Abstract
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, men who sell sexual services to other men (MSSM) have increasingly used digital platforms like dating apps, online forums, and cam sites to conduct direct-to-consumer sex work. Although the integration of artificial intelligence and other technologies into the digital sex scene has implications on the health and safety of MSSM, research on this population remains limited compared to women and trans-feminine sex workers. To address this gap, our project examines digitally mediated sex work among MSSM in Canada and the impacts of these digital practices on MSSM’s health and safety. We present findings from a scoping review of sex work among men and trans-masculine people and from our analysis of 10 interviews with MSSM and 10 interviews with service providers who work with MSSM. We found that MSSM often fluidly transition between buying and selling sex, utilizing a range of platforms to promote their business and engage in sex work. Some MSSM perceive online work as physically safer, while others view it as creating new risks, and many consciously develop an online persona that affords them desired protections. Having found that MSSM’s digital sex work is often overlooked, we are partnering with a non-profit organization to develop resources that community groups, health agencies, and individuals can employ to support this population. Overall, our findings shed light on the imagined and real impacts of digital technologies on MSSM and underscore the need for more attention to MSSM’s health and safety needs.
Presenters
Matthew NumerProfessor, Health Promotion, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada Austin Oswald
Assistant Professor, Health and Human Performance, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada Christopher Dietzel
Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Health and Human Performance, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Digital platforms, Sex work, Queer men, Safety, Health
Digital Media
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