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Downloaded from
NaijaPrey.TV
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Announcer: The following film
is about sex work,
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and contains depictions of sex,
sexual assault,
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and substance use.
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Please take care.
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My name is Andrea Werhun.
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I'm a writer and performer,
and I'm...
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also a sex worker.
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In books, movies,
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and every syndicated crime
drama imaginable,
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sex workers are typically
portrayed as victims
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or villains.
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Shame and stigma
can silence us.
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It's high time we told our
own damn stories.
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Here's mine.
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In my early 20s,
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I worked as an escort.
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Clients hired me
to a play a role,
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and I love to perform.
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It wasn't always glamourous.
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Can I jizz on your titties, baby?
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That costs extra, baby.
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And I wasn't always the
professional you see here.
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Here it comes, baby.
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Here it comes!
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Andrea:
Once upon a time,
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Iwas a university student
with a dream.
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A dream of making more than
minimum wage.
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I quickly realized the power of
a little unzipping.
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I went to university to study
English literature.
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That was my major,
and I minored in religion.
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The first time I went to
a strip club,
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what I saw was a kind of
sexy church.
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I saw these poled priestesses
on the stage,
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being worshipped by this doting
male congregation
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who are, you know, being given
the opportunity
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to go to confession for like,
$20 a song.
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And so I thought,
"I want to do that."
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And I did eventually become
a stripper.
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More on that later.
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I had a friend in one of the
classes I was taking in school
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tell me that I should consider
escorting instead.
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One night, I noticed that all
the stories I'd penned
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for my creative writing class
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involved the exchange of sex
for money.
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It became clear...
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Ethereal voice:
Whoredom is your destiny...
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Whoredom is...
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...your destiny!
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Andrea: And how does one
become a sex worker?
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Well, let me show you.
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Under the cover of darkness,
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I stalked the streets like
a cat in heat,
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fondling for society's
sexy underbelly.
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Woman: Password?
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Come in.
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Cloaked in the darkness of
night and little else,
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I penetrated a secret set of
sinful sluts.
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Just kidding.
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I looked up escort agencies,
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picked the best-looking
website,
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and sent them an email.
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And they contacted me
immediately for an interview,
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which opened with...
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Woman:
You got the job.
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Oh.
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Great.
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The agency owners were a
suburban couple
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- named Trina and Craig.
- Here's how it works.
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We'll do your advertising
for you.
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I'll pick you up,
drop you off.
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You collect the money and
text me that it's all good.
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I'll start the clock,
you do the deed,
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and I'll wait outside and let
you know when the hour is up.
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- Any questions?
- Yeah.
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Do you provide the condoms?
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No.
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Okay. Um...
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How often should I get
an STI test?
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Like, every month?
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Every month would probably
be too much.
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And how likely is it that
I would get an STI?
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Uh, not likely.
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That would be very rare.
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Andrea: You know, some people
get away from sex work
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without ever having had
an STI.
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Me, I had chlamydia,
I got gonorrhea,
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and then I did a seven-day,
you know, round of antibiotics
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and they were gone.
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And that's because
I got tested regularly.
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Also, I was wondering,
is this legal?
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Yes and no.
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But the cops have bigger
to fry.
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And we've never had a run-in
with law enforcement.
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You're fine.
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The fact that she's saying
she's been able to run
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a successful escorting agency
doesn't change the fact
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that criminalization
impacts us as workers
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in a way that it doesn't
impact her
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as someone who is not
sucking cock for money.
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How dangerous is this job?
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We've been in this business
a long time.
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You're totally safe,
nothing's gonna happen to you.
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She is not going to be
transparent about the risks
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that I face,
and the vulnerable situations
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she is about to put me in
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because she doesn't want
to scare me away.
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So, what do you want to be
called? You need a fake name.
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I'd thought about
this a lot.
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I was taking a romantic poetry
class at the time,
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and I had fallen
head over heels in love
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with William Blake.
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In Visions of the Daughters
of Albion,
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a virgin goddess named Oothoon
walks in woe
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when her eye is caught
by a marygold.
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"I see thee now a flower,
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"now a nymph.
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"I dare not pluck thee
from thy dewy bed."
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Pluck thou my flower,
Oothoon the mild.
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Another flower shall spring.
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Because the soul of
sweet delight
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can never pass away.
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Andrea: That virginity
is forever.
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Marygold!
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Nah.
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How about Mary Ann?
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You kinda look like Mary Ann
from Gilligan's Island.
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Sure.
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Mary Ann.
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The Virgin Mary,
and her mother, Saint Anne.
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Two generations of maternal
divinity
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to protect me
on this whorish path.
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I remember signing an
agreement,
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but I'm not sure what it said.
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Trina and Craig couldn't get me
on the schedule fast enough.
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Trina: His name is Sanjay.
He's nice.
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He's more nervous than you are.
Trust me.
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Come in, come in.
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Hi.
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Jacket?
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Oh. Thanks. Um...
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- I'll be right back.
- Sure.
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00:09:41,582 --> 00:09:43,500
- Hey.
- Hi.
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So, how long have you
been doing this?
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Not very long.
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Um, this is actually
my first appointment.
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You're my first client.
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Really?
150
00:10:02,895 --> 00:10:04,688
Wow...
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That's great. That's great.
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He was being kind,
he was being respectful,
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and we were pleasuring each
other.
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And I thought,
"If this is what it is...
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"...that's kinda fun!"
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Sanjay leaves me in the room
with half an hour left.
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Please lock up the room
whenever you are done.
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Goodnight, Mary Ann.
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00:10:44,811 --> 00:10:46,688
Goodnight?
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Okay, I've just, like,
hit the jackpot here.
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I get to like,
relax in a room by myself
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after this momentous occasion
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where I feel like I had just
lost my whore virginity.
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Was it really me?
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A new friend, companion,
and partner in crime
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smiled back at me.
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And her name was Mary Ann.
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Toronto Sirens.
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00:11:22,850 --> 00:11:26,103
Man on phone: Well, hi there,
- Trina.
- It's Chuck from Texas.
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00:11:26,103 --> 00:11:28,355
You have a gal for me
this evening?
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00:11:28,355 --> 00:11:30,649
Trina: Have I got the girl
for you! She's new.
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00:11:30,649 --> 00:11:34,945
Her name is Mary Ann,
and it's her first night.
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You're gonna love her.
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Yee-haw!
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00:11:41,451 --> 00:11:43,620
Andrea: Who is next?
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00:11:47,541 --> 00:11:50,669
So, Mary Ann,
do you like Mozart?
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00:11:50,669 --> 00:11:51,837
Yeah.
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00:11:51,837 --> 00:11:53,338
Good, good.
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00:11:53,338 --> 00:11:55,674
Do you like butt play?
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00:11:55,674 --> 00:11:58,093
Um...
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00:11:58,093 --> 00:11:59,803
I don't know.
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00:11:59,803 --> 00:12:02,097
How about rimming?
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00:12:02,097 --> 00:12:05,309
Uh... I...
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00:12:05,309 --> 00:12:06,894
I don't know.
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00:12:06,894 --> 00:12:09,271
Client: Come on.
Lick my ass.
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00:12:09,271 --> 00:12:10,981
Please?
187
00:12:14,818 --> 00:12:18,238
I should have charged him
extra for that.
188
00:12:18,238 --> 00:12:19,990
By the time I reached
my final client,
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00:12:19,990 --> 00:12:24,369
I was feeling like
a triumphant sexual queen.
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00:12:26,205 --> 00:12:29,500
Max and I were sucked into
a flurry of mutual interests.
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Poetry, religion, politics.
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When he asked the dreaded--
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00:12:34,171 --> 00:12:35,464
What's your story?
194
00:12:35,464 --> 00:12:40,052
Oh, I'm just a travelling
painter,
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00:12:40,052 --> 00:12:41,678
passing through.
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00:12:41,678 --> 00:12:46,058
Wow. I thought maybe you were
in university.
197
00:12:46,058 --> 00:12:47,726
No...
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00:12:47,726 --> 00:12:49,436
No.
199
00:12:49,436 --> 00:12:52,064
You have a really
intellectual vibe.
200
00:12:52,064 --> 00:12:54,566
I've read a lot of books.
201
00:12:55,901 --> 00:12:57,486
Come here.
202
00:13:02,699 --> 00:13:05,953
We had some time left,
so I read him some tarot cards.
203
00:13:05,953 --> 00:13:08,038
Max was smart and courteous.
204
00:13:08,038 --> 00:13:10,749
Had I just met my ideal client?
205
00:13:12,751 --> 00:13:15,087
I made $700,
206
00:13:15,087 --> 00:13:17,089
and that was life-changing
for me.
207
00:13:17,089 --> 00:13:19,258
To go from minimum wage,
208
00:13:19,258 --> 00:13:20,509
where I worked at a cafe
209
00:13:20,509 --> 00:13:23,387
and I might get $700 on
two paycheques,
210
00:13:23,387 --> 00:13:26,098
Here I'd made it in one night
and had a ball.
211
00:13:28,016 --> 00:13:29,768
My new job was exciting,
212
00:13:29,768 --> 00:13:34,064
but the prospect of telling
my friends and family was not.
213
00:13:34,064 --> 00:13:36,775
So I kept my whoring a secret.
214
00:13:43,282 --> 00:13:46,577
Max had been my ideal client
when I met him.
215
00:13:46,577 --> 00:13:48,620
The next time I saw Max,
216
00:13:48,620 --> 00:13:51,206
I was selling tickets
to a psychology conference
217
00:13:51,206 --> 00:13:55,002
when he showed up in line,
and I almost had a heart attack.
218
00:13:55,002 --> 00:13:57,129
I was so freaked.
219
00:13:57,129 --> 00:14:00,340
I revealed that I was not,
in fact,
220
00:14:00,340 --> 00:14:03,719
a travelling painter
passing through.
221
00:14:03,719 --> 00:14:07,472
And was, of course,
a university student.
222
00:14:07,472 --> 00:14:10,309
And that more than that,
223
00:14:10,309 --> 00:14:14,271
what I really wanted to be
was a writer.
224
00:14:14,271 --> 00:14:17,274
You could come over, you know,
just to write.
225
00:14:17,274 --> 00:14:20,486
You mean, you'd pay me?
226
00:14:20,486 --> 00:14:23,197
Yeah. Why not?
227
00:14:23,197 --> 00:14:26,074
Let's do a two-hour
writing session.
228
00:14:28,994 --> 00:14:30,913
Okay.
229
00:14:30,913 --> 00:14:34,750
I thought, "Could my life get
any better?"
230
00:14:36,001 --> 00:14:38,837
So I show up to this paid
writing session,
231
00:14:38,837 --> 00:14:43,050
and as soon as I get there and
we're sitting in his apartment,
232
00:14:43,050 --> 00:14:44,801
he starts asking me questions.
233
00:14:44,801 --> 00:14:46,887
What was your childhood like?
234
00:14:46,887 --> 00:14:51,266
What happened to you to lead you
down this path?
235
00:14:51,266 --> 00:14:53,352
Are your parents still together?
236
00:14:53,352 --> 00:14:55,604
Were you abused?
237
00:14:57,564 --> 00:15:00,400
Mary Ann, I deal with people in
your field every day.
238
00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:02,653
They either come from
a broken home,
239
00:15:02,653 --> 00:15:05,656
or they have a long history
of sexual trauma.
240
00:15:05,656 --> 00:15:08,158
You claim you have neither,
which...
241
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I find hard to believe.
242
00:15:10,369 --> 00:15:12,329
You just don't fit the mould
of someone
243
00:15:12,329 --> 00:15:15,290
who does this
kind of work.
244
00:15:18,669 --> 00:15:20,837
Shall we go to the bedroom?
245
00:15:20,837 --> 00:15:23,882
I thought I was here to write.
246
00:15:23,882 --> 00:15:28,387
Come on.
247
00:15:28,387 --> 00:15:31,640
He was trying to enter me.
248
00:15:31,640 --> 00:15:34,226
You know, he was trying
to open doors
249
00:15:34,226 --> 00:15:37,312
for which he had no key.
250
00:15:37,312 --> 00:15:39,606
He was trying to barge into me
251
00:15:39,606 --> 00:15:42,568
and I did not like it at all.
252
00:16:01,044 --> 00:16:03,004
Max.
253
00:16:03,004 --> 00:16:05,423
I'm not comfortable.
254
00:16:05,423 --> 00:16:07,383
Max:
That was great.
255
00:16:08,843 --> 00:16:11,971
Do you want to go home now?
256
00:16:11,971 --> 00:16:13,681
Yeah.
257
00:16:13,681 --> 00:16:17,393
Andrea: I just felt like
such a naive baby whore,
258
00:16:17,393 --> 00:16:19,062
to have believed a client
259
00:16:19,062 --> 00:16:22,315
when he said that he wanted
a paid writing session.
260
00:16:22,315 --> 00:16:24,442
I would not go into it
261
00:16:24,442 --> 00:16:27,487
without being prepared
to have sex.
262
00:16:27,487 --> 00:16:30,240
You don't get any training
for this stuff.
263
00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:33,785
I mean, you kinda
have to walk through the fire
264
00:16:33,785 --> 00:16:36,746
to learn these lessons.
265
00:16:36,746 --> 00:16:40,291
Bottom line,
you can't trust clients.
266
00:16:44,963 --> 00:16:48,258
Personally, I don't think there
is anything more important
267
00:16:48,258 --> 00:16:49,884
than community.
268
00:16:49,884 --> 00:16:51,636
You know, especially
for an industry
269
00:16:51,636 --> 00:16:54,013
that's as isolated as ours.
270
00:16:54,013 --> 00:16:58,685
When sex workers get together
and we talk shop, magic happens.
271
00:16:58,685 --> 00:17:01,729
Even if we are experiencing
our work in isolation,
272
00:17:01,729 --> 00:17:04,274
we can hear each other and
totally understand each other.
273
00:17:04,274 --> 00:17:06,693
My name is SJ Raphael.
274
00:17:06,693 --> 00:17:10,780
I have done everything from
escorting to stripping,
275
00:17:10,780 --> 00:17:12,323
cam work, street work.
276
00:17:12,323 --> 00:17:15,201
I was mailing my underwear
to weird men overseas
277
00:17:15,201 --> 00:17:17,870
for a really long time, until it
didn't become lucrative anymore.
278
00:17:17,870 --> 00:17:19,831
You name it, I've done it.
279
00:17:19,831 --> 00:17:22,750
Andrea: SJ, they are one of
my most cherished friends.
280
00:17:22,750 --> 00:17:25,253
We met through advocacy work.
281
00:17:25,253 --> 00:17:28,506
I'm Vixen, I am a former escort.
282
00:17:28,506 --> 00:17:31,175
I've now transitioned into being
283
00:17:31,175 --> 00:17:33,386
a nude online cam girl.
284
00:17:33,386 --> 00:17:37,849
Vixen is a good friend of mine,
and we met at an orgy.
285
00:17:37,849 --> 00:17:42,270
My name is Kitoko, and I am a
former escort and pro sub,
286
00:17:42,270 --> 00:17:44,230
or professional submissive.
287
00:17:44,230 --> 00:17:45,982
Oh, and a current artist.
288
00:17:45,982 --> 00:17:50,320
Kitoko is an incredibly gifted
artist and collaborator.
