Category Sexuality Now

Strip Clubs

Strip Clubs

here are many occupations within the sex indus­try, including prostitution, porn acting, erotic writ­ing, and dancing. Erotic dancing has typically been looked down upon, and strippers are often viewed as "de­viant" and "bad" (Sweet & Tewksbury, 2000). What would make a woman want to take off her clothes for money? Women who strip for money have been found to have: an early physical maturity and early sexual experiences, early de­parture from home, an average level of education, a lack of father figure in the home prior to adolescence, and a history of "exhibitionistic" be­havior (Thompson & Harred, 1992).

Although there is a stereotype that strippers are uneducated, research has shown that today’s strippers are typically high school graduates and many have attended college (Sweet & Tewksbury, 2000).

I asked students about strip clubs and their thoughts about such clubs.

Here are some of the answers to the question: "Have you ever been to a strip club? If so, what did you think of the club?" As you read through the following answers, notice how many women talk about visiting strip clubs mainly on special occa­sions (such as an engagement or wedding shower), whereas the men are more likely to visit female strip clubs for no par­ticular occasion.

Female: The dancers at male strip clubs are always very nice because they love seeing girls in the club.

Male: Watching a lap dance is hysterical and much more humorous when you see an old guy trying to get the dancer’s attention. The dancers are all about money.

Female: I thought it was hysterical to see how far some dancers go to get money.

Male: The dancers were only nice to us to get money. They would act like they liked me, but I didn’t want to give them any money.

Female: The guys at the male strip clubs are always so muscular and just beautiful.

Male: I question the psychological health of using your body as a pseudo-sexual object for money.

Female: It is amusing. A nice break from the stresses of the world be­cause it is so carefree in the club. The dancers all appear to really like what they do.

Male: Some of the female dancers are really young, around our age.

Female: The male dancers are all so beautiful and in shape. They are always so nice to us since we don’t try to take advantage of them.

Male: I was shocked because the strip club I went to was in a shopping center with a grocery store. The chairs we sat in were lawn chairs. The place was dark and dimly lit.

Female: The men were all ugly and greasy.

Male: It was a little uncomfortable since I didn’t know what to do with my hands during the lap dances.

Source: Author’s files.

[1]It should be noted that Cossey was born with a chromosomal abnormality, XXXY chromosomes, compared to XX for a normal female and XY for a normal male. In most cases of transsexualism, however, no abnormal chromo­somes are found.

[2]See, for example, Cass, 1979, 1984; E. Coleman, 1982; H. P. Martin, 1991; M. Schneider, 1989; and Troiden, 1989.

[3] Antipornography laws were sufficient as they were written, but law enforcement efforts should be increased at all levels.

• Convicted pornographers should forfeit their profits and be liable to have prop­erty used in production or distribution of pornography confiscated, and repeat offenses against the obscenity laws should be considered felonies.

• Religious and civic groups should picket and protest institutions that peddle of­fensive materials.

• Congress should ban obscene cable television, telephone sex lines, and child pornography in any form.

[4] began prostituting when I was nineteen and met some working ladies. I was intrigued by what they were doing and saw the money they had and what they could do with it. . . .

I’ve made $2,000 in one week, which is very good money. I charge $20 minimum, short time, just for straight sex. That’s ten minutes, which will not sound very long to most people, but when you consider that the average male only needs two or three minutes in sex—I had some guys finishing even before they get on the bed. I make all my clients wear a condom and I’ve put the condom on them and by the time I’ve turned around to get on the bed they’ve already blown it. In most of these cases it’s the guys who are most apolo­getic and feel they have fallen down on the job.

I always check my clients both for any disease or body lice. If I am at all wary of a client I always get an­other girl to double-check. I go to the doctor once a week and get a report within ten minutes. There are some girls who will take anybody and don’t use any protection, and they don’t know how to check a client properly anyway. Girls on drugs are less careful than they should be, and in the parlors condoms are gener­ally not insisted on.

[5] only prostitute occasionally—about once or twice a week—but I used to do it nearly every day. I usually work for about two hours at a time until someone picks me up.

I got involved in prostitution because I knew I could make the money. It’s taken as quite a common thing to do with the people I hang around with. None of us like it but it’s easy money. I don’t do it that much anymore but it’s there if I need it. I’d like to stop but who’s going to pay for the food? There’s nothing else I can do to get an income.

