Sex Workers

Owing to the systemic, interpersonal, institutional, and occupational discrimination that trans individuals face, some trans people turn to sex work. Sex work is broadly defined as the exchange of sexual products or services for money or material goods. Despite the high number of trans sex workers, there is scant research on the nature of sex work for trans people as compared with cis sex workers, although it is generally recognized that trans sex workers’ experiences differ in important ways from those of cis sex workers. In this entry, risk factors for trans individuals’ engagement in sex work are identified, such as economic disadvantage. This entry also addresses related topics—such as work- and family-related issues, drug usage, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnoses.