Sex Work among Men Who Have Sex with Men & Transgender Women in Bogotá

This qualitative study examined sex work among internally displaced male and transgender female sex workers in Bogotá, Colombia. Internal displacement has occurred in Colombia as a result of decades of conflict among armed groups and has created large-scale migration from rural to urban areas. Informed by the polymorphous model of sex work, which posits that contextual conditions shape the experience of sex work, we examined three main research questions. The first dealt with how internal displacement was related to the initiation of sex work; the second concerned the effect of agency on sex worker satisfaction; and the third examined how sex work in this context was related to HIV and other risks. Life history interviews were conducted with a 26 displaced individuals who had done sex work: 14 were men who have sex with men (MSM) and 12 were transgender women (natal males). Findings revealed that many participants began doing sex work in the period immediately after displacement, because of a lack of money, housing, and social support. HIV risk was greater during this time due to limited knowledge of HIV and inexperience negotiating safer sex with clients. Other findings indicated that sex workers who exerted more control and choice in the circumstances of their work reported greater satisfaction. In addition, we found that although many sex workers insisted on condom use with clients, several noted that they would sometimes have unprotected sex for additional money. Specific characteristics affecting the experience of sex work among the transgender women were also discussed...

I went to beauty salons [looking for a hairdresser job]… They wanted to see my diploma, and I don’t have one. I know my trade, but I don’t have a diploma… On the other hand, the prostitution business was better…I made enough that I could live two or three days. With this, one can pay rent, utilities, and this helps you with the clothes that you need....

Another participant (Julio, 37 years old) had been beaten by a member of a paramilitary group in his hometown and, as a result, had a physical disability. After his displacement to Bogotá, he engaged in sex work as a way to survive between odd jobs. He implied that sex work was very common for those in similar circumstances:

So, they invite you into a bathroom. What for? So that you can show them what you have between your legs. You turn your back [present your buttocks] knowing that you need 2,000 pesos [approximately US$1]. This happens to us—to young boys who have an illness and live on the streets… what I have done, my friends have done as well. We sell ourselves...

Full article at: http://goo.gl/0J5yAY

By: Fernanda T. Bianchi,1 Carol A. Reisen,2 Maria Cecilia Zea,2 Salvador Vidal-Ortiz,3 Felisa A. Gonzales,2 Fabián Betancourt,4 Marcela Aguilar,4 and Paul J. Poppen2

¹Global Women’s Institute, 714 21st Street NW 2nd Floor, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052

²Department of Psychology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC

³Department of Sociology, American University, Washington, DC

⁴Profamilia, Bogotá, Colombia

Email: ude.uwg@ihcnaibf

   

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