9 Photos Fighting Violence Against Trans Sex Workers

Those observing International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers on December 17 will appreciate the groundbreaking book, Transgender Sex Work and Society, published earlier this year by LGBTQ scholarly publisher Harrington Park Press (Columbia University Press).

Edited by Larry Nuttbrock, Ph.D., who recruited trans-identified investigators and staff to ensure the relevance and success of the project, this book is a much-needed collection of studies on the lives of trans sex workers around the world.

In Transgender Sex Work and Society, various researchers examine the role of sex work in the lives of trans women around the world and the hazards that come with this work, revealing a complex interplay between sex and gender, survival and validation, desire and love, social justice and health.

While conditions vary, the overarching message from these studies is that, for trans sex workers, daily life is often rife with abuse.

According to the Sex Workers Outreach Project USA, trans and sex workers of color are specifically vulnerable to violence, making up a disproportionate number of the sex workers killed in 2018.

Pictured in the photographs by Caleb Quinley are sex workers in Bangkok, where transgender women are known as kathoey and are legally classified as male sex workers.

Though the number of reported HIV cases is higher in Thailand than in other Asian countries, and government HIV prevention strategies have been scaled up as the HIV epidemic expands - including PrEP, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), and HIV testing and treatment - kathoey are not included or pursued for prevention and treatment.

Compared to cis female and male sex workers, trans sex workers are paid less for their services; face far more violence from clients, partners, family members, and law enforcement; are more likely to be HIV-positive and are less likely to be reached - and are often shunned - by HIV prevention and other service programs.