289
00:17:50,320 --> 00:17:52,488
We made a short film together.
290
00:17:52,488 --> 00:17:56,034
I'm Robin. I've been a stripper
for five years now,
291
00:17:56,034 --> 00:17:58,912
and I am also a formally trained
292
00:17:58,912 --> 00:18:01,456
animator and illustrator.
293
00:18:01,456 --> 00:18:04,792
Robin is an amazing performer.
294
00:18:04,792 --> 00:18:07,503
We worked at the same
strip club.
295
00:18:09,214 --> 00:18:12,258
Being white, cisgendered,
and conventionally feminine
296
00:18:12,258 --> 00:18:15,053
has definitely benefited me
in this industry.
297
00:18:15,053 --> 00:18:19,015
How have these factors
impacted my friends?
298
00:18:19,015 --> 00:18:21,017
Certainly there is that
archetype
299
00:18:21,017 --> 00:18:22,435
of what a "whore"
should look like,
300
00:18:22,435 --> 00:18:23,728
what a sex worker should
look like.
301
00:18:23,728 --> 00:18:25,855
The lingerie, the hair,
the makeup, the clothes,
302
00:18:25,855 --> 00:18:28,066
the this, the that.
As a gender diverse person,
303
00:18:28,066 --> 00:18:30,151
I present far more femme
than I feel
304
00:18:30,151 --> 00:18:32,028
because I make more money
doing it.
305
00:18:32,028 --> 00:18:33,696
It's easier for me
to get clients,
306
00:18:33,696 --> 00:18:35,073
it's easier for me to have
the long blonde hair,
307
00:18:35,073 --> 00:18:36,783
like, put on the dress, like,
do the thing,
308
00:18:36,783 --> 00:18:38,743
and then make, you know,
the money that I am charging.
309
00:18:38,743 --> 00:18:41,788
The way that I look,
the way that I carry myself,
310
00:18:41,788 --> 00:18:45,959
isn't quite a reflection of
who I am internally.
311
00:18:45,959 --> 00:18:50,755
But money talks, and I very much
curate to the male gaze.
312
00:18:50,755 --> 00:18:52,966
I applied to a a bunch of
different agencies
313
00:18:52,966 --> 00:18:56,302
multiple times, like, up to,
like 20 times for some of them.
314
00:18:56,302 --> 00:18:58,972
They told me not to expect to be
as successful as any of
315
00:18:58,972 --> 00:19:01,432
the, like, white women there or
the Asian women there.
316
00:19:01,432 --> 00:19:04,227
They see Black women as like,
kind of like, alien.
317
00:19:04,227 --> 00:19:06,604
Like, they're just like,
"Who would ever desire you?"
318
00:19:06,604 --> 00:19:10,108
Or like, "We don't know to get
people to, like, come book you."
319
00:19:10,108 --> 00:19:13,444
As someone who is mixed race and
spent a lot of their time
320
00:19:13,444 --> 00:19:16,281
being told that I am barely
Black to begin with,
321
00:19:16,281 --> 00:19:19,742
to walk into a strip club and
face this, sort of,
322
00:19:19,742 --> 00:19:23,121
1970s style racism
where I am told verbatim
323
00:19:23,121 --> 00:19:26,749
that I am too fat and too Black
to work in an establishment
324
00:19:26,749 --> 00:19:28,418
blew me away.
325
00:19:28,418 --> 00:19:31,087
Walking into a change room and
seeing that sign on the wall
326
00:19:31,087 --> 00:19:33,381
that just said "No braids,
no buns, no Afros."
327
00:19:33,381 --> 00:19:35,967
And the only thing more
offensive than that sign
328
00:19:35,967 --> 00:19:38,887
is the fact that it wasn't
actually a rule for everyone,
329
00:19:38,887 --> 00:19:40,388
- it was a rule for Black women.
- Yeah,
330
00:19:40,388 --> 00:19:43,808
I have never had trouble making
money in a club
331
00:19:43,808 --> 00:19:45,351
no matter what my hair
looks like.
332
00:19:45,351 --> 00:19:48,021
Customers love the hair,
they love the beads,
333
00:19:48,021 --> 00:19:50,356
they love the dreads,
they love the locs.
334
00:19:50,356 --> 00:19:52,025
It's managers.
335
00:19:52,025 --> 00:19:55,612
Andrea: We'll get into
strip club managers later.
336
00:19:55,612 --> 00:19:57,739
And now, back to escorting.
337
00:19:59,490 --> 00:20:02,327
Western-style narration: And so,
Mary Ann kept on whoring.
338
00:20:02,327 --> 00:20:06,789
Lucky lads across
the Greater Toronto Area
339
00:20:06,789 --> 00:20:10,960
met the cutest little gal
they'd ever seen.
340
00:20:10,960 --> 00:20:12,629
And boy...
341
00:20:12,629 --> 00:20:15,215
...Could that cowgirl ride!
342
00:20:18,468 --> 00:20:21,721
Soon, I had regulars
343
00:20:21,721 --> 00:20:23,890
who booked me regularly.
344
00:20:23,890 --> 00:20:25,808
Mmm. Mary Ann.
That's very good.
345
00:20:25,808 --> 00:20:27,727
Mr. McAllister
was an English teacher
346
00:20:27,727 --> 00:20:29,687
and a writer in his spare time.
347
00:20:29,687 --> 00:20:32,690
I really like it when
you do that.
348
00:20:34,359 --> 00:20:38,279
We always had quick sex
off the top.
349
00:20:38,279 --> 00:20:41,115
All the character development
leads to the inevitable...
350
00:20:41,115 --> 00:20:43,076
Followed by talking about
our shared love
351
00:20:43,076 --> 00:20:46,454
of crafting stories.
Occasionally, he blurted--
352
00:20:46,454 --> 00:20:49,165
I'm a lonely man, Mary Ann.
353
00:20:49,165 --> 00:20:51,501
A lonely...
354
00:20:51,501 --> 00:20:53,419
...lonely man.
355
00:20:55,922 --> 00:20:58,967
Which, over time, became...
356
00:20:58,967 --> 00:21:03,429
I feel like you're my
girlfriend, Mary Ann.
357
00:21:04,681 --> 00:21:07,433
I am like your girlfriend.
358
00:21:13,147 --> 00:21:15,775
I prefer new clients
to regulars.
359
00:21:15,775 --> 00:21:17,402
People kind of like,
fall in love
360
00:21:17,402 --> 00:21:19,237
or think they're falling in love
and then suddenly,
361
00:21:19,237 --> 00:21:21,239
they are like,
"What about this money?
362
00:21:21,239 --> 00:21:23,032
"Can we, like, throw it away?"
363
00:21:23,032 --> 00:21:24,534
And it's like, that's not
the point of this.
364
00:21:24,534 --> 00:21:28,538
Yes, a regular is great until
they get possessive.
365
00:21:28,538 --> 00:21:31,875
But they always do! I'm sorry,
it always ends like that, right.
366
00:21:31,875 --> 00:21:33,126
Yeah.
367
00:21:33,126 --> 00:21:34,544
Don't be so good
at your job, then!
368
00:21:34,544 --> 00:21:35,878
Well...
369
00:21:35,878 --> 00:21:39,048
I definitely broke the number
one rule.
370
00:21:39,048 --> 00:21:43,303
I ended up dating
my very first client.
371
00:21:43,303 --> 00:21:47,056
And, uh, we're not--
we're not together,
372
00:21:47,056 --> 00:21:49,267
so, probably made the wrong
choice there.
373
00:21:49,267 --> 00:21:51,227
It's such an intimate thing.
374
00:21:51,227 --> 00:21:53,438
It's such an intimate booking.
375
00:21:53,438 --> 00:21:57,192
It would be crazy to think that
people don't get attached.
376
00:21:57,192 --> 00:22:00,737
That people feel a deep
emotional connection.
377
00:22:00,737 --> 00:22:03,031
Personally, I like regulars.
378
00:22:03,031 --> 00:22:05,783
My preference is to have
long-term relationships
379
00:22:05,783 --> 00:22:08,245
with my clientele.
380
00:22:08,245 --> 00:22:10,247
For me, it comes down
to whether
381
00:22:10,247 --> 00:22:12,249
a clientrespects
your boundaries.
382
00:22:12,249 --> 00:22:15,961
We've established that clients
can lie to our faces.
383
00:22:15,961 --> 00:22:18,922
But how do they behave beyond
the appointment?
384
00:22:27,055 --> 00:22:30,267
Sex worker review boards are
the domain of hobbyists,
385
00:22:30,267 --> 00:22:33,645
that is, men whose hobby
is paying for sex
386
00:22:33,645 --> 00:22:35,105
and writing about it,
387
00:22:35,105 --> 00:22:37,941
employing a variety
of colourful acronyms
388
00:22:37,941 --> 00:22:40,485
to degrade sex workers for fun.
389
00:22:41,653 --> 00:22:44,573
So, of course I searched
my name.
390
00:22:46,825 --> 00:22:49,286
Client: Mary Ann
has a great sex body,
391
00:22:49,286 --> 00:22:53,248
very soft, but firm,
if that makes sense.
392
00:22:53,248 --> 00:22:55,792
Client 2: Mary Ann resembled
Mary Tyler Moore,
393
00:22:55,792 --> 00:22:58,295
but with slightly bigger boobs.
394
00:22:58,295 --> 00:23:01,048
Client 3: Mary Ann's legs
were not memorable
395
00:23:01,048 --> 00:23:03,842
as they are fairly short.
396
00:23:03,842 --> 00:23:07,429
Andrea: It's hard to describe
the feeling of reading someone
397
00:23:07,429 --> 00:23:09,514
write about you
398
00:23:09,514 --> 00:23:12,768
and what it's like
to have sex with you.
399
00:23:12,768 --> 00:23:15,354
This was, like,
a genre of erotica
400
00:23:15,354 --> 00:23:17,689
that was written by men
for men.
401
00:23:17,689 --> 00:23:21,985
A user named Don Juan posted
my first review on the board,
402
00:23:21,985 --> 00:23:25,447
which was entitled "Wow."
403
00:23:25,447 --> 00:23:28,784
Handsome Don Juan: I had noticed
Mary Ann ever since her photos
404
00:23:28,784 --> 00:23:33,705
went up on the Sirens site.
My first impression was "Wow."
405
00:23:33,705 --> 00:23:36,708
I would estimate her figure
at five foot five,
406
00:23:36,708 --> 00:23:40,712
120 pounds, 34D-24-35.
407
00:23:41,838 --> 00:23:44,633
We started with LFK.
408
00:23:44,633 --> 00:23:48,470
I was gently massaging her
breasts when she said...
409
00:23:50,055 --> 00:23:52,683
You intrigue me.
410
00:23:52,683 --> 00:23:55,227
Why, baby?
411
00:23:55,227 --> 00:23:59,398
Most guys want to take a look
before they feel.
412
00:23:59,398 --> 00:24:02,901
Andrea: I remember things
a little differently.
413
00:24:02,901 --> 00:24:06,363
Don Juan told me he was a
plastic surgeon from Florida.
414
00:24:06,363 --> 00:24:09,241
I went to school
with Barack Obama, baby.
415
00:24:09,241 --> 00:24:11,201
What do you think of that?
416
00:24:11,201 --> 00:24:15,080
My duty was to act impressed,
not to sniff out facts.
417
00:24:15,080 --> 00:24:18,208
I suspected the plastic surgeon
thing to be true
418
00:24:18,208 --> 00:24:21,128
because Don Juan had
a technical fascination
419
00:24:21,128 --> 00:24:22,629
with my breasts.
420
00:24:22,629 --> 00:24:24,047
I don't believe it, baby.
421
00:24:24,047 --> 00:24:27,718
These are too good to be real.
422
00:24:27,718 --> 00:24:31,722
Then we progressed to DFK.
423
00:24:31,722 --> 00:24:33,515
My tongue in her mouth...
424
00:24:33,515 --> 00:24:35,142
Handsome Don Juan:
Her tongue in mine...
425
00:24:35,142 --> 00:24:37,728
Our tongues meeting
outside of our mouths.
426
00:24:41,273 --> 00:24:45,527
- Hungrily.
- Passionately.
427
00:24:46,862 --> 00:24:51,575
It did get her wet.
428
00:24:51,575 --> 00:24:54,286
Real Don Juan: Then she took me
into her mouth.
429
00:24:54,286 --> 00:24:56,288
I propped myself up...
430
00:24:56,288 --> 00:24:58,499
Handsome Don Juan: On some
pillows to get a better look.
431
00:24:58,499 --> 00:25:02,127
She told me that she wanted
to taste me.
432
00:25:02,127 --> 00:25:05,130
Okay, I definitely did not
say that, okay?
433
00:25:05,130 --> 00:25:07,090
I didn't say any of this!
434
00:25:07,090 --> 00:25:08,800
Cut, cut, cut, cut.
435
00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:10,385
All right, darling, you're doing
great, you're doing fabulous.
436
00:25:10,385 --> 00:25:13,805
However, that's not the line.
The line is...
437
00:25:13,805 --> 00:25:15,766
"I want to taste you,
438
00:25:15,766 --> 00:25:18,310
"I want to taste you."
439
00:25:18,310 --> 00:25:21,521
You know, pretend you're eating
a, uh, portobello mushroom,
440
00:25:21,521 --> 00:25:23,816
you know, and it's in your
mouth, and you can taste it,
441
00:25:23,816 --> 00:25:25,400
and it's swirling around
in there.
442
00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:27,611
And then you just enjoy it all.
All right, you got it?
443
00:25:27,611 --> 00:25:29,738
Good. Great. Action!
444
00:25:33,492 --> 00:25:37,246
I want to taste you.
445
00:25:38,330 --> 00:25:39,706
Yes!
446
00:25:39,706 --> 00:25:41,917
Handsome Don Juan: We finished
with a mind-blowing...
447
00:25:41,917 --> 00:25:43,585
Real Don Juan: CIM?
448
00:25:43,585 --> 00:25:46,004
No. COF? Hmm.
449
00:25:46,004 --> 00:25:47,881
I'm not sure which.
450
00:25:47,881 --> 00:25:49,591
And I really didn't care.
451
00:25:49,591 --> 00:25:52,135
Handsome Don Juan: Whatever
it was that Mary Ann did,
452
00:25:52,135 --> 00:25:53,887
oh, baby.
453
00:25:53,887 --> 00:25:57,599
Oh-ho-ho. It was fabulous.
454
00:26:04,273 --> 00:26:07,651
Everything that he says
that the did and that he said
455
00:26:07,651 --> 00:26:09,444
just didn't happen.
456
00:26:09,444 --> 00:26:11,238
What do you guys think
about reviews?
457
00:26:11,238 --> 00:26:13,782
I don't get to review them.
458
00:26:13,782 --> 00:26:17,369
I needed one review
and that launched me.
459
00:26:17,369 --> 00:26:18,620
Mm-hmm.
460
00:26:18,620 --> 00:26:20,706
It can really make or break
your career.
461
00:26:20,706 --> 00:26:22,708
The dark side of reviews is that
they are definitely
462
00:26:22,708 --> 00:26:25,919
a form of coercion. Clients will
take the threat of a bad review
463
00:26:25,919 --> 00:26:27,504
and use it to push your
boundaries.
