 15Stickers affixed to a payphone in São Paulo, 2006 (from Prostitution)
Image 16A liberated Chinese girl who had been forced in to sexual slavery by the Japanese military sits on a stretcher and speaks to a British military serviceman. (from Prostitution)
Image 17An Ancient Greek urn depicts a prostitute and her client. (from Sex work)
Image 18Fresco from the Pompeii brothel (from Prostitution)
Image 19Prostitute c. 1890. (from Prostitution)
Image 20Brothel scene; Brunswick Monogrammist, 1537; Gemäldegalerie, Berlin (from Prostitution)
Image 21World map of pornography (18+) laws
  Pornography legal
  Pornography legal under some restrictions
  Pornography illegal
  Data unavailable
(from Sex work)
Image 22Kisaeng women from outcast or slave families. (from Prostitution)
Image 23Sex workers demonstrating for better working conditions at the 2009 Marcha Gay in Mexico City (from Sex work)
Image 24A detail from plate 1 of William Hogarth's (1697–1764) The Harlot's Progress, showing brothel-keeper Elizabeth Needham, on the right, procuring a young woman who has just arrived in London (from Prostitution)
Image 25Prostitutes on display in Yoshiwara during the Meiji Period, Japan (from Prostitution)
Image 26A street prostitute talking to a potential customer in Turin, Italy, 2005 (from Prostitution)
Image 27A sex worker in Berlin in 2001 (from Sex work)

Related portals

Selected general sex worker

Image 1

Lynn at the Exxxotica Expo, Los Angeles, 2010

Tanya Mercado (born February 15, 1974), known professionally as Gina Lynn, is an American former pornographic actress, model, and stripper. She was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame in 2010 and is the Penthouse magazine Penthouse Pet for April 2012. She is also known for appearing with Eminem in the music video for "Superman". (Full article...)
Image 2
Charlotte Sartre is an American pornographic actress.

Sartre was born and raised in Northern California. She began to become interested in pornography after discovering the actress Sasha Grey. At the age of 20 she began working as a camgirl, a business she was in until August 2015, when she debuted as a pornographic actress at the age of 21.Many of her scenes have bondage, sadomasochism and fetishistic themes. She’s recorded them for companies of the genre such as Burning Angel and Kink.com. (Full article...)
Image 3
Hotaru Akane (Japanese: 紅音ほたる, Hepburn: Akane Hotaru, 25 October 1983 – 15 August 2016) also known as Anna Akizuki (秋月杏奈, Akizuki Anna) and Hotaru (ほたる) was a Japanese actress, HIV/AIDS activist, and AV idol. She was active in many media formats in Japan including mainstream theatrical film, and was a popular blogger. Her adeptness at female ejaculation in adult videos (AV) earned Akane the title, "Shiofuki Queen". She retired from AV work in 2008. (Full article...)
Image 4

Marie at the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo 2015

Ariana Marie (born March 15, 1993) is an American pornographic actress, cam-girl, and dancer. Marie was Miss November 2014 in Penthouse Pet of the Month, and has been nominated for numerous AVN Awards, XBIZ Awards, and other industry awards. As of June 2019 Ariana was under a one-year Exclusive Contract as an actress and spokesmodel for Vixen Media Group. (Full article...)
Image 5

Lane attending a fashion show at the Cabana Club in Hollywood, California in 2009

Lisa Nicole Piasecki, known professionally as Tory Lane, is an American fetish model, exotic dancer, pornographic actress, and pornographic film director. She was named among the top twenty pornographic actresses at the 2007 Adultcon and has won two AVN Awards. In 2017, she was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame. (Full article...)
Image 6

Karter in 2010

Kagney Linn Karter (March 28, 1987 – February 15, 2024) was an American pornographic film actress and singer. After becoming an exotic dancer, she entered the pornography industry in 2008. (Full article...)
Image 7

Crane on the set of Naked Hollywood, June 20, 2001

Anthony Crane (born March 28, 1963) is an American former pornographic actor. (Full article...)
Image 8

Emily Willis on Holly Randall Unfiltered, November 2020

Emily Willis (born 1998 or 1999) is an American and Argentinian pornographic actress. During her career, Willis has won multiple AVN Awards including Female Performer of the Year in 2021. As of the end of 2023, she has starred in over 700 pornographic movies and scenes. (Full article...)
Image 9

Tuppy Owens in 1998

Rosalind Mary Owens (born 12 November 1944), known as Tuppy Owens, is an English sex therapist, consultant, campaigner, writer and former adult model. (Full article...)
Image 10
C.J. Laing is an American former adult entertainment performer, appearing in films during the Golden Age of Porn in the 1970s. She is a member of the AVN Hall of Fame and the XRCO Hall of Fame. (Full article...)
Image 11

Valentine at a Penthouse talent call in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, December 2004

Stacy Valentine (born Stacy Baker on August 9, 1970) is an American former pornographic actress. She is a member of both the AVN and XRCO Halls of Fame. (Full article...)
Image 12

Jeremy in 2009

Ronald Jeremy Hyatt (born March 12, 1953) is an American writer and former pornographic actor.