The usual procedure is quite simple. I just go to the park, take a seat and wait. Normally I don’t have to

Sexual Trafficking


Sexual Trafficking

orldwide, thousands of women and children are sold into sexual trafficking or sexual slavery every year (U. S. Department of State, 2005). This involves recruiting, obtaining, and transporting individuals by use of force or coercion for the purpose of forcing them into invol­untary acts, such as prostitution. Typically young and vulner­able individuals are targeted and given a promise of mar­riage, employment, education, or simply a better life. They often give up their passports in return, which makes them dependent on their "owner."

Although sexual trafficking and sexual slavery are illegal in the United States, the government believes that between

600,0 and 800,000 people are trafficked across interna­tional borders every year—80% of whom are female and 50% are children (U. S. Department of State, 2005). Today many governmental groups are working to eliminate sex traf­ficking. In fact, in 2004, the U. S. government gave $82 mil­lion in antitrafficking assistance to foreign governments (U. S. Department of State, 2005).

Following is one young woman’s testimony before the U. S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 2000:

When I was 14, a man came to my parents’ house in Veracruz, Mexico, and asked me if I was interested in making money in the United States. He said I could make many times as much money doing the same things that I was doing in Mexico. At the time, I was working in a hotel cleaning rooms and I also helped around my house by watching my brothers and sisters.

He said I would be in good hands, and would meet many other Mexican girls who had taken advantage of

this great opportunity. My parents didn’t want me to go, but I persuaded them.

A week later, I was smuggled into the United States through Texas to Orlando, Florida. It was then the men told me that my employment would consist of having sex with men for money. I had never had sex be­fore, and I had never imagined selling my body.

And so my nightmare began. Because I was a vir­gin, the men decided to initiate me by raping me again and again, to teach me how to have sex. Over the next three months, I was taken to a different trailer every 15 days. Every night I had to sleep in the same bed in which I had been forced to service customers all day.


Because I was so young, I was always in demand with the customers. It was awful. Although the men were supposed to wear condoms, some didn’t, so eventually I became pregnant and was forced to have an abortion. They sent me back to the brothel almost immediately.

I cannot forget what has happened. I can’t put it behind me. I find it nearly impossible to trust people. I still feel shame. I was a decent girl in Mexico. I used to go to church with my family. I only wish none of this had ever happened. (Polaris Project, 2005)

Although prostitution exists all over the world, it is dealt with differently in each culture. We have much to learn from the way that other cultures deal with prostitution. There are many places throughout the world where young girls are forced into sexual slavery against their will (see the accompanying Personal Voices, “Sexual Trafficking”). In 2003, the Bush administration established a task force to help fight these practices in 165 countries throughout the world.

Подпись: ReviewQuestion Describe what is known about prostitution outside the United States. Throughout this chapter we have explored erotic representations in books, televi­sion, advertising, other media, and how sex is used to sell products. We have also exam­ined the sale of sex itself through prostitution and strip bars. There are many effects to living in a society so saturated with sexual representations, and these effects certainly help shape our opinions and thoughts about men, women, and sexuality today.

Personal Voices

In Their Own Words

rostitutes the world over have different opinions, attitudes, and concerns about prostitution. Here are several comments from prostitutes from differ­ent countries.

Frau Eva, Vienna, Austria: I have been in the business for eleven years and I founded the Austrian Association of Prostitutes. We organized in order to have a voice with public authorities. Austria, like West Germany, is a federation of states. Prostitution policies differ from one state to another.

In Vienna there are toleration zones and toleration times for prostitution. Prostitution is allowed only when it is dark outside and only in the police-controlled neighborhoods. Also, prostitution is allowed only in houses where no one lives, not even the prostitutes themselves, and only in areas where no kindergartens or schools or churches are nearby and where it is not too settled. Registration with the police is required, in­cluding registration of your work place. If you decide to deregister, it takes five years to get a letter of good conduct, something required for various jobs such as nursing or driving a taxi. The registration includes a photo, just like with criminals.

Prostitutes have to carry a little book when they’re working that records weekly required medical checks. If you are shown to be sick, then your book is confiscated and you are not allowed to work. The police can de­mand to see your book anytime. At present prostitutes throughout Austria are also required to get a monthly AIDS test. If they fail to comply, they are fined up to the equivalent of $7,000 or given a prison sentence. There is no real choice of doctor because the AIDS test is free only when done by a state-designated agency.

