By X-TINA the Fantastic....

1/6/11

 

 

So I am out of town and have to find a way to interview a sex-worker in Montreal.

Why? Because I am stuck on the idea that you never really know what the experience is from the view point of a sex-worker without getting a first hand perspective on what it is like for someone working in the field.

 

I decided to try to get a phone interview from an escort at an agency in Montreal.

The first agency naturally thought I was a customer and asked me what I was looking for.  I asked for the name of an escort I saw on the agency's website and they connected me to the girl immediately. She had a sweet and inviting voice and said, "What can I do for you baby?"

As soon as I told her I was inquiring on her experience as a sex-worker for a school project, she stopped referring to me as sweetheart and baby and hung up. She just kept saying "I have no idea what you are talking about, really I don't know" and then hung up.

Image source: Flickr.

 

The next call I made was to a different agency and the operator said she could not help me and hung up abruptly to no surprise. I don't blame them for being cautious working in conjunction is criminalized in Canada.

 

I then called what was listed as an "independent escorts" online and the ladies immediately hung up on me as well. Not that it was a surprise! I kept calling different listings until I got the same operator who told me to stop calling.

 

I discovered all these escorts were part of the same network and were immediately messaged to block my phone number.

 

My next idea was to plug in *67 and continue down the list of escort agencies online. I was amazed at the number of businesses available. I knew Montreal was a sex-driven town, but I didn't know how centralized and intense the scene is in reality.

 

 

I finally got through to a nice receptionist

who referred me to JaysXlist and Annonce123  where the real independent escorts advertise and where someone might be less afraid to talk to me, because there would be no third party involved.

 

This is how I found a confident lady, who understood why I was calling,

 and who gave me the time of day.

 

One man I called was very kind too, but he was too busy dishing out prices to other clients at the time to assist me with an interview. He politely asked me if I wanted a job or to call back some other time. I overheard him say it was $150 for couples and $300 for something else I didn't make through...Anyways that was the end of the call with him.

 

The lady I found on JaysXlist

 is Cindy Lou. She is very nice and not afraid to voice her opinion. I am very grateful for her insight. Cindy Lou and I talked on the phone a bit and she stated she was totally at ease with answering my questionnaire by email. This is what she replied...

 

This questionnaire was created to find more about the perspective of sex-workers in light of the recent efforts to decriminalize the profession in Canada in September of 2010. 

 

At what age did you decide to begin sex-work?

 

Cindy Lou: I started in the industry when I was 34 in 2008

 

 

Do you believe most sex-workers enter at an early age when they are too young to decide whether they want to participate by choice?

 

Cindy Lou: If you look on any agency website you will notice a lot of woman in there early 20's.At that age I find the mind isnt mature enough to handle what an escort goes through on a daily basis. With age comes wisdom.

 

 

Why do you work in the sex trade?

 

Cindy Lou: The sex industry is a needed industry.I don't consider myself to be a sex worker,im a service provider as im providing a much needed service.Everybody needs love and affection, I provide that to those who arent able to get otherwise.

So I would have to say A is my answer.

 

A. You enjoy the work.

B. You were obliged by someone else to participate in this type of work

C. You do it solely for the purpose of sustaining yourself financially

 

What do you find most disturbing about the trade?

 

Cindy Lou: I would have to say D is my answer.

Even though we are 2011 now, there are still ignorant people out there who assume that because im a sex worker (service provider) I must be a crack whore and this is how I pay for my habit.When in reality I never touch drugs,nor do i drink alcohol.My drug of choice is life.

 

A. The lack of security and potential violence while working

B. The work itself

 C. The fact that the act is illicit in society, but nevertheless a legal practice.

D. Disrespecting behavior towards you, because you engage in sex-work

 

 

Would you quit if you felt you had a way out of sex-work? Why or why not?

Cindy Lou: No comment

 

Do you think most prostitutes have pimps? Why or why not?

 

Cindy Lou: I believe some do have pimps/managers, but there is also a steriotype of what a pimp is.And in most cases the steriotype is wrong.

 

Do you have a pimp or have you had one in the past? Why or why not?

 

Cindy Lou: No I do not

 

If you answered yes to the last question, please answer the next three questions.

 

Has the pimp treated you fairly in terms of respect of your personal space and monetary gain?

 

Does the pimp control what you can or cannot do as a sex-worker?

 

Has the pimp ever forced you to do something you don't want to do? 

