But he says he has set some goals for himself after three years in the sex industry here in Thai capital, where he has three to four customers a night. He ran away from home and worked as a waiter earning 1, baht 35 U. But in truth, Bon knows he has something to lose. To tell you the truth, I have never been happy. Natee also says that the vulnerability of male sex workers tend to get lesser attention from society and even some activists, and that this is reflected in the much fewer number of groups that work with them compared to those working with female sex workers.
She says that Empower has found that sex workers, whether male or female, are not always forced by traffickers or criminals and may go into the sex industry out of their own choice. Activists, however, also point to the sensitive issue of how free this choice really is, giving economic pressure and other factors that limit their livelihood choices.
Nithet identified two factors to explain the spike — the economic crisis and a growing attitude among women customers that they should get even with their philandering husbands by imitating their sexual behaviour. He found that male sex workers, some as young as 12, are mostly confined to Bangkok and large cities like Chiang Mai in the north and Phuket in the south.
Male sex workers catering to foreign and Thai women tend to be older, from 18 to 35 years, while younger prostitutes mostly have gay men visiting from abroad as customers, he said. Bon adds that sex workers he knows range from 17 to 27 years of age. Customers range from locals and foreigners, homosexual men, transsexuals and bisexuals, and women.
Looking ahead, Bon said he thinks he will continue being in sex work for about a year, then will go back home to build that house for his parents. However, I may come back to this job again, but only if I have to.
