413047-Underground-Commercial-Sex-Economy

Racial and Ethnic Makeup and Personal Backgrounds of Clients
Individuals were asked to describe the races and ethnicities of their clientele. Fourteen stated that they
worked with white clients, seven with Latino clients, six with African-American clients, and one with
Asian clients. Seven did not provide the exact races and ethnicities of their clients, but rather stated that
they had clients of various racial and ethnic backgrounds (figure 8.5).
Figure 8.5 Race of Clients
Respondents provided some details about their clients’ financial backgrounds and family situations. A
Denver-based sex worker, who traded sex in the late 1990s and 2000s, described her clientele: “Mainly
the clients would be rich, common guys … Some were just in town for work; some came from a rich area.
All [were] married” (J3). Another sex worker stated, “The clients were the same … rich white men” (J9).
One respondent from Washington, DC described her clients as “lots of older white guys, I’m sure they
were married” (L8).
Some sex workers were able to identify the professional backgrounds of their clients. A few stated that
some or many of their clients were law enforcement. When prompted to describe her clientele, a 29-yearold
from Atlanta stated the following: “Older gentlemen. That was my criteria—had to be older … Mostly
married, professional. A lot of law enforcement.” She was asked how she knew clients were law
enforcement, to which she responded, “They would tell me. [They would] call and ask for a massage. And
you can kind of tell. A cop looks like a cop” (N6).
Some sex workers, especially those who worked in Dallas, described a clientele that was primarily
Mexican. This was true of the 43-year-old from Dallas in the following exchange:
Interviewer: And were [your clients] of a particular race
Respondent: Usually Mexican.
Interviewer: Do you know … [if they were] married or anything like that
Respondent: Usually married with children. But most of the time they would say that
their wives were in Mexico, lived in Mexico. They were over here but their family was in
Mexico.
Interviewer: Did you get a sense of if they were undocumented
Respondent: Most of them were.
Interviewer: Undocumented
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