464
00:26:27,504 --> 00:26:29,381
There's, like, so much pressure,
465
00:26:29,381 --> 00:26:31,383
and you feel like you have to
consent to everything, and...
466
00:26:31,383 --> 00:26:35,512
It feels like being a product
in an Amazon review.
467
00:26:35,512 --> 00:26:37,639
- It's definitely violating.
- Yeah.
468
00:26:37,639 --> 00:26:39,850
Andrea: Reviews taught me
that sex work is more
469
00:26:39,850 --> 00:26:42,769
than just what happens behind
closed doors.
470
00:26:47,649 --> 00:26:52,821
There was something fun about
performing this role for people.
471
00:26:54,698 --> 00:26:56,700
And then going back into
my regular life.
472
00:26:56,700 --> 00:27:00,704
Mary Ann was me,
but obviously heightened
473
00:27:00,704 --> 00:27:03,874
and more curious and more
adventurous.
474
00:27:03,874 --> 00:27:06,168
It was sexy, it was sexy
475
00:27:06,168 --> 00:27:09,213
to have this little juicy
secret.
476
00:27:22,935 --> 00:27:24,686
My secret life was fun until...
477
00:27:24,686 --> 00:27:27,397
Hey, baby!
478
00:27:27,397 --> 00:27:31,068
Yeah, baby!
You lookin' good to me.
479
00:27:31,068 --> 00:27:33,820
Oh, yeah!
480
00:27:34,988 --> 00:27:37,199
Stupid ugly bitch.
481
00:27:37,199 --> 00:27:40,786
Until shame crept in.
482
00:27:43,247 --> 00:27:45,457
There's two sides to a secret.
483
00:27:45,457 --> 00:27:49,378
It can be incredibly
emotionally taxing
484
00:27:49,378 --> 00:27:52,214
to hide from people,
485
00:27:52,214 --> 00:27:53,715
especially the people
you love.
486
00:27:53,715 --> 00:27:57,928
We all have this internalized
whorephobia within us.
487
00:27:57,928 --> 00:28:01,223
This is a prejudice that is,
you know, 2,000 years old.
488
00:28:01,223 --> 00:28:04,560
This is nothing new.
We are all born out of
489
00:28:04,560 --> 00:28:07,813
this whorephobic muck.
And I have it too.
490
00:28:07,813 --> 00:28:10,983
The shame that I felt
wasn't in the act.
491
00:28:10,983 --> 00:28:14,403
{\an8}It was the shame of others,
and it was inside me,
492
00:28:14,403 --> 00:28:17,281
{\an8}and I could hear its voice,
and it was awful.
493
00:28:17,281 --> 00:28:18,949
You think you're so great, huh?
494
00:28:18,949 --> 00:28:21,410
Making all that easy money.
495
00:28:21,410 --> 00:28:23,954
Shame believes that sex workers
are lazy.
496
00:28:28,750 --> 00:28:30,836
And disgusting.
497
00:28:30,836 --> 00:28:35,424
What is the difference between
a Corvette and a dead hooker?
498
00:28:35,424 --> 00:28:37,426
Shame likes dead hooker jokes.
499
00:28:37,426 --> 00:28:39,678
I don't have a Corvette
in my garage!
500
00:28:39,678 --> 00:28:41,305
You're nothing
501
00:28:41,305 --> 00:28:44,141
but a dirty, stinky...
502
00:28:44,141 --> 00:28:46,685
Shame tries to make me
hate myself.
503
00:28:46,685 --> 00:28:50,105
Trash whore!
504
00:28:51,606 --> 00:28:54,026
Shame makes you lonely.
Like, it really does.
505
00:28:54,026 --> 00:28:56,445
And it's also, like, shame goes
hand in hand with fear, too.
506
00:28:56,445 --> 00:28:58,196
That's the thing.
It's like, I don't disclose,
507
00:28:58,196 --> 00:29:00,115
or I didn't use to disclose
because I don't know
508
00:29:00,115 --> 00:29:01,783
what's gonna happen to me
if I do.
509
00:29:01,783 --> 00:29:04,619
During the pandemic, I had to
stop full-service sex work
510
00:29:04,619 --> 00:29:07,039
and so I was thinking about
creating an OnlyFans,
511
00:29:07,039 --> 00:29:09,833
but I was like,
super stressed out because
512
00:29:09,833 --> 00:29:11,501
if I have nudes on the internet,
513
00:29:11,501 --> 00:29:13,712
could that make it impossible
for me to, like,
514
00:29:13,712 --> 00:29:18,216
adopt a child, or just pivot
and like, teach?
515
00:29:18,216 --> 00:29:20,385
I feel like it's not so much
that sex work itself
516
00:29:20,385 --> 00:29:22,846
oppresses me, but like,
the stigma that follows it,
517
00:29:22,846 --> 00:29:25,349
um, is like, always a threat.
518
00:29:25,349 --> 00:29:30,020
I have never been very good
at hiding.
519
00:29:30,020 --> 00:29:31,855
But I understand that there are
risks,
520
00:29:31,855 --> 00:29:34,524
and so I continued to hide,
521
00:29:34,524 --> 00:29:37,194
and it took a great toll on me.
522
00:29:37,194 --> 00:29:41,406
Especially when it came to...
523
00:29:41,406 --> 00:29:42,949
My mom.
524
00:29:45,327 --> 00:29:48,497
You probably never expected
we'd be here.
525
00:29:48,497 --> 00:29:50,082
Um, well,
526
00:29:50,082 --> 00:29:53,377
I wouldn't say it's beyond
my imagination.
527
00:29:53,377 --> 00:29:55,837
You were always a free spirit.
528
00:29:55,837 --> 00:29:58,757
And I respect that.
529
00:29:59,758 --> 00:30:01,551
I learned from the best.
530
00:30:04,388 --> 00:30:06,056
No, you're more free,
531
00:30:06,056 --> 00:30:08,600
more free than
I ever was,
532
00:30:08,600 --> 00:30:10,852
but I'm free in a
different way.
533
00:30:10,852 --> 00:30:14,106
Ooh. In what way?
534
00:30:14,106 --> 00:30:16,358
No. This is about you.
535
00:30:16,358 --> 00:30:17,734
It's not about me.
536
00:30:17,734 --> 00:30:19,903
- We were always very close.
- Mm-hmm.
537
00:30:19,903 --> 00:30:22,406
- At least I always felt.
- Oh, definitely.
538
00:30:22,406 --> 00:30:24,282
Andrea:
Yeah. Like, I felt
539
00:30:24,282 --> 00:30:27,411
like I could always
be myself around you.
540
00:30:27,411 --> 00:30:29,413
We could always
joke around about stuff.
541
00:30:29,413 --> 00:30:30,831
Right. I don't think
542
00:30:30,831 --> 00:30:32,541
there was ever anything
we didn't talk about.
543
00:30:32,541 --> 00:30:33,959
That's right,
and so,
544
00:30:33,959 --> 00:30:37,713
when it came
to doing sex work,
545
00:30:37,713 --> 00:30:39,548
that was the first
time in my life
546
00:30:39,548 --> 00:30:43,260
that I really felt like I was
keeping a secret from you,
547
00:30:43,260 --> 00:30:47,556
and that was really,
really hard for me to do.
548
00:30:48,473 --> 00:30:50,642
My mom is a
beautiful angel,
549
00:30:50,642 --> 00:30:53,937
and she's also a very
religious person.
550
00:30:53,937 --> 00:30:55,814
She's a Catholic.
551
00:30:55,814 --> 00:30:58,150
There were always pictures
552
00:30:58,150 --> 00:31:02,654
of the Virgin Mary
around in my childhood.
553
00:31:02,654 --> 00:31:05,949
I like to joke that she
venerates a virgin mother
554
00:31:05,949 --> 00:31:08,410
so she got a
whore daughter.
555
00:31:08,410 --> 00:31:10,328
No parent is like,
556
00:31:10,328 --> 00:31:12,998
"I want my kid to
become a sex worker!"
557
00:31:12,998 --> 00:31:16,626
It's, like, kind of a nightmare
scenario for a parent, right?
558
00:31:19,296 --> 00:31:22,507
I would say you were
pretty devastated.
559
00:31:22,507 --> 00:31:24,760
Mm-hmm. Well, I
was happy for you
560
00:31:24,760 --> 00:31:28,430
that you were not carrying
that burden anymore.
561
00:31:28,430 --> 00:31:31,308
You know, you had
been set free.
562
00:31:31,308 --> 00:31:33,143
So, I can deal
with that.
563
00:31:33,143 --> 00:31:34,478
I can deal with truth.
564
00:31:34,478 --> 00:31:36,021
That's not a
problem,
565
00:31:36,021 --> 00:31:39,983
but I do remember not sleeping
for about three nights.
566
00:31:39,983 --> 00:31:41,234
You did call me
in the middle
567
00:31:41,234 --> 00:31:42,569
- of the night--
- Mm-hmm.
568
00:31:42,569 --> 00:31:43,820
you know, during those
first three nights,
569
00:31:43,820 --> 00:31:46,114
and you were concerned
about my safety.
570
00:31:46,114 --> 00:31:48,784
Right,
and your soul.
571
00:31:50,327 --> 00:31:51,745
And my soul.
572
00:31:59,169 --> 00:32:02,547
En route to our respective
appointments with a co-whore,
573
00:32:02,547 --> 00:32:05,717
I mentioned my most regular
client, Walter Wack.
574
00:32:05,717 --> 00:32:06,927
He's the worst.
575
00:32:06,927 --> 00:32:08,553
Oh, my God. I know.
576
00:32:08,553 --> 00:32:10,514
He's so rough
with me.
577
00:32:10,514 --> 00:32:13,350
Yeah. He does this thing where
he, like, crunches me up,
578
00:32:13,350 --> 00:32:14,976
and it really hurts
my hips.
579
00:32:14,976 --> 00:32:17,354
Yeah, well, he
fists me,
580
00:32:17,354 --> 00:32:19,106
and he's rough.
581
00:32:19,106 --> 00:32:20,899
Okay. He's definitely
never fisted me.
582
00:32:20,899 --> 00:32:23,485
And he calls me a dirty,
stinky cum bucket trash whore.
583
00:32:23,485 --> 00:32:25,904
You name it.
Weird guy.
584
00:32:25,904 --> 00:32:28,365
Okay. He's only ever
called me nice things.
585
00:32:28,365 --> 00:32:30,742
Well, I guess he
likes you.
586
00:32:30,742 --> 00:32:32,160
Violet.
587
00:32:32,160 --> 00:32:34,121
Andrea: I was one of
many escorts who saw Walter.
588
00:32:34,121 --> 00:32:35,122
Sarah.
589
00:32:35,122 --> 00:32:36,123
Addison.
590
00:32:36,123 --> 00:32:37,332
Rebecca.
591
00:32:37,332 --> 00:32:39,042
Uh, Andrea.
592
00:32:39,042 --> 00:32:41,545
I mean Mary Ann!
593
00:32:41,545 --> 00:32:45,590
Going to Walter Wack's place
was, like, Groundhog Day,
594
00:32:45,590 --> 00:32:47,676
because it was
always the same.
595
00:32:47,676 --> 00:32:49,761
His door would be ajar.
596
00:32:49,761 --> 00:32:52,389
He'd yell from the
shower, "Come on in!"
597
00:32:52,389 --> 00:32:54,349
There'd be a boom box
on the floor
598
00:32:54,349 --> 00:32:55,559
playing the same music.
599
00:32:55,559 --> 00:32:58,687
I always entered on
the same song.
600
00:32:58,687 --> 00:33:03,442
I would undress and
wait for him to emerge.
601
00:33:03,442 --> 00:33:05,068
We'd have the same
sex every time.
602
00:33:06,320 --> 00:33:09,114
One evening, he
did something unusual.
603
00:33:09,114 --> 00:33:11,533
He booked me twice
in one night,
604
00:33:11,533 --> 00:33:15,454
bookending five
appointments total,
605
00:33:15,454 --> 00:33:17,873
and by that fifth
appointment,
606
00:33:17,873 --> 00:33:20,834
I was pretty sore.
607
00:33:20,834 --> 00:33:23,462
Walter was doing his
usual plow,
608
00:33:23,462 --> 00:33:25,756
crunching up my hips.
609
00:33:25,756 --> 00:33:28,050
I was in pain,
610
00:33:28,050 --> 00:33:29,384
trying to be
a trooper,
611
00:33:29,384 --> 00:33:30,969
get to the end,
612
00:33:30,969 --> 00:33:35,057
but finally, I felt
like it was necessary
613
00:33:35,057 --> 00:33:36,933
to say something
to him.
614
00:33:36,933 --> 00:33:39,061
And I was kind of scared to
say something to him,
615
00:33:39,061 --> 00:33:43,774
because... it meant going
off script.
616
00:33:45,484 --> 00:33:47,736
But I said,
617
00:33:47,736 --> 00:33:50,655
"Walter, you're my
fifth appointment of the night,
618
00:33:50,655 --> 00:33:52,449
and it kind of hurts."
619
00:33:55,452 --> 00:33:57,871
And he said...
620
00:33:59,998 --> 00:34:01,958
"That just makes me want
to fuck you harder."
621
00:34:04,795 --> 00:34:05,962
And so he did.
622
00:34:08,340 --> 00:34:10,759
Ten minutes of torture left.
623
00:34:10,759 --> 00:34:14,471
He called me every horrible
name he'd called Sarah,
624
00:34:14,471 --> 00:34:16,848
but I was afraid
to leave.
625
00:34:16,848 --> 00:34:19,851
You never have
to see him again.
626
00:34:19,851 --> 00:34:21,936
Andrea: Walter
was blacklisted...
627
00:34:21,936 --> 00:34:25,315
for me, not for the
other girls.
628
00:34:25,315 --> 00:34:27,400
If someone has had a
client blacklisted,
629
00:34:27,400 --> 00:34:28,818
then there should
be transparency
630
00:34:28,818 --> 00:34:30,654
so that everyone at
the agency can choose
631
00:34:30,654 --> 00:34:32,656
whether they want to
see that person or not.
632
00:34:32,656 --> 00:34:34,324
These guys, they're
repeat offenders.
633
00:34:34,324 --> 00:34:37,118
They eventually do the same
thing to every single one of us,
634
00:34:37,118 --> 00:34:39,162
and it's not fair that we
don't get to decide
635
00:34:39,162 --> 00:34:40,705
if that happens
to us or not.
636
00:34:40,705 --> 00:34:42,582
We're not trying to even
punish the predator.
637
00:34:42,582 --> 00:34:44,292
We just want to
not see them.
638
00:34:44,292 --> 00:34:46,419
We don't want to have to
be prey. Yeah. Like--
639
00:34:46,419 --> 00:34:48,129
But if, you know, sex
work were decriminalized,
640
00:34:48,129 --> 00:34:51,466
we'd actually maybe be able
to build a relationship
641
00:34:51,466 --> 00:34:53,718
with law enforcement if
that's what we wanted to do.
642
00:34:53,718 --> 00:34:55,470
Or at the very least, labour,
you know, sort of rights--
643
00:34:55,470 --> 00:34:57,472
- Labour.
- You know, which involves
644
00:34:57,472 --> 00:34:59,933
workplace safety, and this
is a workplace safety issue.
