I was 17 years of age and I found myself on my own. I struggled for a bit trying to find employment as somebody who was below the age of employment in many more traditional fields and I started working on the street. I entered into it with a lot of trepidation and a fair amount of fear and yet I found for me, quite quickly, it was something I was competent at and I was comfortable with. Then I moved on to work in strip clubs, massage parlours, and other agencies.
While I recognized that I had a lot of limitations in my life at that point, I also had the opportunity not just to survive but to thrive. For me as an individual, sex work has been really valuable, not just in terms of my economic well-being, but in terms of my social circles, my connections, and how I've been able to move forward. I recognize that's not true for everyone.
I do think it would be true for more people if we didn't have the legal and social repression that we experience, because I can say as somebody who is out as a prostitute, I face a huge amount of stigma and disparagement and that can be hard to manage, but for me, on the balance, it's been worth it.