Portal:Sex work

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Introduction

Sex work is "the exchange of sexual services, performances, or products for material compensation. It includes activities of direct physical contact between buyers and sellers as well as indirect sexual stimulation". Sex work only refers to voluntary sexual transactions; thus, the term does not refer to human trafficking and other coerced or nonconsensual sexual transactions such as child prostitution. The transaction must take place between consenting adults of the legal age and mental capacity to consent and must take place without any methods of coercion, other than payment. The term emphasizes the labor and economic implications of this type of work. Furthermore, some prefer the use of the term because it grants more agency to the sellers of these services. (Full article...)

Selected article - show another

The Windmill Club in 2009

The Windmill Theatre in Great Windmill Street, London, was a variety and revue theatre best known for its nude tableaux vivants, which began in 1932 and lasted until its reversion to a cinema in 1964. Many prominent British comedians of the post-war years started their careers at the theatre. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Selected images

Image 1Women in an early San Francisco bordello in 1870 (from Prostitution)
Image 2A sex worker in Berlin in 2001 (from Sex work)
Image 3Boat based window prostitute in Utrecht (from Prostitution)
Image 4Femmes de Maison, painting by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, c. 1893—1895 (from Prostitution)
Image 5A detail from plate 1 of William Hogarth's (1697–1764) The Harlot's Progress, showing brothel-keeper Elizabeth Needham, on the right, procuring a young woman who has just arrived in London (from Prostitution)
Image 6Kisaeng women from outcast or slave families. (from Prostitution)
Image 7Fresco from the Pompeii brothel (from Prostitution)
Image 8The Procuress by Dirck van Baburen (1622) (from Prostitution)
Image 9Tart cards in a British phone box advertising call girls, 2005 (from Prostitution)
Image 10The red light district in Amsterdam (from Sex work)
Image 11Brothel scene; Brunswick Monogrammist, 1537; Gemäldegalerie, Berlin (from Prostitution)
Image 12News report about three brothels operating in Albuquerque, New Mexico that were raided by police in 1922 (from Prostitution)
Image 13A liberated Chinese girl who had been forced in to sexual slavery by the Japanese military sits on a stretcher and speaks to a Royal Air Force officer. (from Prostitution)
Image 14Prostitutes on display in Yoshiwara during the Meiji Period, Japan (from Prostitution)
Image 15Statue to honor the sex workers of the world. Installed March 2007 in Amsterdam, Oudekerksplein, in front of the Oude Kerk, in Amsterdam's red-light district De Wallen. Titled Belle, the inscription to the piece says "Respect sex workers all over the world." (from Prostitution)
Image 16Sex workers demonstrating for better working conditions at the 2009 Marcha Gay in Mexico City (from Sex work)
Image 17
  Legalization – prostitution legal and regulated
  Decriminalization – No criminal penalties for prostitution
  Abolitionism – prostitution is legal, but organized activities such as brothels and pimping are illegal; prostitution is not regulated
  Neo-abolitionism – illegal to buy sex and for 3rd party involvement, legal to sell sex
  Prohibitionism – prostitution illegal
  Legality varies with local laws
(from Prostitution)
Image 18Prostitution Information Centre in Amsterdam (from Prostitution)
Image 19Stickers affixed to a payphone in São Paulo, 2006 (from Prostitution)
Image 20A prostitute and her customer illustrated on an ancient Greek wine cup; the act of prostitution is indicated by the coin purse above the figures. (from Prostitution)
Image 21A political cartoon from 1787 jesting about the notion of taxation affecting prostitutes (from Prostitution)
Image 22An Ancient Greek urn depicts a prostitute and her client. (from Sex work)
Image 23A prostitute in Amsterdam's red-light district talks with a potential customer. (from Prostitution)
Image 24Prostitute c. 1890. (from Prostitution)
Image 25An oiran preparing herself for a client, ukiyo-e print by Suzuki Haronubu (1765) (from Prostitution)
Image 26World map of prostitution laws
  Decriminalization – No criminal penalties for prostitution
  Legalization (regulation) – Prostitution legal and regulated
  Abolitionism – Prostitution is legal, but organized activities such as brothels and pimping are illegal; prostitution is not regulated
  Neo-abolitionism (Nordic model) – Illegal to buy sex and for 3rd party involvement, legal to sell sex
  Prohibitionism – Prostitution illegal in all aspects (selling and buying)
  Legality varies with local laws
(from Sex work)

