When we stumbled across a documentary called "101 Rent Boys" from 2000, we couldn't look away. The raw, often heartbreaking stories of male sex workers in Los Angeles captivated us and sparked a deeper conversation about how male prostitution has evolved over the decades.
These men's journeys into sex work frequently began with trauma – being kicked out of home, experiencing abuse, or falling into drug use. Yet surprisingly, some chose the profession purely for economic reasons, including one married father who earned more as a sex worker than he could at conventional jobs. Their stories prompted us to explore Australia's complex history with sex work, from the notorious "wall" in Darlinghurst where male prostitutes once gathered to today's digital platforms that have transformed the industry.
What shocked us most was discovering how dramatically prostitution laws vary across Australian states. While New South Wales decriminalized street-based sex work back in 1979, Queensland only decriminalized it in August 2024 – literally weeks before we recorded this episode! This patchwork of regulations creates dangerous confusion for sex workers and reflects our society's ongoing struggle with how to approach sex work.
We dive into fascinating research about who actually hires male escorts (spoiler: the average client is a 54-year-old employed white man), debate what our own escort advertisements might have looked like in our 20s (Dave insists he would have been marketed as "fit, young blonde, hung"), and explore the essential services sex workers provide to people with disabilities and others seeking connection.
Whether you've ever been curious about the economics of sex work, its legal status, or the human stories behind the profession, this episode offers an eye-opening look at a world that exists in plain sight yet remains largely misunderstood. Listen now for our most revealing conversation yet.
If you want to send us a question or would like our thoughts on a particular topic you can contact us at Fullygrownhomospodcast@gmail.com or contact us on any of our socials at Fully Grown Homos Podcast.