Mae, Bangkok, Thailand: Talking about the situation of prostitutes we might distinguish three main types: one is forced prostitutes, the second is so-called free prosti­tutes, and the third is migrant prostitutes abroad. Most of the first type who are forced are from the country­

side and mostly they are deceived by agents or sold by their parents. The agents usually deceive them and say that they will be working in a restaurant or somewhere else other than prostitution. Often they are kept in a house of prostitution and not allowed to go out; they are given no freedom and many times little or no earn­ings. They will be beaten if they don’t receive guests or if they don’t obey the owner. And they have to work very hard; they have to receive at least ten to fifteen guests a day. The living condition is awfully bad. Many women have to sleep in one small room without enough air circulation; they get only two meals a day and not enough medical care. You can get away from the forced condition only by running away or when your body is not fit to work anymore.

Yolanda, Zurich, Switzerland: I’m a mother of four chil­dren. I have three children at school and one at home, plus I have my mother at home. I have been divorced for fourteen years, I raised the children all by myself, and I had to move very often because people discov­ered that I was a prostitute. So I’m not even entitled to my own private home. I have to pay three thousand francs rent in order to be left alone—yes, as soon as they know that you are a prostitute, they charge more; you are discriminated against. This is true for all women who are prostitutes. But we are the oldest pro­fession of the world and everybody knows that. So it is time for all of us to stand up for our rights. We are peo­ple just like all other people. We have our profession, we make a living. A normal woman can buy what she wants, but we prostitutes cannot act as we want. We should be able to act as the others do! I also have a friend. We have a very good relationship. He comes and sees the children. I give my children love. They have parents. I didn’t have that love when I was child but believe me, I am giving my children plenty of love.

Source: Pheterson, 1989, pp. 62-83.

In Their Own WordsIn Their Own WordsIn Their Own Words

In Their Own Words




Prostitution in Other Cultures

Prostitution exists all over the globe. We will now explore how different countries han­dle prostitution and the different problems they encounter. In the accompanying Human Sexuality in a Diverse World, “In Their Own Words,” three women discuss their experiences of prostitution.

Подпись:During World War II it is estimated that 200,000 women from Japan, Korea, China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, and the Netherlands were taken by the Imperial Japanese Army from their hometowns and put in brothels for Japanese soldiers (Kakuchi, 2005). In 1993, Japan finally admitted to having forced women to prostitute themselves as comfort girls, and now these women are demanding to be compensated for the suffering they were forced to endure. In 2005, the Women’s Active Museum on War and Peace in Tokyo was opened to honor the women who worked as sex slaves dur­ing World War II.

In the Philippines, many women were similarly forced into prostitution and were called hospitality girls. Although hospitality girls are a thing of the past, today women may freely choose to prostitute and may informally work when they need extra money

or have lost their jobs. These women do not see themselves as prostitutes and may have other jobs in addition to sporadic prostitution. The majority of police in the Philippines believe that prostitution is shameful for women (Guinto-Adviento, 1988).

A group named GABRIELA (General Assembly Binding Women for Reforms, Integrity, Equality, Leadership, and Action) has formed in the Philippines in an attempt to fight prostitution, sexual harassment, rape, and battering of women. There are more than 100 women’s organizations that belong to GABRIELA, which supports the eco­nomic, health, and working conditions of women. GABRIELA operates free clinics for prostitutes and also provides seminars and activities to educate the community about prostitution (West, 1989).

Prostitution in Other CulturesHuman Sexuality in a Diverse World

Life After Prostitution

Potterat and colleagues (1990) found that female prostitutes stay in the life for a rela­tively short time, usually 4 or 5 years. Some feel ready to leave, whereas others are forced out because of a deteriorating physical appearance or because of addiction to drugs or al­cohol. Life after prostitution is often grim because most prostitutes have little money and few skills (which is why they turned to prostitution in the first place; Farley et al., 2003). In addition, there is usually little to show for the years they spent prostituting. Some seek psychotherapy as a way to handle leaving prostitution, and others spend a great deal of time in and out of prison for shoplifting or robbery.

Research has found that many prostitutes are raped and physically assaulted as a re­sult of their work. One study found that between 60% and 75% of female prostitutes were raped, whereas 70% to 95% were physically assaulted (U. S. Department of State, 2005). Overall, 68% qualified for a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder. As a result, some resort to suicide as a way out.