645
00:35:01,643 --> 00:35:04,521
Andrea: Exchanges like
this one were rare.
646
00:35:04,521 --> 00:35:07,607
I worked at the same
agency as Andrea,
647
00:35:07,607 --> 00:35:09,401
and we never met.
648
00:35:09,401 --> 00:35:12,487
And a part of me
thinks it's by design.
649
00:35:12,487 --> 00:35:16,700
We were two
opinionated girls.
650
00:35:16,700 --> 00:35:19,869
The conversation would
have never stayed surface level.
651
00:35:19,869 --> 00:35:23,331
Having us have
too much knowledge
652
00:35:23,331 --> 00:35:28,169
is never a good thing in terms
of an agency perspective.
653
00:35:28,169 --> 00:35:29,879
Like, knowledge
is power,
654
00:35:29,879 --> 00:35:32,132
and they don't want us
to have that kind of power.
655
00:35:34,968 --> 00:35:36,344
Being an escort,
656
00:35:36,344 --> 00:35:40,390
you don't only see
people physically naked.
657
00:35:40,390 --> 00:35:42,434
It's emotionally naked.
658
00:35:42,434 --> 00:35:46,479
To find out how
much hate and negativity
659
00:35:46,479 --> 00:35:50,233
people carry
within themselves,
660
00:35:50,233 --> 00:35:51,401
it affects your soul.
661
00:35:53,028 --> 00:35:56,406
Andrea: We're supposed to
keep your secrets,
662
00:35:56,406 --> 00:35:57,824
and that includes
the secret
663
00:35:57,824 --> 00:36:01,202
of how you
truly behave, you know.
664
00:36:01,202 --> 00:36:03,580
And that's why we experience so
much violence from people,
665
00:36:03,580 --> 00:36:05,373
because there's this
assumption
666
00:36:05,373 --> 00:36:07,917
that we're not going
to tell anyone.
667
00:36:07,917 --> 00:36:09,878
We don't have
anyone to turn to.
668
00:36:09,878 --> 00:36:11,379
There's no one to
protect us.
669
00:36:15,884 --> 00:36:18,511
My mom was concerned
about my safety,
670
00:36:18,511 --> 00:36:20,972
and she was right to
be concerned.
671
00:36:22,557 --> 00:36:25,310
On the day that I
graduated university,
672
00:36:25,310 --> 00:36:27,562
- we went out to lunch.
- Mm-hmm.
673
00:36:27,562 --> 00:36:29,397
We sat down
at the table,
674
00:36:29,397 --> 00:36:32,609
and the first thing that
you said was,
675
00:36:32,609 --> 00:36:34,277
"When you going to quit
that job of yours?"
676
00:36:34,277 --> 00:36:35,528
Right.
677
00:36:35,528 --> 00:36:38,657
And I'm like...
..."Okay.
678
00:36:40,408 --> 00:36:41,576
By my
next birthday,"
679
00:36:41,576 --> 00:36:43,370
which was a
year from then,
680
00:36:43,370 --> 00:36:44,829
and you said...
681
00:36:46,373 --> 00:36:47,749
"I'd like to have that
in writing."
682
00:36:47,749 --> 00:36:49,626
Yeah.
683
00:36:49,626 --> 00:36:53,254
Andrea: And so I signed
a contract with my mother.
684
00:36:53,254 --> 00:36:54,756
"I, Andrea Werhun,
685
00:36:54,756 --> 00:36:57,592
"vow to stop hooking on
my 24th birthday.
686
00:36:57,592 --> 00:36:59,552
You have it in
writing."
687
00:36:59,552 --> 00:37:02,097
I had one year
of whoring left.
688
00:37:09,270 --> 00:37:10,438
With these
appointments,
689
00:37:10,438 --> 00:37:11,690
these hour-long
appointments
690
00:37:11,690 --> 00:37:12,857
with people you've
never met before,
691
00:37:12,857 --> 00:37:15,652
it's like
I'm a comet
692
00:37:15,652 --> 00:37:19,864
entering the stratosphere of
somebody else's world,
693
00:37:19,864 --> 00:37:21,992
and then I get to
see them naked.
694
00:37:21,992 --> 00:37:23,410
And then I get to
have sex with them,
695
00:37:23,410 --> 00:37:24,619
and I get to make them come.
696
00:37:24,619 --> 00:37:26,288
And I, like,
hit the Earth,
697
00:37:26,288 --> 00:37:27,998
and I'm gone. And that's it.
698
00:37:27,998 --> 00:37:29,582
You get to the
core of a person,
699
00:37:29,582 --> 00:37:31,584
and then
you're gone.
700
00:37:31,584 --> 00:37:34,129
There's just, like,
something really fascinating
701
00:37:34,129 --> 00:37:37,007
about how close
you can get to a person
702
00:37:37,007 --> 00:37:38,633
in such a
short period of time
703
00:37:38,633 --> 00:37:40,760
and the level of intimacy
that you can feel
704
00:37:40,760 --> 00:37:43,513
with someone you've
never met before
705
00:37:43,513 --> 00:37:45,015
and then just be gone.
706
00:37:48,852 --> 00:37:51,479
You know, you have sex
with a few hundred clients,
707
00:37:51,479 --> 00:37:53,565
and you start to
notice a few patterns.
708
00:37:53,565 --> 00:37:58,320
So I think I could teach
a class on sex work.
709
00:37:59,863 --> 00:38:01,364
No matter what you
call them--
710
00:38:01,364 --> 00:38:03,575
clients, johns, tricks--
711
00:38:03,575 --> 00:38:05,827
the men who pay for
sex have a bevy of reasons
712
00:38:05,827 --> 00:38:08,830
for procuring the services
of a professional.
713
00:38:08,830 --> 00:38:11,666
{\an8}Take your travelling
businessman, for instance,
714
00:38:11,666 --> 00:38:13,627
{\an8}tired and in need of a relaxing,
715
00:38:13,627 --> 00:38:15,337
{\an8}no-strings-attached fu--
716
00:38:16,630 --> 00:38:18,381
{\an8}However, many of our clients
717
00:38:18,381 --> 00:38:20,008
{\an8}are very much attached.
718
00:38:21,301 --> 00:38:22,844
{\an8}Shocking, I know.
719
00:38:22,844 --> 00:38:24,429
{\an8}Here's a line I often heard.
720
00:38:24,429 --> 00:38:26,181
{\an8}I'm just paying you for
a service.
721
00:38:26,181 --> 00:38:27,515
{\an8}It's not like we're having
722
00:38:27,515 --> 00:38:29,434
{\an8}a passionate affair
or anything.
723
00:38:29,434 --> 00:38:31,102
{\an8}Then why not tell your wife?
724
00:38:32,395 --> 00:38:34,898
{\an8}Having a wife is too good a deal
725
00:38:34,898 --> 00:38:36,399
{\an8}to screw up with
a truth bomb like,
726
00:38:36,399 --> 00:38:38,860
{\an8}"When I tell you I'm staying
late at the office,
727
00:38:38,860 --> 00:38:41,071
{\an8}"I'm really doing lines of coke
728
00:38:41,071 --> 00:38:43,657
{\an8}with an escort in a motel room
off the highway."
729
00:38:44,866 --> 00:38:46,701
{\an8}Perhaps I seem like some kind
730
00:38:46,701 --> 00:38:49,371
{\an8}of husband-humping femme fatale,
731
00:38:49,371 --> 00:38:51,706
{\an8}the heartless, scheming villain
732
00:38:51,706 --> 00:38:53,083
{\an8}of the story,
733
00:38:53,083 --> 00:38:54,834
{\an8}but my madam
would always say...
734
00:38:54,834 --> 00:38:57,170
{\an8}I think we save marriages.
735
00:38:57,170 --> 00:38:59,047
{\an8}It's safer for men
to see an escort
736
00:38:59,047 --> 00:39:02,592
{\an8}than have an affair with
the secretary at the office.
737
00:39:02,592 --> 00:39:03,802
{\an8}It's a lot less mess.
738
00:39:06,596 --> 00:39:07,722
But--
739
00:39:07,722 --> 00:39:09,099
Enough about them.
740
00:39:09,099 --> 00:39:10,850
How about our clients
with disabilities?
741
00:39:10,850 --> 00:39:13,937
My client Paul was
a favourite of mine.
742
00:39:13,937 --> 00:39:16,189
His legs may have
been paralyzed,
743
00:39:16,189 --> 00:39:17,774
but my word,
744
00:39:17,774 --> 00:39:21,403
that tongue was limber.
745
00:39:21,403 --> 00:39:22,570
{\an8}And of course,
746
00:39:22,570 --> 00:39:23,738
{\an8}the lazy bachelor,
747
00:39:23,738 --> 00:39:25,991
{\an8}sometimes too lazy.
748
00:39:27,534 --> 00:39:29,619
{\an8}Do you watch hockey?
749
00:39:29,619 --> 00:39:30,829
{\an8}Sort of.
750
00:39:30,829 --> 00:39:32,872
I see you're
a big fan.
751
00:39:32,872 --> 00:39:35,542
Oh, yeah, ever
since I was a kid.
752
00:39:35,542 --> 00:39:37,627
How old are you?
753
00:39:37,627 --> 00:39:39,212
- Why don't you guess?
- Twenty-seven?
754
00:39:42,549 --> 00:39:44,009
I'm older.
755
00:39:45,719 --> 00:39:47,137
Andrea: A whiff of his dick
756
00:39:47,137 --> 00:39:49,764
conveyed notes of
cheese and black mold.
757
00:39:50,932 --> 00:39:53,101
Why didn't I ask Gus to
hit the showers?
758
00:39:53,101 --> 00:39:56,771
Why did I let his curdled
cheese string into my mouth?
759
00:39:56,771 --> 00:39:58,523
Man: We've got Mary
Ann in the head zone.
760
00:39:58,523 --> 00:40:00,609
She appears to
be struggling, Bob.
761
00:40:00,609 --> 00:40:01,901
She sure is, Tim.
762
00:40:01,901 --> 00:40:03,778
And the blow job
763
00:40:03,778 --> 00:40:05,655
comes to an end.
764
00:40:05,655 --> 00:40:07,616
- Is that it?
- Mary Ann is now going
765
00:40:07,616 --> 00:40:08,950
into the cowgirl
position.
766
00:40:08,950 --> 00:40:10,827
Oh! And it looks like
Gus has got
767
00:40:10,827 --> 00:40:12,495
some stubble going
on down there.
768
00:40:12,495 --> 00:40:15,999
It must be scraping the shit
out of her you-know-what, Bob.
769
00:40:15,999 --> 00:40:19,627
Mary Ann is determined to ride
this john through the pain.
770
00:40:19,627 --> 00:40:21,838
- Wow.
- She is working for the money
771
00:40:21,838 --> 00:40:24,049
- tonight, boys.
- Mary Ann is dismounting.
772
00:40:24,049 --> 00:40:25,425
- Your turn.
- Bob: And it looks
773
00:40:25,425 --> 00:40:28,845
like Gus is remaining in
the reclined position.
774
00:40:28,845 --> 00:40:30,347
He's going soft.
775
00:40:31,973 --> 00:40:34,309
Mary Ann's got
her hand on the stick.
776
00:40:36,478 --> 00:40:37,937
He shoots!
777
00:40:37,937 --> 00:40:41,274
She scores! Mary Ann
has done it again,
778
00:40:41,274 --> 00:40:42,776
proving why she's one of
the most valuable escorts.
779
00:40:44,361 --> 00:40:46,613
Yes! Yes!
780
00:40:46,613 --> 00:40:51,159
And finally, there are the
heartbroken newly single men
781
00:40:51,159 --> 00:40:53,578
in need of a
bosom to cry on.
782
00:40:54,704 --> 00:40:56,164
{\an8}I don't want to play games.
783
00:40:57,958 --> 00:41:01,378
{\an8}I just want sex.
784
00:41:01,378 --> 00:41:03,004
{\an8}Andrea: I heard
that Jeremy had seen
785
00:41:03,004 --> 00:41:04,381
{\an8}every escort at
the agency but me.
786
00:41:04,381 --> 00:41:06,716
Excuse me. What?
787
00:41:06,716 --> 00:41:08,176
Andrea: He was a
typical finance guy--
788
00:41:08,176 --> 00:41:09,928
You got to be kidding me!
789
00:41:09,928 --> 00:41:11,930
Andrea: Drunk,
volatile, loves hookers.
790
00:41:11,930 --> 00:41:13,098
Is he always
like that?
791
00:41:13,098 --> 00:41:15,141
Jeremy: Oh, for
fuck's sake!
792
00:41:15,141 --> 00:41:16,601
For as long
as I've known him.
793
00:41:18,520 --> 00:41:21,898
Jeremy was legendary for
his multi-hour appointments.
794
00:41:21,898 --> 00:41:24,734
My co-whore Violet
held the record--
795
00:41:24,734 --> 00:41:26,903
36 hours.
796
00:41:26,903 --> 00:41:28,446
When she finally
had to go,
797
00:41:28,446 --> 00:41:31,408
she was promptly replaced
by another girl,
798
00:41:31,408 --> 00:41:34,703
and now, it was my turn
to get to know the legend.
799
00:41:34,703 --> 00:41:36,246
What's your sign?
800
00:41:36,246 --> 00:41:37,455
Scorpio.
801
00:41:39,290 --> 00:41:40,542
Me too!
802
00:41:40,542 --> 00:41:42,419
Andrea: We had
a lot in common.
803
00:41:42,419 --> 00:41:44,504
Around the five-hour
mark, I asked...
804
00:41:44,504 --> 00:41:46,381
So, do you have
any children?
805
00:41:48,008 --> 00:41:50,343
Jeremy:
My kid's birthday party.
806
00:41:50,343 --> 00:41:52,554
Drunk here.
807
00:41:52,554 --> 00:41:54,514
Really drunk in
this one.
808
00:41:57,934 --> 00:42:00,228
That stupid
fucking bitch!
809
00:42:01,939 --> 00:42:03,982
She's ruined
my life!
810
00:42:03,982 --> 00:42:06,985
- Everything's gone!
- Okay.
811
00:42:06,985 --> 00:42:08,153
- It's ruined!
- Okay.
812
00:42:08,153 --> 00:42:12,574
Jeremy, you are
a Scorpio, remember?
813
00:42:12,574 --> 00:42:14,993
And Scorpios
are ruled by Pluto.
814
00:42:14,993 --> 00:42:17,162
That's the planet of
transformation,
815
00:42:17,162 --> 00:42:19,540
of life and death
and rebirth.
816
00:42:19,540 --> 00:42:24,169
If anyone could
change their life,
817
00:42:24,169 --> 00:42:25,545
it's you.
818
00:42:25,545 --> 00:42:28,507
Though sex workers aren't
officially therapists,
819
00:42:28,507 --> 00:42:30,008
we try our best.
820
00:42:31,551 --> 00:42:33,011
Let's do some coke.
821
00:42:38,308 --> 00:42:41,270
Andrea: There's a certain
suspension of reality
822
00:42:41,270 --> 00:42:43,939
in the time an escort
and her john share.
823
00:42:47,693 --> 00:42:50,195
The time allotted is
a sacred space
824
00:42:50,195 --> 00:42:51,989
in which both
parties feel free
825
00:42:51,989 --> 00:42:55,075
to be themselves without
judgment.