Related portals

Selected general sex worker

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Lee in January 2016

Adam Diksa (born 15 January 1984), better known by his stage name Keiran Lee, is an English pornographic actor, director, and producer who works mainly for Brazzers. He is one of the highest-paid pornographic actors. He has received several awards, including an AVN Award for Favourite Male Performer and a UK Adult Film and Television Award for Best Male Actor. (Full article...)
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Sweetie Fox (born June 25, 2001, Yekaterinburg) is a Russian pornographic actress, model and cosplayer. (Full article...)
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Bunko Kanazawa (Japanese: 金沢文子, Hepburn: Kanazawa Bunko) is a Japanese adult film actress, who was mostly active in the late 1990s and early 2000s. She has been called "one of the biggest AV idols in Japan". (Full article...)
Image 4

Von Teese in 2018

Heather Renée Sweet (born September 28, 1972), known professionally as Dita Von Teese, is an American vedette, burlesque dancer, model, actress, and businesswoman. She is credited with re-popularizing burlesque performance, earning the moniker "Queen of Burlesque".

Von Teese has been seen in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, RuPaul's Drag Race, The Masked Dancer, The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell, among other television productions. She is also known for her short marriage to singer Marilyn Manson as well as performing in his music videos. Von Teese has released two books on burlesque history, fetishism and beauty. She has toured the world with her burlesque shows in cities like London, Berlin, New York and Paris. Among her special guests on the tours are Dirty Martini, Perle Noire, Ginger Valentine, Jett Adore and Playboy model Gia Genevieve. Von Teese has been a special guest at the Parisian venue Crazy Horse several times. From 2007 to 2013, she was a global ambassador for Cointreau and in 2010–2011 she was the face of Perrier. She has also created four perfumes under the brand Dita Von Teese Perfumes. She also has her own brand of lingerie, as well as stockings under the name Secrets in Lace and luxurious cardigans for Australian online store Wheels & Dollbaby. (Full article...)
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Aleksey Yurievich Maetny (Russian: Алексей Юрьевич Маетный; born 31 May 1988) known as Markus Dupree is a Russian pornographic film actor and director.

Dupree has been nominated four times and won one time for AVN Award for Male Performer of the Year at the annual AVN Awards. Dupree was also a nominee for Foreign Male Performer of the Year at the 2016 and 2017 XBIZ Awards as well as Male Performer of the Year at the XRCO Awards. (Full article...)
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Wray in 2007

Tera Wray (born Tera Elizabeth Lents; April 14, 1982 – January 13, 2016) was an American pornographic actress. In his biography of Wray, performing arts researcher Harris M. Lentz III referred to her as "a star of alternative pornography". (Full article...)
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Marcello Bravo in Berlin in 2018

Markus Schlögl (born 4 January 1978), known professionally as Marcello Bravo, is an Austrian pornographic actor, director and film producer for the studio Little Caprice Dreams. (Full article...)
Image 8

Reid in October 2019

Riley Reid (born July 9, 1991) is an American pornographic actress. She has won over 45 awards, including the 2014 XBIZ Award for Female Performer of the Year and the AVN Award for Female Performer of the Year in 2016. (Full article...)
Image 9

Stagliano at the "Free Speech Coalition Awards Annual Bash Event", Los Angeles, 2009

John Stagliano (born November 29, 1951), also known as Buttman, is an American entrepreneur, former pornographic film actor, producer and director who founded and owns the Evil Angel pornographic film studio. (Full article...)
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Lane in 2009

Sunny Lane is an American pornographic actress and nude model. She is a member of the NightMoves, AVN, and XRCO Halls of Fame. (Full article...)
Image 11

Rodriguez in 2006

Gina Rodriguez (born November 15, 1967) is an American former pornographic actress known for her work with "D-Listers" such as Nadya Suleman and Michael Lohan. In 2017 she starred in and executive produced the WEtv docu-series Mama June: From Not to Hot.

From 2011 to 2017, Rodriguez managed Stormy Daniels, and cooperated with FBI and was heavily involved in the deal with Keith Davidson regarding President Donald Trump. In 2018, she was a subject of the book, Full Disclosure, written by Stormy Daniels and published by St. Martin's Publishing Group. In 2020, she was a subject of the book, The Fixers: The Bottom-Feeders, Crooked Lawyers, Gossipmongers, and Porn Stars Who Created the 45th President, written by reporters Joe Palazzolo and Michael Rothfeld and published by Random House. (Full article...)
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Siew Pui Yi (born August 1, 1998), also known as Ms. Puiyi, stylized as MSPUIYI, is a Malaysian media personality, social media influencer, actress, music producer, DJ and former adult film actress. In 2019, Ms Puiyi experienced a hacking incident that led to the unauthorized leaking of her nude photos. As a result, she chose to create and monetize her own photos through the subscription platform OnlyFans.