Подпись:Even so, there is a lot of disagreement about whether or not mandatory treatment programs should exist for prostitutes. If a person voluntarily chooses to engage in prosti­tution and he or she does not feel it is a problem, should the government require that he or she undergo treatment? Even if it were possible to make prostitutes stop prostituting, few resources are available for them to establish a similarly salaried occupation (Rio,

1991) . We need to evaluate how to best help a prostitute if he or she decides to stop prostituting. Also, because we have learned that the backgrounds of many prostitutes in­clude a history of sexual abuse, familial violence, and alcohol abuse, perhaps we can of­fer intervention early on to help these people find alternative ways to make a living.


No discussion of prostitution can be complete without examining sexually transmitted infections, life after prostitution, and prostitution in other cultures.

Prostitution and Sexually Transmitted Infections

Most prostitutes are knowledgeable about STIs and AIDS. They try to minimize their risks by using condoms, rejecting clients with obvious STIs, and routinely taking antibi­otics. However, although female prostitutes often do feel they are at risk of infection with STIs or AIDS with clients, they usually do not feel this way with their husbands or boyfriends (Dorfman et al., 1992). Condoms are used less frequently with their own sex­ual partners than with clients. Among homosexual male prostitutes, receptive anal in­tercourse without a condom is the most common mode of HIV transmission (Elifson et al., 1993a), whereas among female prostitutes, intravenous drug use is the most common mode of HIV transmission.

Подпись:Many opponents of legalized prostitution claim that legalization would lead to in­creases in the transmission of various STIs. However, STI transmission and prostitution have been found to have less of a relationship than you might think. Rates of STIs in Europe were found to decrease when prostitution was legalized and to increase when it was illegal (Rio, 1991). This is probably because when prostitution is legal, restrictions can be placed on the actual practice and medical evaluations are often required. Many prosti­tutes take antibiotics sporadically to reduce the risk of STIs; however, this practice has led some strains of STIs to become resistant to many antibiotics. Long-term use of an­tibiotics diminishes their effectiveness in an individual. Also, viral STIs, such as AIDS and herpes, are not cured by antibiotics.

Male prostitutes have sex with multiple partners, are exposed to blood and semen, frequently practice high-risk sexual behaviors, and may continue prostituting even after they find out they are HIV-positive. In addition, many have been infected with other STIs, which may make HIV transmission easier (Morse et al., 1991).

Подпись: ReviewQuestion Explain what has been found about STI knowledge and condom usage in prostitutes. Outside the United States, increasing prostitutes’ condom use and knowledge about AIDS has been an important task. There has been a lot of attention to AIDS transmission among prostitutes in Africa, for example. In Nigeria, AIDS prevention programs, which include health education, condom promotion and distribution, and a sexually transmitted infection treatment clinic, resulted in two-thirds of prostitutes using condoms (E. Williams et al., 1992). In Somalia, the prevalence of HIV in nonprostitute populations is 16 per 1,000; and, in prostitutes, 30 per 1,000 (Corwin et al., 1991). Men and nonprostitute women knew more about AIDS and preventive information than female prostitutes. In Zaire, 99% of prostitutes reported hearing of AIDS, but only 77% knew that sex was the predominant mode of transmission (Nzila et al., 1991). Seventy-five percent of prostitutes had at least one sexually transmitted disease, and 35% were HIV-positive.



ollege students were asked how they felt about prostitution and whether or not they thought prosti-

___ ‘ tution should be legal. Following are some of their


Female: Prostitution should be illegal, because it’s not healthy and morally wrong.

Male: / think prostitution should be legalized. If people want to pay to get laid, and other peo­ple are willing to make a career out of it, they should be allowed to. If prostitution was going to be legalized, there should be some rules and regulations and some way to make sure that everyone who is involved is clean and safe to have sex with.

Female: Prostitution should be legal simply because there will always be hookers, so why not tax them? Also, legalizing will decrease STI rates.

Male: I think everyone can do what they want. It’s kinda gross, but if someone wants to sell themselves for money, that’s fine with me. I wouldn’t ever come near them.

Female: Prostitution is disgusting. I don’t think any­one should sell themselves, and I don’t think anyone should be able to buy sex.

Male: Prostitution is one of the dangerous profes­sions because it can spread STIs. I think it should be illegal because it endangers the welfare of the prostitutes and those who go to them.

Female: Prostitution should be illegal, because sex should be something special.

Male: Prostitution could be legal under certain circumstances. If prostitutes were being safe (and could be prosecuted if not), there wouldn’t be a problem.