826
00:42:56,493 --> 00:42:57,494
What do you like?
827
00:42:57,494 --> 00:42:58,829
Andrea:
I like sex.
828
00:43:00,289 --> 00:43:01,707
Jeremy: I don't know
about that.
829
00:43:01,707 --> 00:43:03,417
Andrea:
Oh, no!
830
00:43:06,837 --> 00:43:09,756
Jeremy demanded I
cuddle him all night.
831
00:43:09,756 --> 00:43:11,383
Paid to sleep?
832
00:43:11,383 --> 00:43:13,427
A sex worker's dream.
833
00:43:17,556 --> 00:43:18,807
Man:
Mary Ann.
834
00:43:21,310 --> 00:43:22,519
Mary Ann.
835
00:43:23,729 --> 00:43:26,732
Mary Ann, that's
very good.
836
00:43:26,732 --> 00:43:28,108
Andrea: When I told
Mr. McAllister
837
00:43:28,108 --> 00:43:29,735
I was leaving the biz,
838
00:43:29,735 --> 00:43:31,945
from the high horse of a
john in the arms of a whore,
839
00:43:31,945 --> 00:43:33,322
he said...
840
00:43:33,322 --> 00:43:34,781
You know, Mary Ann,
841
00:43:34,781 --> 00:43:36,783
it'll be
hard for you.
842
00:43:36,783 --> 00:43:38,410
Dating, that is,
843
00:43:38,410 --> 00:43:42,414
you know, having worked
in this industry.
844
00:43:43,916 --> 00:43:45,375
What makes
you say that?
845
00:43:47,044 --> 00:43:51,089
Well, a lot of people
don't respect pr...
846
00:43:53,634 --> 00:43:56,386
Men are too jealous.
847
00:43:57,804 --> 00:44:00,682
Men don't respect...
848
00:44:01,683 --> 00:44:02,643
Women like you.
849
00:44:07,981 --> 00:44:10,234
I never told
you this,
850
00:44:10,234 --> 00:44:11,693
but I have
a boyfriend.
851
00:44:16,907 --> 00:44:18,283
You do?
852
00:44:23,956 --> 00:44:26,792
We have been
together for...
853
00:44:26,792 --> 00:44:27,960
Thirteen years.
854
00:44:30,587 --> 00:44:32,547
How did we meet?
855
00:44:32,547 --> 00:44:34,174
Well, we met
in university,
856
00:44:34,174 --> 00:44:35,801
last year of university.
857
00:44:35,801 --> 00:44:37,427
You came to a
house party at my house.
858
00:44:37,427 --> 00:44:42,057
That was the first time
I met you, and yeah.
859
00:44:42,057 --> 00:44:44,810
Then I kind of chased
you a little bit
860
00:44:44,810 --> 00:44:46,979
for a few weeks.
861
00:44:46,979 --> 00:44:49,481
I knew, "Okay. This guy's
a philosophy major."
862
00:44:50,983 --> 00:44:52,442
"He's got to
be pretty bright.
863
00:44:52,442 --> 00:44:55,279
Maybe I'll just take
a chance and tell him."
864
00:44:55,279 --> 00:44:57,906
So I said, "I'm an escort,"
865
00:44:57,906 --> 00:45:00,534
and you were like, "Cool."
866
00:45:00,534 --> 00:45:03,412
Yeah.
867
00:45:03,412 --> 00:45:05,831
I thought that you were an
interesting person.
868
00:45:05,831 --> 00:45:07,165
I did think it
was cool.
869
00:45:07,165 --> 00:45:09,918
It was something
unique and different,
870
00:45:09,918 --> 00:45:13,338
so I wasn't going
to allow that
871
00:45:13,338 --> 00:45:16,425
to affect my
interest in you.
872
00:45:17,676 --> 00:45:18,844
So mature.
873
00:45:20,679 --> 00:45:23,015
Why didn't it
bother you?
874
00:45:23,015 --> 00:45:25,475
I see sex work
as a job.
875
00:45:25,475 --> 00:45:28,770
It's a job where you use your
body and you use your mind,
876
00:45:28,770 --> 00:45:30,230
like any other job.
877
00:45:30,230 --> 00:45:32,190
People use all sorts
of different body parts
878
00:45:32,190 --> 00:45:33,692
to do their labour,
879
00:45:33,692 --> 00:45:37,070
and we're not concerned
about it unless it's sexual.
880
00:45:37,070 --> 00:45:39,364
There's something about
sex that--
881
00:45:39,364 --> 00:45:41,533
I guess because it's
so closely tied to love--
882
00:45:41,533 --> 00:45:43,785
that people feel like
it has to be controlled,
883
00:45:43,785 --> 00:45:48,582
you have to possess your partner
or own them in some sense,
884
00:45:48,582 --> 00:45:50,918
and that it isn't real
love unless you do
885
00:45:50,918 --> 00:45:52,669
or real commitment
unless you do.
886
00:45:53,795 --> 00:45:55,714
Hello?
887
00:45:55,714 --> 00:45:57,049
Trina on phone:
Time's up.
888
00:45:57,049 --> 00:45:58,508
Okay. Thanks.
889
00:46:09,186 --> 00:46:21,365
♪ The light shines down
the valley ♪
890
00:46:21,365 --> 00:46:24,284
♪ The wind blows
up the alley ♪
891
00:46:24,284 --> 00:46:27,371
♪ Oh and I wish
I was lying ♪
892
00:46:27,371 --> 00:46:30,082
♪ In the arms
of Mary ♪
893
00:46:33,293 --> 00:46:37,256
♪ She took the
pains of boyhood ♪
894
00:46:37,256 --> 00:46:40,801
♪ And turned them
into feel good ♪
895
00:46:40,801 --> 00:46:43,595
♪ Oh and I wish
I was lying ♪
896
00:46:43,595 --> 00:46:45,764
♪ In the arms
of Mary ♪
897
00:46:45,764 --> 00:46:50,227
♪ Mary was the girl who taught
me all I had to know ♪
898
00:46:50,227 --> 00:46:53,730
♪ She put me right on
the first mistake ♪
899
00:46:53,730 --> 00:46:58,193
♪ Summer wasn't gone and I
learned all she had to show ♪
900
00:46:58,193 --> 00:47:02,281
♪ She really gave all
a boy could take ♪
901
00:47:03,657 --> 00:47:05,325
So long, Mary Ann.
902
00:47:23,134 --> 00:47:24,886
The perennial
Marygold,
903
00:47:24,886 --> 00:47:26,471
plucked from its
dewy bed,
904
00:47:26,471 --> 00:47:29,390
must die,
and so did I.
905
00:47:29,390 --> 00:47:33,561
Mary Ann the whore lived,
died, and was born again...
906
00:47:33,561 --> 00:47:34,938
on a farm.
907
00:47:39,150 --> 00:47:42,111
I had been working on a
farm for a couple seasons
908
00:47:42,111 --> 00:47:44,656
before you came
to live with me there.
909
00:47:44,656 --> 00:47:46,950
Andrea: In a way, I
went to the farm
910
00:47:46,950 --> 00:47:50,703
to escape my shame,
911
00:47:50,703 --> 00:47:55,124
to prove to myself that I
was more than just a prostitute,
912
00:47:55,124 --> 00:47:57,710
but shame
was with me.
913
00:47:57,710 --> 00:48:01,214
Hey, saggy titties.
914
00:48:01,214 --> 00:48:03,716
After my second
season on the farm,
915
00:48:03,716 --> 00:48:05,927
I needed to stop.
916
00:48:05,927 --> 00:48:07,929
I think you enjoyed it,
917
00:48:07,929 --> 00:48:09,055
but it's not your life.
918
00:48:09,055 --> 00:48:10,556
It's not the life you want,
919
00:48:10,556 --> 00:48:11,557
and that's fine.
920
00:48:11,557 --> 00:48:14,310
- It wasn't exactly my calling.
- Yeah.
921
00:48:14,310 --> 00:48:16,187
On top of the physical
toll it was taking,
922
00:48:16,187 --> 00:48:18,273
I was not making
any money.
923
00:48:18,273 --> 00:48:19,774
I was broke.
924
00:48:19,774 --> 00:48:22,110
Broke? You're a joke.
925
00:48:22,110 --> 00:48:25,446
You're a washed-up whore
with no prospects.
926
00:48:25,446 --> 00:48:26,864
What are you gonna do,
927
00:48:26,864 --> 00:48:30,702
put "proficient at blowjobs"
on your résumé?
928
00:48:35,456 --> 00:48:39,168
So I decided
to become normal.
929
00:48:39,168 --> 00:48:41,254
I moved back to the city
930
00:48:41,254 --> 00:48:43,756
and landed an
entry-level nine to five.
931
00:48:43,756 --> 00:48:46,551
I worked during my
lunchbreaks, evening overtime,
932
00:48:46,551 --> 00:48:49,929
and still never kept up
or did things quite right.
933
00:48:51,097 --> 00:48:52,682
It was hell.
934
00:48:52,682 --> 00:48:56,978
Commuting in rush hour to
a job that I hate...
935
00:48:56,978 --> 00:48:58,855
I would rather
fuck a stranger.
936
00:49:01,149 --> 00:49:03,401
Rosalie: When you
tried a regular job,
937
00:49:03,401 --> 00:49:06,195
you'd come home,
and you'd be crying.
938
00:49:06,195 --> 00:49:08,865
Yeah. That's no life. No.
939
00:49:08,865 --> 00:49:12,535
Andrea: So I quit and got a
gig as a bike courier.
940
00:49:12,535 --> 00:49:14,245
There was no
résumé required,
941
00:49:14,245 --> 00:49:16,623
but there
was snow and ice.
942
00:49:16,623 --> 00:49:18,291
I was falling off
my bike,
943
00:49:18,291 --> 00:49:20,251
getting my tire caught
in sewer grates,
944
00:49:20,251 --> 00:49:22,962
car doors being jut out
in front of me,
945
00:49:22,962 --> 00:49:24,339
and so I wondered,
946
00:49:24,339 --> 00:49:26,215
what was more dangerous,
947
00:49:26,215 --> 00:49:28,176
working as a bike courier--
948
00:49:28,176 --> 00:49:29,636
or as a stripper?
949
00:49:31,220 --> 00:49:34,807
I think, like, work in
general is exploitative.
950
00:49:34,807 --> 00:49:36,768
It's hard to be empowered
under capitalism
951
00:49:36,768 --> 00:49:39,145
when we're all
basically purchasing
952
00:49:39,145 --> 00:49:40,647
our survival.
953
00:49:40,647 --> 00:49:42,482
So, I'm disabled
and neuro-divergent,
954
00:49:42,482 --> 00:49:44,567
and sex work was a
really good fit for me,
955
00:49:44,567 --> 00:49:47,654
because it allowed me
to build a practice
956
00:49:47,654 --> 00:49:50,114
that was specific
to my needs.
957
00:49:50,114 --> 00:49:52,367
Sex work, for me,
gave me a way
958
00:49:52,367 --> 00:49:54,118
to, like, do more
than survive.
959
00:49:54,118 --> 00:49:55,536
It gave me
a way to live.
960
00:49:55,536 --> 00:49:57,455
Do you feel like sex
work is something
961
00:49:57,455 --> 00:50:00,541
that compliments your
artistic practice?
962
00:50:00,541 --> 00:50:02,168
Yeah, definitely.
I don't think
963
00:50:02,168 --> 00:50:05,338
that I could be an
artist without sex work.
964
00:50:05,338 --> 00:50:07,173
Like, I'm not a
nepo baby.
965
00:50:07,173 --> 00:50:08,675
I wish I was.
966
00:50:08,675 --> 00:50:11,511
My artistic skills make
a lot of sense in sex work.
967
00:50:11,511 --> 00:50:13,930
Like, it is
a performance.
968
00:50:13,930 --> 00:50:15,515
It's gendered performance.
969
00:50:17,517 --> 00:50:20,853
Andrea: I had deliberately
worded my agreement with my mom
970
00:50:20,853 --> 00:50:24,649
to refer strictly
to hooking.
971
00:50:24,649 --> 00:50:26,109
I left stripping
out of it.
972
00:50:28,486 --> 00:50:30,113
Alright. So, you work
seven-hour shifts,
973
00:50:30,113 --> 00:50:31,322
minimum three days a week,
974
00:50:31,322 --> 00:50:33,324
three shows per night.
975
00:50:33,324 --> 00:50:35,243
Lap dances
are $20 per song.
976
00:50:35,243 --> 00:50:38,871
Champagne room, $400
per hour per girl.
977
00:50:38,871 --> 00:50:42,959
Now, whatever happens
in the champagne room...
978
00:50:44,544 --> 00:50:46,546
Stays in the
champagne room.
979
00:50:46,546 --> 00:50:48,131
There's a security guard
at the entrance there
980
00:50:48,131 --> 00:50:50,466
to keep an eye on the time so
there's no discrepancy
981
00:50:50,466 --> 00:50:53,511
with the, uh, song counts,
because sometimes--
982
00:50:53,511 --> 00:50:55,430
rarely here--
983
00:50:55,430 --> 00:50:56,723
customers,
984
00:50:56,723 --> 00:50:59,809
uh, they try and
rip off the dancers.
985
00:51:01,352 --> 00:51:03,104
So--
986
00:51:03,104 --> 00:51:05,148
you want
to start tonight?
987
00:51:05,148 --> 00:51:07,650
Andrea: I texted with Maurice
about my stripper name.
988
00:51:11,613 --> 00:51:13,364
{\an8}Sophia means wisdom.
989
00:51:13,364 --> 00:51:14,949
{\an8}The Holy Spirit.
990
00:51:14,949 --> 00:51:16,576
{\an8}The divine feminine.
991
00:51:21,914 --> 00:51:24,751
I'm not the best
pole dancer in the world,
992
00:51:24,751 --> 00:51:27,962
so I had to learn how
to work my angles.
993
00:51:27,962 --> 00:51:31,049
For me, there is nothing
more powerful than nudity,
994
00:51:31,049 --> 00:51:35,553
eye contact, and a smile paired
with a few signature moves.
995
00:51:35,553 --> 00:51:37,639
Fireman!
996
00:51:37,639 --> 00:51:41,225
The Twirl 'n' Squat.
997
00:51:41,225 --> 00:51:42,685
The Floater!
998
00:51:43,895 --> 00:51:45,104
And Hollywood.
999
00:51:46,731 --> 00:51:47,941
Oh, and ATC.
1000
00:51:47,941 --> 00:51:49,233
That's ass to crowd!
1001
00:51:49,233 --> 00:51:50,735
Man:
Oh, yeah.
1002
00:51:50,735 --> 00:51:53,029
But I wasn't always the
professional you see here.
1003
00:51:57,325 --> 00:51:59,494
On my second shift,
1004
00:51:59,494 --> 00:52:01,496
I meet a guy
named Bob Abrams.
1005
00:52:01,496 --> 00:52:04,248
He called me over to him,
and he said, you know,
1006
00:52:04,248 --> 00:52:05,500
"Sit down and have
a drink with me.
1007
00:52:05,500 --> 00:52:06,918
I'll make it
worth your while."
1008
00:52:06,918 --> 00:52:10,004
So, what brings
you here tonight?