 

Do you ever think of leaving the sex business? Why or why not?

 

Cindy Lou: No comment

 

Do you feel you have other outlets besides working in the sex trade?

 

Cindy Lou: If you mean other means of supporting myself, yes I have a regular everyday job.

 

Do you feel like the sex trade is glamorized or disregarded? How so?

 

Cindy Lou: No comment

 

Do you think the criminalization of sex-work contributes to the social stigma and violence prostitutes face? How so?

 

Cindy Lou: No comment

 

 

What would be the advantages of the decriminalization of sex-work?

 

Cindy Lou: There would be laws in place protecting those who work on the streets.laws for std testing, just laws in general that would work to the advantage of the sex worker.

 

 

What are the disadvantages you foresee happening if legislation is set in place to allow legal sex-work businesses, unions, worker's benefits, and tax inclusion?

 

Cindy Lou: As it is now the client's identity is protected, from the law, spouse etc....this might not be so if it were to become legal.

 

 

Do you feel that sex-work would become more enticing for people on the outside with new legal regulations set in place?

 

Cindy Lou: No comment

 

Do you find promoting sex-work unethical or the same as regular advertisement agencies selling indirect sex to grab consumers?

 

Cindy Lou: At the end of the day, its is a just like any other, it's a business, so advertising is a must in order to get your product to the public.

 

 

Do you think the public is negatively affected by sex-work? How so?

 

Cindy Lou: No comment

 

Do you believe that laws specifying where, how, and in what manner sex-work can be practiced would help alleviate the crime problem against practitioners?

 

Cindy Lou: No comment

 

Do you use drugs? If so, why?

 

Cindy Lou: I havent touched drugs since 1997, and that was only pot.So no I don't use drugs, nor drink alcohol.

 

Do you think drug addiction is a problem for sex-workers the majority of the time?  Why or why not?

 

Cindy Lou: Drug addiction can affect any line of work, banker, doctor, lawyer etc....

 

Do you believe yourself to be a victim of prostitution or are comfortable with the choices you have made to sell sex?

 

Cindy Lou: I am very comfortable with who I am and what I do.i wasn't forced into this line of work, I chose it.

 

Do you think there is a difference in the way male sex-workers are treated in comparison with female sex-workers in society? How so?

 

Cindy Lou: No comment

 

Is there a difference in how transgendered or queer prostitutes of opposite sexes are treated in society? How so?

 

Cindy Lou: No comment

 

Do you believe the sex trade is an inevitable part of society?

 

Cindy Lou: Sex sells, always has always will. 

 

How is the sex-work scene in Montreal?

 

Cindy Lou: Montreal is the escort capital of canada.

 

Do you feel it is different in some ways then other cities in Canada?

 

Cindy Lou: No comment

 

What kind of sex-work is most prevalent in Montreal?

 

Cindy Lou: Escorts providing full service

 

What do you think the public outlook in general is towards sex-workers in Montreal?

Image source: Flickr, Sex District Montreal 1992.

 

Cindy Lou: Since montreal is the escort capital of canada, it is more accepted here.

 

If you feel comfortable, please feel free to elaborate on your life story and how you came to the position you are in today as a professional sex-worker.

Cindy Lou: No comment

 

Do you feel you have grown as a person in this line of work?

 

Cindy Lou: If you allow yourself, you can grow as a person with any profession.

 

Do you feel sex-work is a very emotional or physical journey in terms of your sessions with your clients or do you completely detach yourself from your work?

 

Cindy Lou: My clients come to see me because of the quality of service they receive, they get all me, I don't act a different way, im always myself.

 

Do you have particular methods of preparing for your sex-work sessions or unwinding afterwards as far as mental or physical preparations?

 

Cindy Lou: I unwind with my clients, they come to see me for a release, to relax and have fun, I do the same with them.

 

Does every experience bring you something different in your sex-work sessions with clients? How so?

 

Cindy Lou: One reason I got into this business was to meet all walks of life, hear different stories and share experiances.so each new client I see is a new adventure.

 

 

Has it taken you time or certain stages of realization to reach the emotional stage or sense of stability or instability you have working as a sex-worker at the moment?

 

Cindy Lou: No comment

 

Cindy Lou: I hope this was of help to you, and I wish you luck on your project/report.

If you have any other questions, feel free to email me :O)

Take care

BBW Cindy :O)

Image source: Flickr, Sexy Rose, 2008.