Sex work is not just work – it’s intimate labor, which means that every year sex workers are at greater risk for the common colds and flus than your typical customer service worker. With the world’s first global pandemic in over ten years, sex workers are responding to a situation already cloaked in health fears, hysteria, insufficient institutional response, with the on-going challenges of being an underserved population.
The United States has also been hit by the virus, and the ramifications on day to day life have varied dramatically by region. Nationally, there are over 1300 confirmed cases with 38 associated deaths in five states, and across the country schools and workplaces have closed, advisories have been posted, and people are taking significant precaution to limit their physical contact with others.
For people who operate in a non-essential services market which often includes intimate physical contact, the impact has been broad and swift.
Corporate bottom lines shape the travel of clients and providers
The resulting uncertainty has also hit the world markets hard. The Dow Jones, an index of 30 major stocks which is often used as a proxy for the health of the broader financial market, fell almost 2,000 points in one day – the biggest point drop in a single day ever. But these haven’t been only economic falls – one company currently testing a drug response to the virus was a top performing stock last month.
In efforts to limit physical spread of the virus, many companies, including Twitter, Google, and Facebook (as well as the federal government) have all restricted employee travel in various ways. For areas of the adult entertainment industry who are often reliant on conferences and travelers, these cancellations are really starting to add up.
For people who operate in a non-essential services market which often includes intimate physical contact, the impact has been broad and swift.
Corporate bottom lines shape the travel of clients and providers
The resulting uncertainty has also hit the world markets hard. The Dow Jones, an index of 30 major stocks which is often used as a proxy for the health of the broader financial market, fell almost 2,000 points in one day – the biggest point drop in a single day ever. But these haven’t been only economic falls – one company currently testing a drug response to the virus was a top performing stock last month.
In efforts to limit physical spread of the virus, many companies, including Twitter, Google, and Facebook (as well as the federal government) have all restricted employee travel in various ways. For areas of the adult entertainment industry who are often reliant on conferences and travelers, these cancellations are really starting to add up.
Sex workers, though, have often been the ones on the forefront of sexual health information, including how to keep things sterilized: “I feel like I have to go above and beyond right now saying that we’re not changing anything necessarily. I have always had very strong cleanliness and sanitation practices – I sterilize my toys, I sanitize my space, my counters – the biggest thing I’m doing differently now is that I’m making everyone wash their hands when they come to see me first.”
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