Female: When people prostitute to make money for drug addictions, this is wrong. If they do it to make money for their kids, then it’s not right, but I can un­derstand it more.

Male: Sex should be an intimate expression of love be­tween two people, not merely a way to make money or have an orgasm.

Source: Author’s files.

are the largest of all the Nevada brothels. Brothels are locally owned small businesses that cater to both local and tourist customers. Although prostitution in Nevada is not a criminal offense, there are laws against enticing people into prostitution, such as pimp­ing or advertising for prostitutes (H. Reynolds, 1986).

Crackdowns on prostitution in other areas of the United States (where prostitution is not legal) often result in driving it further underground. This is exactly what happened in New York City in the 1980s. After law officials cracked down on prostitution in Manhattan, many brothels moved to Queens. Some of the prostitutes began operating out of “massage parlors” or private homes, which were supported through drug money.

There are many groups in the United States and abroad that are working for the le­galization of prostitution. In San Francisco in 1973, an organization called COYOTE (“Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics”) was formed by an ex-prostitute named Margo St. James to change the public’s views of prostitution. Today, COYOTE is regarded as the best-known prostitutes’ rights group in the United States. COYOTE’s mission is to re­peal all laws against prostitution, to reshape prostitution into a credible occupation, and to protect the rights of prostitutes. Members argue that contrary to popular belief, not all prostitution is forced—some women voluntarily choose to prostitute, and so prosti­tution should be respected as a career choice.

Delores French, a prostitute, author, president of the Florida COYOTE group, and president of HIRE (“Hooking Is Real Employment”) argues that:

Подпись:A woman has the right to sell sexual services just as much as she has the right to sell her brains to a law firm when she works as a lawyer, or to sell her creative work to a museum when she works as an artist, or to sell her image to a photographer when she works as a model, or to sell her body when she works as a ballerina. Since most people can have sex without going to jail, there is no reason except old fashioned prudery to make sex for money illegal. (Quoted in Jenness, 1990, p. 405)

The Government: Prostitution and the Law

Prostitution is illegal in every state in the United States, except for certain counties in Nevada. However, even though it is illegal, it still exists in almost every large U. S. city. In general, the government could address the issue of prostitution in two ways. Prostitution could remain a criminal offense, or it could be legalized and regulated. If prostitution were legalized, it would be subject to government regulation over such things as licensing, location, health standards, and advertising.

The biggest roadblock to legalized prostitution in the United States is that prostitu­tion is viewed as an immoral behavior by the majority of people (Rio, 1991). Laws that favor legal prostitution would, in effect, be condoning this immoral behavior. Overall, however, the strongest objections to legalized prostitution are reactions to streetwalking. Today, the majority of Americans believe that the potential benefits of legalized prosti­tution should be evaluated.

Those who feel that prostitution should be legalized believe that this would result in lower levels of sexually transmitted infections (because prostitutes could be routinely

checked for STIs) and less disorderly conduct. Another argument in favor of legalization is that if prostitution were legal, the government would be able to collect taxes on the money earned by both prostitutes and their pimps. Assuming a 25% tax rate, this gross income would produce $20 billion each year in previously uncollected taxes.

When college students were asked how they felt about the legalization of prostitu­tion, those who scored high on scales of feminist orientation were more likely to view prostitution as an exploitation and subordination of women; they were also less likely to believe that women engage in prostitution for economic needs; and they believed that prostitution should not be legalized (Basow & Campanile, 1990). Overall, women are more likely than men to believe that prostitution should not be legalized and to see pros­titution as exploitation and subordination of women (see the accompanying Personal Voices, “Prostitution,” for some college students’ views).

In Nevada, where prostitution is legal (only in registered brothels, however, not as streetwalking), the overwhelming majority of people report that they favor legalized prostitution. Ordinances for prostitution in Nevada vary by county, with each county re­sponsible for deciding whether prostitution is legal throughout the county, only in cer­tain districts, or not at all.

For instance, there are no legal brothels in Reno or Las Vegas, perhaps because these cities enjoy large conventions and because many men attend these conventions without their wives. City officials felt that if a convention was held in a town with legalized pros­titution, many wives might not want their husbands to attend; thus, there would be a decrease in the number of convention participants. Even so, there are several brothels near Reno and Las Vegas and also several that are close to state borders. Usually, these

The Government: Prostitution and the LawPersonal Voices

The Client

As we discussed earlier, clients of prostitutes are often referred to as “johns,” “tricks,” or even “kerb crawlers” (Brooks-Gordon & Geisthorpe, 2003). The term trick has also been used to describe the behavior requested by the client. This term originated from the idea that the client was being “tricked” out of something, mainly his money (Goode, 1994).