Ms Puiyi has over 26 million Instagram followers, 1.4 million TikTok followers, and over 800,000 YouTube subscribers. (Full article...)
Image 13
An Nanba (Japanese: 南波杏, Hepburn: Nanba An) also known as Ann Nanba is a former Japanese adult video (AV) actress who had a long and prolific career in the adult entertainment industry. At the beginning of 2009, the DMM and Amazon sites both listed more than 250 DVDs available under her name. She retired from AV work in 2008. (Full article...)
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Rhoades in 2017

Lana Rhoades is an American internet personality, podcaster and former pornographic film actress. She has appeared in publications such as Hustler, Penthouse and Playboy. (Full article...)
Image 15

Carmen Luvana on Set Black In White

Michelle Sandoval (born 23 August 1981), better known by her stage name, Carmen Luvana, is a Puerto Rican film and theatre actress and retired pornographic actress. (Full article...)
Image 16
Raphael's Galatea

Imperia Cognati (also called Imperia La Divina, meaning Imperia The Divine, or The Queen of Courtesans, 3 August 1486 – 15 August 1512), was a Roman courtesan. She has been considered the first celebrity of the class of courtesans, which was created in Rome in the late 15th century. (Full article...)
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Mark Shannon (born Manlio Cersosimo; 8 December 1939 – 11 May 2018), sometimes also billed as Mark Shanon or Mark Channon, was an Italian pornographic actor active mainly from 1979 to 1988 and cast - often as protagonist - in more than 30 Italian adult films, many of which were produced, lensed and directed by Joe D'Amato. He was the first Italian male protagonist in Italian cinema performing non-simulated sex on screen and has been called the first Italian "pornodivo". (Full article...)
Image 18
Monica Mattos is a Brazilian former pornographic actress, director, dancer and television presenter who began her film career in 2003 in Brazil and in 2005 in the United States. (Full article...)
Image 19

Riley in 2008

Raven Riley is an American former pornographic actress, appearing online and on DVDs. Riley won the top spot on Front magazine's "Top 20 Girls of the Web" and appeared on its March 2007 cover. (Full article...)
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Griffin Barrows is an American gay pornographic film actor. After a video of him giving a handjob went viral online in 2017, he gained popularity on Twitter and on the subscription services OnlyFans and JustForFans; on the latter site, he was the most subscribed-to gay pornographic performer in both 2018 and 2019. (Full article...)
Image 21

Dany Verissimo in 2017

Dany Verissimo is a French actress and model. She originally worked from 2001 to 2002 as a pornographic actress under the stage name Ally Mac Tyana before starting a mainstream career. She also uses the name Dany Verissimo-Petit. (Full article...)
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Renee Elise Gracie (born 5 January 1995) is an Australian adult film actress and racing driver. (Full article...)
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Edward Earle Marsh (December 20, 1929 – May 29, 2004) was an American actor, musician, adult film director and star. He is principally known by his stage name Zebedy Colt. (Full article...)
Image 24

Mata Hari, c. 1910

Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (née Zelle, Dutch: [mɑrɣaːˈreːtaː ɣeːrˈtrœydaː ˈzɛlə]; 7 August 1876 – 15 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari (/ˈmɑːtə ˈhɑːri/ MAH-tə HAR-ee, Dutch: [ˈmaːtaː ˈɦaːri]; Indonesian for 'sun', lit. 'eye of the day'), was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I. She was executed by firing squad in France. The idea of a beautiful exotic dancer using her powers of seduction as a spy made her name synonymous with the femme fatale. Her story has inspired books, films, and other works.

It has been said that she was convicted and condemned because the French Army needed a scapegoat, and that the files used to secure her conviction contained falsifications. Some have even stated that Mata Hari could not have been a spy and was innocent. (Full article...)
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Tayler at the 2011 AVN Awards

Lizz Tayler (born June 9, 1990) is an American former pornographic actress. (Full article...)

Did you know...

... that Indonesian politician Sanusi's parents discouraged him from becoming a government employee, because his salary would be paid partly from taxes on alcohol and prostitution?
... that a Harvey's franchise known for being a hub for sex work was described by one artist as a "legendary Toronto icon"?
... that Lea Ackermann, a German nun of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa, fought against forced prostitution and sex tourism in East Africa?
... that the posthumously released documentary Clean centered on the life of Sandra Pankhurst, a former sex worker, drag queen, and crime scene cleaner?