1009
00:52:10,004 --> 00:52:14,467
Man: You are so fucking hot.
1010
00:52:14,467 --> 00:52:16,177
Do you know what it's like
having two kids at home?
1011
00:52:16,177 --> 00:52:17,512
Of course you
don't.
1012
00:52:17,512 --> 00:52:20,431
Andrea:
Yeah. Oh, my.
1013
00:52:20,431 --> 00:52:22,350
I love you. You're
fucking awesome.
1014
00:52:23,977 --> 00:52:26,354
Andrea: His wife at home
with their newborn,
1015
00:52:26,354 --> 00:52:27,897
Bob Abrams
smelled of a man
1016
00:52:27,897 --> 00:52:30,567
who had everything
handed to him.
1017
00:52:36,030 --> 00:52:37,615
We got wasted.
1018
00:52:37,615 --> 00:52:40,994
Up in the VIP, I gave Bob
a passionate lap dance.
1019
00:52:56,801 --> 00:52:58,261
Bob took his
dick out.
1020
00:52:59,554 --> 00:53:01,097
You are so hot.
1021
00:53:02,307 --> 00:53:04,267
Fuck. Let's fuck.
1022
00:53:05,810 --> 00:53:07,312
No. No.
1023
00:53:09,772 --> 00:53:12,066
We finally called it a
night at 15 songs.
1024
00:53:13,401 --> 00:53:15,903
He wanted
to see me again.
1025
00:53:15,903 --> 00:53:18,740
Bob emailed me to arrange
our next meeting.
1026
00:53:18,740 --> 00:53:20,783
More on that later.
1027
00:53:21,993 --> 00:53:24,037
Soon, I had regulars
at the strip club,
1028
00:53:24,037 --> 00:53:26,748
and Ron was the
cream of the crop.
1029
00:53:29,417 --> 00:53:31,127
Hello, mysterious man.
1030
00:53:32,253 --> 00:53:33,421
Hello, Andrea.
1031
00:53:35,006 --> 00:53:37,800
Andrea: Ron is one
of my regulars.
1032
00:53:37,800 --> 00:53:39,844
He was known at the club
by the other dancers
1033
00:53:39,844 --> 00:53:42,180
as being
Sophia's guy.
1034
00:53:42,180 --> 00:53:43,931
We'd sit on a couch,
1035
00:53:43,931 --> 00:53:45,600
watch the game,
1036
00:53:45,600 --> 00:53:46,934
eat a burrito.
1037
00:53:46,934 --> 00:53:48,603
All the while,
1038
00:53:48,603 --> 00:53:50,104
baby, I'm being paid.
1039
00:53:50,104 --> 00:53:51,231
It was so good.
1040
00:53:51,231 --> 00:53:52,440
We'd get to the VIP.
1041
00:53:52,440 --> 00:53:53,733
I'd take my shoes off.
1042
00:53:53,733 --> 00:53:55,068
He'd give me a foot rub.
1043
00:53:55,068 --> 00:53:56,653
Ron: You were wearing
those ridiculous heels.
1044
00:53:56,653 --> 00:53:58,112
- What do you call them?
- Pleasers.
1045
00:53:58,112 --> 00:53:59,864
Ron: Pleasers. Right. And
so you were complaining
1046
00:53:59,864 --> 00:54:02,200
about your feet being sore from
wearing those all day,
1047
00:54:02,200 --> 00:54:04,369
so I just naturally started
giving you a foot rub.
1048
00:54:04,369 --> 00:54:06,704
And that became, like,
a regular thing,
1049
00:54:06,704 --> 00:54:08,748
and I took it
really seriously,
1050
00:54:08,748 --> 00:54:10,667
because one time, I
said, you know,
1051
00:54:10,667 --> 00:54:11,960
"Is this your first
foot rub today?"
1052
00:54:11,960 --> 00:54:14,295
And you said, "Well, no."
1053
00:54:14,295 --> 00:54:15,797
So the next day,
I went to YouTube
1054
00:54:15,797 --> 00:54:17,757
and started searching how
to give foot massages.
1055
00:54:17,757 --> 00:54:19,092
I was like,
"I'm going to give you
1056
00:54:19,092 --> 00:54:20,551
a really good
foot massage if I can."
1057
00:54:20,551 --> 00:54:23,930
So... I started
bringing in the creams,
1058
00:54:23,930 --> 00:54:27,266
you know, getting really,
you know, professional about it.
1059
00:54:27,266 --> 00:54:29,560
You are one of the
good ones. That is for sure.
1060
00:54:29,560 --> 00:54:31,646
What do you think
is the secret
1061
00:54:31,646 --> 00:54:36,526
to the long-term relationship
that we have here?
1062
00:54:36,526 --> 00:54:37,819
Ron: You're a good
listener as well as having
1063
00:54:37,819 --> 00:54:39,445
a lot of stories
to tell,
1064
00:54:39,445 --> 00:54:41,656
and I mean, in
seven years,
1065
00:54:41,656 --> 00:54:43,783
I've gone through some
major life events.
1066
00:54:43,783 --> 00:54:45,618
And there's been things that
I've wanted to talk about
1067
00:54:45,618 --> 00:54:47,745
that I didn't feel
comfortable talking about
1068
00:54:47,745 --> 00:54:49,831
to, you know,
family or friends.
1069
00:54:49,831 --> 00:54:53,626
Andrea: Ron is an
ideal customer in a few ways.
1070
00:54:53,626 --> 00:54:56,879
You know, he
understands the context.
1071
00:54:56,879 --> 00:55:00,675
He knows he's going to see
you for a set period of time
1072
00:55:00,675 --> 00:55:02,760
for X amount of money,
1073
00:55:02,760 --> 00:55:04,429
and on top of that,
1074
00:55:04,429 --> 00:55:06,347
he's kind. He's respectful.
1075
00:55:06,347 --> 00:55:09,434
Ron: Well, to me, kindness and
respect are my core values,
1076
00:55:09,434 --> 00:55:10,852
and I don't really
understand--
1077
00:55:10,852 --> 00:55:13,438
I mean, I've read your
stories and heard stories
1078
00:55:13,438 --> 00:55:15,189
about clients
who are not that way.
1079
00:55:15,189 --> 00:55:18,067
Andrea: If only all customers
could be like Ron.
1080
00:55:20,236 --> 00:55:21,821
I actually really don't
even know this guy,
1081
00:55:21,821 --> 00:55:23,740
- if I'm being honest.
- Oh, really?
1082
00:55:23,740 --> 00:55:25,825
One night, I was chatting up
Stavros, an artist...
1083
00:55:25,825 --> 00:55:28,703
So, yeah. We actually met at
an ultimate Frisbee tournament.
1084
00:55:28,703 --> 00:55:31,789
Okay. A couple of
nerds. I like that.
1085
00:55:31,789 --> 00:55:34,208
...and his friend
Mark, a doctor.
1086
00:55:34,208 --> 00:55:35,710
Stavros:
Pretty much.
1087
00:55:35,710 --> 00:55:38,296
Mark:
So, Sophia...
1088
00:55:38,296 --> 00:55:39,756
Who touched you?
1089
00:55:41,549 --> 00:55:43,760
Um, what?
1090
00:55:44,552 --> 00:55:46,054
Who touched you?
1091
00:55:46,054 --> 00:55:48,139
What happened in your
childhood to bring you here?
1092
00:55:50,683 --> 00:55:52,226
Andrea: Apparently, Mark
would rather examine
1093
00:55:52,226 --> 00:55:54,604
my emotional wounds than
my dance moves.
1094
00:55:54,604 --> 00:55:58,233
Um, that's an incredibly
inappropriate question.
1095
00:55:58,233 --> 00:55:59,484
Dude.
1096
00:56:00,818 --> 00:56:02,820
Andrea: Asking
sex workers
1097
00:56:02,820 --> 00:56:06,824
to divulge previous
traumatic experiences,
1098
00:56:06,824 --> 00:56:08,409
that's called trauma porn.
1099
00:56:09,744 --> 00:56:11,829
The questions run
the gamut.
1100
00:56:11,829 --> 00:56:13,539
They may seem
kind of innocent,
1101
00:56:13,539 --> 00:56:14,999
you know, like...
1102
00:56:16,626 --> 00:56:18,127
Andrea and Max: What
was your childhood like?
1103
00:56:19,879 --> 00:56:23,257
Andrea: "What happened along
the way to make you this way?"
1104
00:56:24,717 --> 00:56:27,178
"What broke you?"
1105
00:56:27,178 --> 00:56:29,931
You think something's
wrong with me
1106
00:56:29,931 --> 00:56:33,559
that I'm doing this
for money,
1107
00:56:33,559 --> 00:56:35,311
that I am broken.
1108
00:56:37,939 --> 00:56:40,024
It doesn't make any sense why
anyone would feel entitled
1109
00:56:40,024 --> 00:56:41,901
to ask us about our
childhoods--
1110
00:56:41,901 --> 00:56:44,028
- No. None of your business.
- Especially in a situation--
1111
00:56:44,028 --> 00:56:47,031
especially in a situation
where we're being hired
1112
00:56:47,031 --> 00:56:48,616
- to be sexy.
- Mm.
1113
00:56:48,616 --> 00:56:51,202
Andrea: You know,
it suggests that, like,
1114
00:56:51,202 --> 00:56:53,121
our trauma is part of
the sex appeal.
1115
00:56:53,121 --> 00:56:55,790
Yeah. Would you ask
that of your server?
1116
00:56:55,790 --> 00:56:57,709
You know, would you ask
that of, like, your dentist?
1117
00:56:57,709 --> 00:56:59,585
Like, I wouldn't
do that.
1118
00:56:59,585 --> 00:57:00,878
I don't have
to be a victim,
1119
00:57:00,878 --> 00:57:02,922
but now, I feel like
you are victimizing me,
1120
00:57:02,922 --> 00:57:04,340
because you are trying to
take things from me
1121
00:57:04,340 --> 00:57:06,217
that I didn't offer
to you. You're trying
1122
00:57:06,217 --> 00:57:07,927
to take things from me. You're
trying to take, you know,
1123
00:57:07,927 --> 00:57:09,554
my emotional labour.
You're trying to elicit--
1124
00:57:09,554 --> 00:57:11,389
What, do you want me to cry?
Do you want me to sit here
1125
00:57:11,389 --> 00:57:13,891
and cry and tell you about--
Like, that's predatory.
1126
00:57:15,268 --> 00:57:17,103
Andrea: One night, I
was riding high
1127
00:57:17,103 --> 00:57:20,940
on a '70s set guaranteed
to give any boomer a boner.
1128
00:57:36,998 --> 00:57:38,916
Fancy a dance
in the VIP?
1129
00:57:38,916 --> 00:57:40,835
Soon as I finish
this beer.
1130
00:57:40,835 --> 00:57:43,087
Andrea: So, what brings
you here tonight?
1131
00:57:43,087 --> 00:57:44,922
Well, you know,
cat's away.
1132
00:57:44,922 --> 00:57:46,799
Andrea: Our banter was
solid, until...
1133
00:57:46,799 --> 00:57:49,594
So, um...
1134
00:57:49,594 --> 00:57:52,263
What's the worst thing that's
ever happened to you here?
1135
00:57:53,556 --> 00:57:55,183
Andrea: How do
I actually respond
1136
00:57:55,183 --> 00:57:57,477
to people who are asking
me for trauma porn?
1137
00:57:57,477 --> 00:58:00,355
Sometimes, I
deflect.
1138
00:58:01,731 --> 00:58:04,525
And sometimes, I
answer the question.
1139
00:58:04,525 --> 00:58:07,487
You know, I'll look a person in
the eye and say, "Rape."
1140
00:58:07,487 --> 00:58:09,447
Rape? Yeah.
1141
00:58:09,447 --> 00:58:10,907
That doesn't happen here.
1142
00:58:14,744 --> 00:58:16,120
Andrea: I told him
my story.
1143
00:58:18,289 --> 00:58:19,540
Remember Bob?
1144
00:58:20,583 --> 00:58:22,335
Bob shows up at
the club.
1145
00:58:22,335 --> 00:58:26,047
It's, like, a
Monday night at 6:00 PM.
1146
00:58:26,047 --> 00:58:28,216
We go up to the VIP, and
it's early enough
1147
00:58:28,216 --> 00:58:30,718
that there isn't even
security up there.
1148
00:58:30,718 --> 00:58:32,679
We're alone.
1149
00:58:32,679 --> 00:58:34,222
Can I
take it out?
1150
00:58:36,683 --> 00:58:40,228
Andrea: I do my job, which is
to get naked by the third song.
1151
00:58:42,730 --> 00:58:44,691
Let's fuck.
1152
00:58:44,691 --> 00:58:48,403
- No.
- Oh, come on. Why not?
1153
00:58:48,403 --> 00:58:49,862
I don't want to.
1154
00:58:49,862 --> 00:58:51,322
It'd be fun.
1155
00:58:51,322 --> 00:58:54,242
I don't have
any condoms.
1156
00:58:59,080 --> 00:59:00,665
But he doesn't listen.
1157
00:59:02,333 --> 00:59:03,835
He takes my hips,
1158
00:59:03,835 --> 00:59:06,254
forces me down,
1159
00:59:06,254 --> 00:59:08,464
and puts his
raw dick inside me.
1160
00:59:10,925 --> 00:59:12,427
Don't do that again.
1161
00:59:12,427 --> 00:59:17,599
Because I don't have a
good sense of my boundaries yet,
1162
00:59:17,599 --> 00:59:19,684
I do continue to
dance for him,
1163
00:59:19,684 --> 00:59:22,562
and it happens two
more times.
1164
00:59:29,736 --> 00:59:31,613
Then he stops
the dances.
1165
00:59:32,822 --> 00:59:35,074
And I'm putting my
clothes back on.
1166
00:59:35,074 --> 00:59:37,368
What's the
matter, babe?
1167
00:59:37,368 --> 00:59:38,578
You look so sad.
1168
00:59:38,578 --> 00:59:41,581
Andrea: And I
say to him,
1169
00:59:41,581 --> 00:59:43,958
"I'm disappointed
in myself
1170
00:59:43,958 --> 00:59:47,295
for letting you
transgress my boundaries."
1171
00:59:48,421 --> 00:59:51,382
And obviously, there's
such a big element there
1172
00:59:51,382 --> 00:59:52,884
of victim blaming,
1173
00:59:52,884 --> 00:59:54,510
as if it's my fault,
1174
00:59:54,510 --> 00:59:55,720
and he replies...
1175
00:59:55,720 --> 00:59:58,348
Why? Do you have something?
1176
01:00:02,226 --> 01:00:05,313
Oh, yeah. That's
disturbing,
1177
01:00:05,313 --> 01:00:07,357
and I'm really sorry that
happened to you.
1178
01:00:07,357 --> 01:00:11,277
- Thanks.
- Yet, you came back.
1179
01:00:11,277 --> 01:00:14,656
I mean, it was
an isolated incident.
1180
01:00:15,782 --> 01:00:17,200
Most guys are fine.
1181
01:00:19,244 --> 01:00:23,081
So, you want
to go to the VIP?
1182
01:00:23,081 --> 01:00:26,167
Yeah. No. Not
after that story.
1183
01:00:26,167 --> 01:00:28,169
I am thoroughly turned
off now.