What motivates people to go to prostitutes? An abnormally high sex drive? Variety in their sexual lives? Sigmund Freud believed that some men preferred sex with prosti­tutes because they were incapable of sexual arousal without feeling that their partner was inferior or a “bad” woman. Carl Jung went a step further and claimed that prostitution was tied to various unconscious archetypes, such as the “Great Mother.” This archetype includes feelings of hatred and sexuality, which are connected to mother figures. This in turn leads men to have impersonal sex with partners whom they do not love or to whom they have no attraction.

There is much confusion about clients and the reasons they visit prostitutes (Brooks – Gordon & Geisthorpe, 2003). What we do know is that the majority of clients of prosti­tutes are male (Monto, 2001); and they visit prostitutes for a variety of reasons: for guar­anteed sex, to eliminate the risk of rejection, for greater control in sexual encounters, for

companionship, to have the undivided attention of the prostitute, because they have no other sexual outlets, because of physical or mental handicaps, and for adventure, curios­ity, or to relieve loneliness (Jordan, 1997; McKeganey & Bernard, 1996; Monto, 2000). They may also be turned on by engaging in the illicit or risky sex with prostitutes (Monto,

2001) . Married men sometimes seek out prostitutes when their wives will not perform certain behaviors, when they feel guilty about asking their wives to engage in an activity, or when they feel the behaviors are too deviant to discuss with their wives (Jordan, 1997).

Подпись: The National Health and Social Life Survey found a substantial discrepancy between men's and women's interest in fellatio. Although 45% of men reported receiving fellatio very appealing, only 17% of women found giving it appealing (Monto, 2001). Not surprisingly, fellatio is the most requested sexual behavior from prostitutes (Monto, 2001). Подпись:When men who were arrested for prostitution were asked which sexual behaviors they engaged in with a prostitute, 81% had received fellatio, 55% had engaged in sex­ual intercourse, while others engaged in a little of both, or manual masturbation (i. e., hand jobs; Monto, 2001). Clients from this study also reported that they believed that oral sex had a lower risk of STI or AIDS transmission than other sexual behaviors.

Sadomasochistic behavior, with the woman as dominant and the man submissive, is the most common form of “kinky” sexual behavior requested from prostitutes (Goode,

1994) . Other commonly requested behaviors from prostitutes include clients dressing as women, masturbating in front of nude clients, and rubber fetishes. One prostitute re­called a job in which she was paid $300 to dress up in a long gown and urinate in a cup while her client masturbated, and another was asked to have sex with a client in his daughter’s bed (Dalla, 2002).

Clients may also seek out prostitutes because they are afraid of emotional commit­ments and want to keep things uninvolved; to build up their egos (many prostitutes fake orgasm and act very sexually satisfied); because they are starved for affection and inti­macy; or because they travel a great deal or work in heavily male-populated areas (such as in the armed services) and desire sexual activity.

Kinsey found that clients of prostitutes are predominantly white, middle-class, mar­ried men who are between the ages of 30 and 60 (Kinsey et al., 1948). More recent re­search supports Kinsey’s findings—the majority of men who visit prostitutes are middle – aged and unmarried (or unhappily married; Monto & McRee, 2005). They also tend to be regular or repeat clients: almost 100% go monthly or more frequently, and half of these go weekly or more frequently (M. Freund et al., 1991). “Regulars” often pay more than new customers and are a consistent source of income (Dalla, 2002).

Male clients are most often solicited in their car on street corners in areas where fe­male prostitution is common, but solicitation can also happen in hotels or transporta­tion stops (Riccio, 1992). Of the clients who seek male prostitutes, almost 75% also go to female prostitutes for sex (Morse et al., 1992). Anal sex and oral sex are the two most popular sexual behaviors requested from male prostitutes (M. Freund et al., 1991).

The majority of clients are not concerned with the police because law enforcement is usually directed at prostitutes rather than clients. However, today more and more po­lice are turning to the clients in order to stop prostitution. Some authorities have gone so far as videotaping license plates and enrolling clients in “John school” to stop their behaviors (B. Fisher et al., 2002).