- Can I ask that?
Like, any tips for anal?
- My name's Siouxsie Q.
I'm an author, columnist for the San Francisco Weekly,
a podcaster, and I'm a sex worker.
I'm Mickey Mod and I'm an adult performer.
- What kind of performer?
- I work primarily in BDSM porn.
- What do you do in the sex work industry?
- Escort, I'm a pro dom, I model for adult films.
- My name is Venus Lux, my stage name,
and my occupation is CEO, performer, model,
anything in the adult industry basically.
- So first off, let me just ask,
what are some questions you feel people
should just not ever ask sex workers.
- I really hate it when people ask me how much I charge.
It's like, inappropriate.
Like, it would be weird if you like--
- Like if someone asked me how much I make.
- Yeah, it's weird.
You don't do that.
Oh, you're a sex worker?
Can you tell me how to have a threesome with my wife?
I'm like, no!
- Why do you think sex work is such a taboo subject?
- I'm Chinese, and so in my culture we do not talk
about sex at all.
Being in porn actually helps me open up that dialogue
of like, how can you actually have sex with a transsexual?
What does that look like?
- Think about it, the country was basically started
by the people who weren't cool enough to live in Europe.
We have a whole lot of shame about sex.
Like, we don't provide comprehensive sexual education
to anybody.
- Currently in the United States, sex work,
prostitution specifically, is criminalized.
Already there is a stigma around sexuality,
specifically women leveraging their sexuality for profit.
- It's easier to talk about violence in this country
than it is to talk about sex.
- Which is so weird to me.
- Yeah.
- Sex is so much more fun than violence.
- Exactly.
- Why haven't we figured that out?
- What do you think some of the most common
misconceptions of sex workers are?
- I think people see us as worth less than someone
who doesn't do sex work.
- People have a misconception about sex work,
and that it's this like, kind of like sleazy, shady thing.
But it's actually probably the most honest interaction
that you can have.
- So how did your close friends and family react
when they found out that you wanted to pursue
this profession?
- Mama was so not happy about it.
But then, over time, she kinda faded out with that,
understanding that I am looking at this as a professional,
doing this as a queer.
- A big stigma that I've been told is, you know,
sex workers don't have relationships, or significant others.
- Oh God.
I think it's important to remember that sex work
is my job.
- If I perform, they have to be able to be patient,
understanding, and respectful that it's for work purposes.
I come home to you.
- Because we live in a society where prostitution
and a lot of sex work is criminalized, it does put
a lot of people at risk.
Have you ever feared for your own life in this industry?
- I have definitely been scared
about if someone robs me.
My own body I definitely fear if someone
would assault me, like, what would I do?
Would I call the police?
I don't know.
It's daunting to know that you are not protected by the law.
- How do you feel that the treatment of men and women
differs in this industry?
- I think the outside perception is that men
in this industry are lucky and don't have any problems
and it's a dream job.
- When we're talking about women doing sex work,
everybody wants to talk about victims and exploitation.
- I mean, it's funny that that is the perception,
but I think the women in the industry
definitely run the show.
- They're the stars of the show a lot of times.
- Exactly.
Generally porn is made for a male audience.
That is heterosexual cis white male audience,
and what they want to see.
I know, I know, I know, boring.
- I'm speaking on both behalf of transgender men
and women, we are like 10, 20 years behind.
We only have like five companies that shoot
transexual pornography.
- What do you think are some things that society can do
in order to be more understanding to sex workers?
- I think the most important thing that people can do
is listen to sex workers.
In the United States of America, there's a house bill,
1614, to decriminalize prostitution.
If you really want to end trafficking, you need
to decriminalize sex work.
- I never ever thought of it as a business,
but here you are, you've made it by yourself,
and people don't know that that exists.