1184
01:00:29,420 --> 01:00:30,463
So why'd you ask?
1185
01:00:30,463 --> 01:00:33,174
Christ. I didn't
think you'd been raped.
1186
01:00:33,174 --> 01:00:35,093
You don't
look like the type.
1187
01:00:35,843 --> 01:00:37,428
Andrea:
The type?
1188
01:00:37,428 --> 01:00:40,098
What type of person
looks like they've been raped?
1189
01:00:40,098 --> 01:00:42,433
And what type of person
asks that question?
1190
01:00:42,433 --> 01:00:43,810
Dude.
1191
01:00:43,810 --> 01:00:47,146
Come on. Something must
have happened.
1192
01:00:47,146 --> 01:00:50,149
Women don't
just become strippers.
1193
01:00:50,149 --> 01:00:53,194
Man, I thought
we were having fun.
1194
01:00:53,194 --> 01:00:56,531
You really want me to relive my
trauma for your entertainment?
1195
01:01:00,368 --> 01:01:01,494
You know what?
1196
01:01:01,494 --> 01:01:02,954
Let's go to the VIP.
1197
01:01:02,954 --> 01:01:04,372
Now?
1198
01:01:04,372 --> 01:01:06,165
Yeah. Why not?
1199
01:01:14,173 --> 01:01:17,677
Look. I don't want
a dance.
1200
01:01:17,677 --> 01:01:19,262
I want to apologize.
1201
01:01:21,514 --> 01:01:25,435
The only reason I asked you
that question before
1202
01:01:25,435 --> 01:01:28,563
is because I was sexually
abused as a child
1203
01:01:28,563 --> 01:01:32,317
and I was wondering
if you were, too.
1204
01:01:35,111 --> 01:01:38,156
I'm sorry.
I just thought
1205
01:01:38,156 --> 01:01:41,117
maybe you
were as well
1206
01:01:41,117 --> 01:01:44,245
and I-- I
don't know.
1207
01:01:44,245 --> 01:01:47,081
Andrea: Mark is a doctor.
1208
01:01:47,081 --> 01:01:49,500
He's not a sex worker.
1209
01:01:49,500 --> 01:01:52,587
There's people
in every industry
1210
01:01:52,587 --> 01:01:56,090
who have experienced some
form of abuse.
1211
01:01:56,090 --> 01:01:59,093
I would guess that it's
pretty equal across the board.
1212
01:02:00,011 --> 01:02:02,889
Uh, yeah.
1213
01:02:02,889 --> 01:02:04,182
I hope you can
forgive me,
1214
01:02:04,182 --> 01:02:06,851
and you don't have
to dance for me.
1215
01:02:09,938 --> 01:02:11,231
Andrea: I don't know
all the reasons
1216
01:02:11,231 --> 01:02:14,400
why people ask
us these questions,
1217
01:02:14,400 --> 01:02:15,860
but I wish they wouldn't.
1218
01:02:21,866 --> 01:02:25,453
It didn't really occur to me
what had happened was rape
1219
01:02:25,453 --> 01:02:30,083
until I realized I hadn't
told my boyfriend about it,
1220
01:02:30,083 --> 01:02:31,835
which is always kind
of a flag,
1221
01:02:31,835 --> 01:02:33,253
because it usually
suggests to me
1222
01:02:33,253 --> 01:02:35,422
that there's some
type of shame
1223
01:02:35,422 --> 01:02:38,174
and I'm afraid
of talking about it.
1224
01:02:38,174 --> 01:02:42,137
I took the week off
from work.
1225
01:02:42,137 --> 01:02:45,765
I talked to the manager
1226
01:02:45,765 --> 01:02:47,434
who hired me.
1227
01:02:47,434 --> 01:02:50,186
I think this
is your fault.
1228
01:02:50,186 --> 01:02:52,355
There's security buttons
in the booth for a reason.
1229
01:02:52,355 --> 01:02:54,357
If you felt uncomfortable, you
should have hit the button.
1230
01:02:54,357 --> 01:02:58,862
You didn't,
so that's on you.
1231
01:02:58,862 --> 01:03:01,948
Robin: Well, you go from "You
can touch me here and here"
1232
01:03:01,948 --> 01:03:04,284
to something
shoved inside you,
1233
01:03:04,284 --> 01:03:05,827
and it happens so quickly.
1234
01:03:05,827 --> 01:03:09,039
Men know that people
aren't coming to the rescue
1235
01:03:09,039 --> 01:03:10,707
to sex workers.
1236
01:03:10,707 --> 01:03:13,168
Girls-- a lot of
Black girls, particularly--
1237
01:03:13,168 --> 01:03:14,461
are told to
keep their head down.
1238
01:03:14,461 --> 01:03:16,212
You're not supposed to
have any issues,
1239
01:03:16,212 --> 01:03:18,340
because it's
not worth your job.
1240
01:03:18,340 --> 01:03:21,634
The more money a
man seems to spend,
1241
01:03:21,634 --> 01:03:26,473
the more important he tends to
become versus performers.
1242
01:03:26,473 --> 01:03:30,810
Did I think about reporting the
incident to the police?
1243
01:03:30,810 --> 01:03:35,899
Ms. Werhun, the alleged incident
occurred at a strip club.
1244
01:03:36,900 --> 01:03:38,360
Now, first things first.
1245
01:03:38,360 --> 01:03:41,363
What kind of decent woman
works at a strip club?
1246
01:03:41,363 --> 01:03:43,907
- The kind that needs money.
- Money!
1247
01:03:43,907 --> 01:03:46,326
And would you say
that money is a prime motivator
1248
01:03:46,326 --> 01:03:49,454
- in your life?
- Well, I need money to eat
1249
01:03:49,454 --> 01:03:52,415
and pay my rent and
clothe myself, so yes.
1250
01:03:52,415 --> 01:03:55,710
Fascinating. Now, let me
get this straight.
1251
01:03:55,710 --> 01:03:57,587
Did you write this book?
1252
01:03:57,587 --> 01:03:58,964
Yes.
1253
01:03:58,964 --> 01:04:02,509
Your Honour, Ms. Werhun's
book is called Modern Whore,
1254
01:04:02,509 --> 01:04:04,177
and as she's
clearly stated,
1255
01:04:04,177 --> 01:04:08,556
she is a modern whore
motivated by money.
1256
01:04:08,556 --> 01:04:10,600
Ms. Werhun,
is it possible
1257
01:04:10,600 --> 01:04:12,936
that you fabricated
a rape allegation
1258
01:04:12,936 --> 01:04:15,939
against a married family man
who earns six figures
1259
01:04:15,939 --> 01:04:20,193
just so you'd have another story
to tell, you know--
1260
01:04:20,193 --> 01:04:23,697
for the money?
1261
01:04:25,031 --> 01:04:26,574
I got an email
from Bob
1262
01:04:26,574 --> 01:04:29,786
asking when he could
come in and see me again.
1263
01:04:29,786 --> 01:04:33,248
Smiley face, as if
nothing had happened.
1264
01:04:33,248 --> 01:04:35,417
I responded back,
1265
01:04:35,417 --> 01:04:37,544
"Do not come to the
club ever again."
1266
01:04:41,715 --> 01:04:45,302
On those nights where
something did happen to me--
1267
01:04:45,302 --> 01:04:47,345
- Mm-hmm.
- I don't have to be afraid
1268
01:04:47,345 --> 01:04:48,763
for a single second that
you're going to feel
1269
01:04:48,763 --> 01:04:53,226
like I must have done
something to provoke it
1270
01:04:53,226 --> 01:04:57,063
or that I, you
know, deserved it.
1271
01:04:57,063 --> 01:04:59,274
- Mm-hmm.
- A lot of sex workers,
1272
01:04:59,274 --> 01:05:00,900
when they are open with
their partners
1273
01:05:00,900 --> 01:05:03,445
about what they do, they get
that kind of attitude.
1274
01:05:03,445 --> 01:05:06,406
You've never, ever, ever,
ever been like that with me.
1275
01:05:06,406 --> 01:05:08,241
- Mm-hmm.
- So, thank you.
1276
01:05:08,241 --> 01:05:09,826
Yeah.
You're welcome.
1277
01:05:10,952 --> 01:05:12,454
And yeah. For a lot of people,
1278
01:05:12,454 --> 01:05:15,415
that reaction might be
a fear reaction.
1279
01:05:15,415 --> 01:05:18,168
The response to trying
to reduce the harm
1280
01:05:18,168 --> 01:05:21,504
is to coerce the person
to not do sex work
1281
01:05:21,504 --> 01:05:24,424
or not put themselves
in situations in the future
1282
01:05:24,424 --> 01:05:26,551
where those things
are possible.
1283
01:05:26,551 --> 01:05:29,137
A few years later, I saw
Bob at the club again.
1284
01:05:31,139 --> 01:05:33,183
He was with an
entourage of people.
1285
01:05:38,480 --> 01:05:42,275
In that moment, I didn't feel
like I could do anything.
1286
01:05:42,275 --> 01:05:45,320
I felt... frozen.
1287
01:05:48,573 --> 01:05:50,450
It goes without saying
that the strip club
1288
01:05:50,450 --> 01:05:52,118
is a booze-drenched
environment.
1289
01:05:53,578 --> 01:05:55,622
It's a bar, after all,
and a pick-up line.
1290
01:05:55,622 --> 01:05:57,332
Hey, can I buy
you a drink?
1291
01:05:57,332 --> 01:05:59,668
Um, yeah.
1292
01:05:59,668 --> 01:06:04,255
I was probably having upwards of
12 drinks a night at work,
1293
01:06:04,255 --> 01:06:08,009
and when I
wasn't at work,
1294
01:06:08,009 --> 01:06:09,761
you know, I was partying, too.
1295
01:06:12,430 --> 01:06:15,642
I had a habit
1296
01:06:15,642 --> 01:06:19,187
of getting blackout drunk
1297
01:06:19,187 --> 01:06:20,480
and hitting my head.
1298
01:06:23,984 --> 01:06:25,193
For the first time in my life,
1299
01:06:25,193 --> 01:06:26,987
I was having seizures.
1300
01:06:28,154 --> 01:06:29,322
Ah!
1301
01:06:29,322 --> 01:06:31,574
Ah!
1302
01:06:31,574 --> 01:06:33,410
May I have another?
1303
01:06:33,410 --> 01:06:36,496
Why did I keep doing
this to myself?
1304
01:06:37,998 --> 01:06:40,750
Late one night, I was drunk
and riding my bike home
1305
01:06:40,750 --> 01:06:44,546
with a shopping bag
dangling from my handlebars.
1306
01:06:44,546 --> 01:06:45,964
It got caught
in the front wheel.
1307
01:06:45,964 --> 01:06:48,591
I flew off the bike.
1308
01:06:55,181 --> 01:06:59,394
I had suffered a
traumatic brain injury,
1309
01:06:59,394 --> 01:07:00,770
a pretty bad one.
1310
01:07:00,770 --> 01:07:03,732
I'd scraped the entire left
side of my face,
1311
01:07:03,732 --> 01:07:05,942
and if I hadn't been
wearing a helmet,
1312
01:07:05,942 --> 01:07:08,111
I would be dead.
1313
01:07:08,111 --> 01:07:09,821
Given my history
of seizures,
1314
01:07:09,821 --> 01:07:12,407
I was eventually
diagnosed with epilepsy,
1315
01:07:12,407 --> 01:07:14,159
and alcohol
was a trigger.
1316
01:07:14,159 --> 01:07:16,786
Andrea, if you have
another drink,
1317
01:07:16,786 --> 01:07:18,788
you might have
a seizure and die.
1318
01:07:20,457 --> 01:07:22,459
You want to write
another book, don't you?
1319
01:07:24,419 --> 01:07:26,796
I was scared shitless
by that comment,
1320
01:07:26,796 --> 01:07:30,550
so I haven't
drank ever since.
1321
01:07:30,550 --> 01:07:33,470
Six weeks later,
I was back at the club,
1322
01:07:33,470 --> 01:07:36,556
no alcohol,
much less confidence.
1323
01:07:40,393 --> 01:07:41,978
Fancy a dance
in the VIP?
1324
01:07:42,938 --> 01:07:45,148
Yeah. Yeah. I'll pass.
1325
01:07:46,441 --> 01:07:48,568
Come back
in 15 minutes.
1326
01:07:48,568 --> 01:07:50,195
Maybe I'll
change my mind.
1327
01:07:52,697 --> 01:07:53,907
Okay.
1328
01:07:53,907 --> 01:07:56,451
Strippers face a
lot of rejection...
1329
01:07:56,451 --> 01:07:58,244
in lingerie,
no less.
1330
01:08:00,163 --> 01:08:02,916
Sober sex work is always a
really interesting topic
1331
01:08:02,916 --> 01:08:04,292
for me to speak on,
1332
01:08:04,292 --> 01:08:05,794
because I
have done sex work
1333
01:08:05,794 --> 01:08:09,673
for my entire adult life
and part of my youth,
1334
01:08:09,673 --> 01:08:13,843
and I've done it under the sort
of auspice of sobriety now.
1335
01:08:13,843 --> 01:08:15,303
But I've also
done it, you know,
1336
01:08:15,303 --> 01:08:16,972
while being an
intravenous drug user,
1337
01:08:16,972 --> 01:08:19,974
while being, you know, someone
that was a heavy drinker,
1338
01:08:19,974 --> 01:08:21,601
while being someone
that, you know,
1339
01:08:21,601 --> 01:08:24,270
has done various other
sorts of substances
1340
01:08:24,270 --> 01:08:26,231
and also hired
exclusively to do
1341
01:08:26,231 --> 01:08:27,607
a lot of, like,
pay-to-party events,
1342
01:08:27,607 --> 01:08:30,318
because men hate
to do drugs alone.
1343
01:08:30,318 --> 01:08:31,611
What do you think of
the stereotype
1344
01:08:31,611 --> 01:08:33,697
that we all use drugs
to do our jobs?
1345
01:08:33,697 --> 01:08:34,864
I think that goes
hand in hand
1346
01:08:34,864 --> 01:08:36,282
with a lot of
different tropes
1347
01:08:36,282 --> 01:08:37,826
that come
along with sex work.
1348
01:08:37,826 --> 01:08:40,203
Substance users are villains
or villainized in society,
1349
01:08:40,203 --> 01:08:41,871
and so, of course, we are
villains because we are
1350
01:08:41,871 --> 01:08:43,915
sex workers. So it sort of,
like, ties in with that.
1351
01:08:43,915 --> 01:08:47,752
What are some of the pros
and cons of sober sex work?
1352
01:08:47,752 --> 01:08:50,171
Start with the pros.
My judgment is clearer.
1353
01:08:50,171 --> 01:08:55,343
I'm a lot less susceptible to
my boundaries being pushed,
1354
01:08:55,343 --> 01:08:56,886
but then it's also, like...
1355
01:08:57,804 --> 01:09:00,473
I have to listen
to their bullshit.
1356
01:09:00,473 --> 01:09:03,059
I can't, you know,
numb the conversation.
1357
01:09:03,059 --> 01:09:04,894
I have to be engaged.
1358
01:09:04,894 --> 01:09:06,980
Another pro, I guess
you remember everything,
1359
01:09:06,980 --> 01:09:09,149
but another con is that I
remember everything, you know?