Nicknamed "The Hedgehog", Jeremy was ranked by AVN at No. 1 in their "50 Top Porn Stars of All Time" list. Jeremy has also made a number of non-pornographic media appearances, and director Scott J. Gill filmed a documentary about him and his legacy, Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy, which was released on November 30, 2001 worldwide and on home media and digital download on March 25, 2003. (Full article...)
Image 13
María Calvo Nodarse (1892 in Guanajay – 15 June 1977, in Havana), better known as La Macorina, was a Cuban prostitute who was a friend of ex-president José Miguel Gómez, whom she supported during the Chambelona War. She was the first woman to hold a driving license in the Americas. (Full article...)
Image 14
Lemon Hanazawa (Japanese: 華沢レモン, Hepburn: Hanazawa Lemon), a.k.a. Remon Hanazawa, is a Japanese pink film actress who has also performed in adult videos (AV). She has appeared in award-winning pink films such as Lunch Box (2004) and Molester's Train: Sensitive Fingers (2007). She was named "Best New Actress" for her work in this genre in 2004, and "Best Actress" second place in 2005 at the Pink Grand Prix. The Kansai region Pinky Ribbon Awards chose Hanazawa for Best Supporting Actress in 2005, and Outstanding Performance by an Actress in 2007. (Full article...)
Image 15
Yulia Chirkova (Russian: Юлия Чиркова), known professionally as Jia Lissa (Russian: Джиа Лисса), is a Russian pornographic actress and erotic model. She has won numerous awards including the XBIZ Europa Award in the category Best Female Performer of the Year in 2020. (Full article...)
Image 16
Jeanette Dyrkjær (26 November 1963 – 29 July 2011) was a Danish nude model and adult actress. (Full article...)
Image 17

In early 1989

Viper (September 12, 1959 – December 24, 2010) was the stage name of Stephanie Green, an American pornographic actress, known for a prominent full-body snake tattoo, for co-founding Fans of X-Rated Entertainment with Bill Margold, and for her disappearance in 1991. (Full article...)
Image 18

Carolin Ebert on 23 October 2010

Sexy Cora (born Carolin Ebert, civil name Carolin Wosnitza; 2 May 1987 – 20 January 2011) was a German pornographic actress, model, singer, exotic dancer, wife of Tim Wosnitza, and reality show participant.

Cora was born in Berlin. She was one of the participants of the 10th season of Big Brother Germany. Cora released two music singles after her Big Brother participation: "My Love – La, La, La" and "Lass uns kicken (Alles klar wunderbar)". (Full article...)
Image 19

Mata Hari, c. 1910

Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (née Zelle; 7 August 1876 – 15 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari (/ˈmɑːtə ˈhɑːri/; from Malay, "sun" or "eye of the day"), was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I. She was executed by firing squad in France. The idea of a beautiful exotic dancer using her powers of seduction as a spy made her name synonymous with the femme fatale. Her story has served as an inspiration for books, films, and other works.

It has been said that she was convicted and condemned because the French Army needed a scapegoat, and that the files used to secure her conviction contained falsifications. Some have even stated that Mata Hari could not have been a spy and was innocent. (Full article...)
Image 20
Yuri Komuro (Japanese: 小室友里, Hepburn: Komuro Yuri) (born July 28, 1976 in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese actress, author and former AV idol. She was one of the top actresses in the AV field during the late 1990s and in her dominant period from 1996 to 1999 was called "The AV Queen". (Full article...)
Image 21
Lukas Ridgeston (born 5 April 1974) is a Slovak actor and director in gay erotic movies and model in Bel Ami gay erotic magazines and books. He was born in Bratislava, then part of the former Czechoslovakia, now capital of Slovakia. Lukas Ridgeston is best known as "The King of Gay Porn" or just "The King". (Full article...)
Image 22

Lee in 2006

Lorelei Lee (born March 2, 1981) is an American pornographic actor and writer. Lee is non-binary. (Full article...)
Image 23

Minx in December 2011

Judy Minx (born around 1989) is a French pornographic actress. She identifies as a sex worker, queer and as a feminist activist. (Full article...)
Image 24

Carolin Ebert on 23 October 2010

Sexy Cora (born Carolin Ebert, civil name Carolin Wosnitza; 2 May 1987 – 20 January 2011) was a German pornographic actress, model, singer, exotic dancer, wife of Tim Wosnitza, and reality show participant.

Cora was born in Berlin. She was one of the participants of the 10th season of Big Brother Germany. Cora released two music singles after her Big Brother participation: "My Love – La, La, La" and "Lass uns kicken (Alles klar wunderbar)". (Full article...)
Image 25
Marlene Willoughby is an American former adult film actress and model who also made occasional appearances in mainstream film, television and theatre. (Full article...)

Did you know...

... that a Harvey's franchise known for being a hub for sex work was described by one artist as a "legendary Toronto icon"?
... that Lea Ackermann, a German nun of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa, fought against forced prostitution and sex tourism in East Africa?