1360
01:09:10,567 --> 01:09:14,112
Bob returned... again.
1361
01:09:14,112 --> 01:09:17,657
He had started to earn a
reputation at the club
1362
01:09:17,657 --> 01:09:20,535
for becoming
belligerently drunk.
1363
01:09:20,535 --> 01:09:21,995
Want to give me a beer?
1364
01:09:21,995 --> 01:09:25,290
Andrea: You know, he's becoming
a very rowdy customer.
1365
01:09:26,666 --> 01:09:29,044
This time, things
were different,
1366
01:09:29,044 --> 01:09:32,172
because I was sober,
1367
01:09:32,172 --> 01:09:34,841
and I felt like I
was finally in a position
1368
01:09:34,841 --> 01:09:36,926
to be able to hold
him accountable.
1369
01:09:36,926 --> 01:09:39,054
You know, I wasn't
afraid anymore,
1370
01:09:39,054 --> 01:09:44,309
so I went to one of
my better managers, Phil,
1371
01:09:44,309 --> 01:09:47,020
and I told him
I wanted him out.
1372
01:09:48,813 --> 01:09:51,024
Well, I say we make sure
that he settles up,
1373
01:09:51,024 --> 01:09:54,069
because, uh, I don't want to get
in the way of anyone's money.
1374
01:09:54,069 --> 01:09:56,571
Then I'll inform him that
he's no longer welcome
1375
01:09:56,571 --> 01:09:58,156
in the club.
1376
01:09:58,156 --> 01:10:00,116
Andrea: I told the gals
what was going on.
1377
01:10:00,116 --> 01:10:02,953
Do you want me to throw
piss in his face?
1378
01:10:02,953 --> 01:10:05,955
Andrea: There's nothing like
stripper support.
1379
01:10:05,955 --> 01:10:07,290
Is this forever?
1380
01:10:08,458 --> 01:10:10,293
Yes.
1381
01:10:10,293 --> 01:10:11,461
Fuck you, man,
1382
01:10:11,461 --> 01:10:12,921
and your fucking place!
1383
01:10:12,921 --> 01:10:15,382
Andrea: Phil was
being a good manager,
1384
01:10:15,382 --> 01:10:19,302
and for that,
I'll always be grateful.
1385
01:10:19,302 --> 01:10:23,306
When you don't consider a sex
work workplace a real workplace,
1386
01:10:23,306 --> 01:10:26,559
it's going to be run by a
different kind of law.
1387
01:10:26,559 --> 01:10:31,064
It's going to be run by a law
that's outside law enforcement,
1388
01:10:31,064 --> 01:10:32,357
for better or worse.
1389
01:10:35,777 --> 01:10:37,279
I think the victim trope
is prominent
1390
01:10:37,279 --> 01:10:41,950
because some people
would prefer us that way.
1391
01:10:41,950 --> 01:10:45,912
Being a victim is a
convenient title
1392
01:10:45,912 --> 01:10:48,832
when what you want to do is
actually victimize us.
1393
01:10:48,832 --> 01:10:50,959
We can never get
away from it.
1394
01:10:50,959 --> 01:10:54,421
The law also identifies
us as victims.
1395
01:10:54,421 --> 01:10:57,132
It takes consent
out of the matter.
1396
01:10:57,132 --> 01:10:58,675
It makes the assertion
1397
01:10:58,675 --> 01:11:02,012
that everything that we
do for money is by coercion.
1398
01:11:03,805 --> 01:11:05,682
We're either victims
1399
01:11:05,682 --> 01:11:08,310
who have no ability to
make choices for ourselves
1400
01:11:08,310 --> 01:11:09,811
or we're villains,
1401
01:11:09,811 --> 01:11:12,480
and the only choices we
make are bad and harmful.
1402
01:11:12,480 --> 01:11:15,066
And all we want to do
is hurt people,
1403
01:11:15,066 --> 01:11:17,360
particularly men.
1404
01:11:17,360 --> 01:11:21,698
But I don't think that
sex workers are even permitted
1405
01:11:21,698 --> 01:11:25,702
the grace of having
our work considered labour,
1406
01:11:25,702 --> 01:11:27,037
and I think that's wrong.
1407
01:11:36,629 --> 01:11:38,173
You know,
there's things that I do
1408
01:11:38,173 --> 01:11:41,134
that keep me grounded and
remind me of who I am.
1409
01:11:41,134 --> 01:11:42,719
A lot of that has to
do with writing
1410
01:11:42,719 --> 01:11:45,430
and creative expression
in general and performing
1411
01:11:45,430 --> 01:11:47,390
and being silly,
being a little ham.
1412
01:11:48,600 --> 01:11:50,143
I'd like to be...
1413
01:11:51,144 --> 01:11:52,520
An artist.
1414
01:11:52,520 --> 01:11:54,731
I'd love to make
a living with my art.
1415
01:11:56,066 --> 01:11:59,402
But I can't
afford it, yet,
1416
01:11:59,402 --> 01:12:02,489
and so until
that day--
1417
01:12:05,075 --> 01:12:06,326
I work.
1418
01:12:08,954 --> 01:12:11,581
So long as the laws
don't protect us,
1419
01:12:11,581 --> 01:12:13,500
the stigma against
sex workers remains.
1420
01:12:13,500 --> 01:12:16,252
I can see your
cellulite, whore!
1421
01:12:17,754 --> 01:12:20,090
Alright, bud. That's
it. Night's over.
1422
01:12:20,090 --> 01:12:22,342
What are you doing, man? I
paid $10 for this beer.
1423
01:12:22,342 --> 01:12:24,844
- I'm not going anywhere.
- You've been nursing this beer
1424
01:12:24,844 --> 01:12:26,554
for almost two hours,
my man. Let's go.
1425
01:12:26,554 --> 01:12:28,390
- No. No. Come on! No!
- Let's go.
1426
01:12:28,390 --> 01:12:31,434
Shame: I'll get you! This
is not the last of me!
1427
01:12:34,854 --> 01:12:39,818
When it comes to my
own shame in sex work,
1428
01:12:39,818 --> 01:12:41,361
I don't have any.
1429
01:12:41,361 --> 01:12:42,779
The reality is,
1430
01:12:42,779 --> 01:12:45,073
not only have I
fucked for money,
1431
01:12:45,073 --> 01:12:48,326
I'm currently naked
on the internet.
1432
01:12:49,828 --> 01:12:51,371
I have no shame.
1433
01:12:51,371 --> 01:12:53,957
Let's be fucking
for real.
1434
01:12:53,957 --> 01:12:56,626
But when I
fell in love
1435
01:12:56,626 --> 01:12:59,838
and what I
did for work
1436
01:12:59,838 --> 01:13:03,425
was going to
affect him
1437
01:13:03,425 --> 01:13:05,593
and how his
family saw me,
1438
01:13:05,593 --> 01:13:08,346
that was the first time
I felt shame.
1439
01:13:08,346 --> 01:13:11,766
There's whorephobia against
the sex workers ourselves,
1440
01:13:11,766 --> 01:13:15,979
which, you know, brings us
the closest to violence,
1441
01:13:15,979 --> 01:13:18,940
and then there's all this sort
of, like, stigma by proxy--
1442
01:13:18,940 --> 01:13:20,275
- Yeah.
- That the people around us
1443
01:13:20,275 --> 01:13:22,652
have to experience just
by loving us.
1444
01:13:22,652 --> 01:13:24,446
Oliver: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
People might have
1445
01:13:24,446 --> 01:13:28,325
a perfectly happy relationship
with a sex worker,
1446
01:13:28,325 --> 01:13:32,412
and then they encounter
some kind of outside stigma.
1447
01:13:32,412 --> 01:13:34,331
And they can't
overcome it.
1448
01:13:35,749 --> 01:13:37,625
And they're missing out
because of that.
1449
01:13:37,625 --> 01:13:40,170
Yeah. Yeah!
1450
01:13:41,588 --> 01:13:44,257
You taking the risk
1451
01:13:44,257 --> 01:13:47,510
and being brave and
being open
1452
01:13:47,510 --> 01:13:49,804
has forced me
to come to terms
1453
01:13:49,804 --> 01:13:52,724
with how I
talk about it
1454
01:13:52,724 --> 01:13:55,477
and how open I
am about it as well.
1455
01:13:55,477 --> 01:13:57,187
And is that
a good thing?
1456
01:13:57,187 --> 01:14:01,650
Yeah, of course. Yeah. I think
being truthful is important,
1457
01:14:01,650 --> 01:14:04,819
and I think being
honest is important.
1458
01:14:04,819 --> 01:14:07,155
I'm, you know,
sitting here on camera
1459
01:14:07,155 --> 01:14:09,783
because I hope that one day
you can be face out
1460
01:14:09,783 --> 01:14:12,452
and not be
assaulted, you know,
1461
01:14:12,452 --> 01:14:14,037
just because someone
knows you're a sex worker
1462
01:14:14,037 --> 01:14:15,955
or not be stalked online
or not be harassed
1463
01:14:15,955 --> 01:14:20,835
or, you know, banned
from apartments
1464
01:14:20,835 --> 01:14:23,838
and banned from
other types of work
1465
01:14:23,838 --> 01:14:26,758
and banned from,
you know, social spaces,
1466
01:14:26,758 --> 01:14:28,009
which has definitely
happened to me.
1467
01:14:28,009 --> 01:14:29,302
I think that that's the power
1468
01:14:29,302 --> 01:14:30,804
of, like, sex worker
storytelling.
1469
01:14:30,804 --> 01:14:32,347
It's, like,
reminding the public
1470
01:14:32,347 --> 01:14:34,265
that, like, we're actually
just, like, human.
1471
01:14:34,265 --> 01:14:38,395
It's not like sex workers
are these big, bad monsters.
1472
01:14:38,395 --> 01:14:39,813
Like, we're just people,
1473
01:14:39,813 --> 01:14:42,399
and, like, we deserve,
like, very basic rights.
1474
01:14:42,399 --> 01:14:45,193
We need to tell our stories
so that it normalizes sex work
1475
01:14:45,193 --> 01:14:48,154
and so that it normalizes
the quest for safety in our work
1476
01:14:48,154 --> 01:14:50,115
and the quest for respect
in our work and the quest for,
1477
01:14:50,115 --> 01:14:52,075
you know, basic, like, human
dignity and human rights.
1478
01:14:52,075 --> 01:14:54,661
I would like sex workers--
1479
01:14:54,661 --> 01:14:55,912
at least,
like, full service--
1480
01:14:55,912 --> 01:14:58,289
to kind of be seen
like a chiropractor.
1481
01:14:58,289 --> 01:15:00,333
Not everybody believes in it.
1482
01:15:00,333 --> 01:15:02,544
But like, the people who
love it love it.
1483
01:15:02,544 --> 01:15:03,962
That's right. That's right.
1484
01:15:03,962 --> 01:15:06,423
- And they swear by it.
- And they swear by it.
1485
01:15:06,423 --> 01:15:08,008
I'm so grateful
1486
01:15:08,008 --> 01:15:12,595
that despite your own
misgivings about my work...
1487
01:15:13,805 --> 01:15:15,181
You still love me.
1488
01:15:15,181 --> 01:15:16,433
Of course.
1489
01:15:19,936 --> 01:15:23,023
I just want to
thank you for...
1490
01:15:25,317 --> 01:15:27,694
...not abandoning me.
1491
01:15:27,694 --> 01:15:30,322
I could
never abandon you.
1492
01:15:30,322 --> 01:15:31,531
Would not happen.
1493
01:15:33,116 --> 01:15:34,743
When you were born, I remember
1494
01:15:34,743 --> 01:15:38,955
just looking at you all night.
1495
01:15:40,081 --> 01:15:42,542
I would just watch you
while you were sleeping.
1496
01:15:44,127 --> 01:15:46,713
I think I like
being looked at.
1497
01:15:47,922 --> 01:15:49,549
Maybe that's part
of it.
1498
01:15:50,967 --> 01:15:53,303
I think I associate
it with love and care.
1499
01:15:53,303 --> 01:15:54,721
Yeah.
1500
01:15:54,721 --> 01:15:57,932
The greatest privilege of
my life is being loved by you.
1501
01:15:57,932 --> 01:15:59,976
- Thank you, honey.
- So thank you.
1502
01:15:59,976 --> 01:16:02,646
Thank you. That makes
my life worthwhile.
1503
01:16:04,397 --> 01:16:06,524
Love you, Mommy.
1504
01:16:11,363 --> 01:16:15,075
This is the part of the
film where the sex worker
1505
01:16:15,075 --> 01:16:18,453
is usually punished for
her deviant ways
1506
01:16:18,453 --> 01:16:21,581
or saved from whoring
by a white knight.
1507
01:16:21,581 --> 01:16:26,169
Eternally, we play the
role of victim or villain.
1508
01:16:26,169 --> 01:16:27,754
We need a new archetype.
1509
01:16:29,130 --> 01:16:30,548
If the femme fatale--
1510
01:16:30,548 --> 01:16:33,510
Is a bold, sexually
powerful villainess
1511
01:16:33,510 --> 01:16:36,304
who destroys men
to get what she wants,
1512
01:16:36,304 --> 01:16:40,767
the femme vitale is
her positive opposite,
1513
01:16:40,767 --> 01:16:45,021
a person who loves themself
and fights for their community.
1514
01:16:46,272 --> 01:16:49,693
They are loved and
give love,
1515
01:16:49,693 --> 01:16:51,653
pleasure, joy.
1516
01:17:04,249 --> 01:17:06,876
When sex workers
tell our own stories,
1517
01:17:06,876 --> 01:17:09,754
we become the heroes,
not the victims,
1518
01:17:09,754 --> 01:17:11,423
of our
own journeys.
1519
01:17:12,799 --> 01:17:16,803
I have a story
that would remain hidden
1520
01:17:16,803 --> 01:17:21,099
if I let shame
take over my life,
1521
01:17:21,099 --> 01:17:23,310
and shame is
antithetical to truth.
1522
01:17:25,520 --> 01:17:26,980
Despite the odds,
1523
01:17:26,980 --> 01:17:29,190
sex workers
are here.
1524
01:17:29,190 --> 01:17:33,111
We are alive
and always will be.
1525
01:17:33,111 --> 01:17:36,531
One day, we will grow
like wildflowers,
1526
01:17:36,531 --> 01:17:38,742
unruly and free.
1527
01:17:57,552 --> 01:18:05,518
♪ Ooh ooh ooh ♪
1528
01:18:06,811 --> 01:18:08,813
♪ Ooh ooh ooh ♪
1529
01:18:10,857 --> 01:18:12,609
♪ Ooh ooh ooh ♪
1530
01:18:12,609 --> 01:18:19,699
♪ Ooh ooh ooh ♪
1531
01:18:21,701 --> 01:18:23,453
♪ Ooh ooh ooh ♪
1532
01:18:25,163 --> 01:18:27,290
♪ Ooh ooh ooh ♪
1533
01:18:28,833 --> 01:18:30,627
♪ Ooh ooh ooh ♪
1534
01:18:36,049 --> 01:18:38,134
♪ Ah ah ah ♪
1535
01:18:41,304 --> 01:18:45,433
♪ Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh ♪
1536
01:19:03,243 --> 01:19:07,831
♪ Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh ♪