THE CONDOM QUANDARY

their identification card and carry out a search. Interview respondents indicated that police
often carry out inspections where sex workers typically work, such as on the street, in
parks, in rented rooms, or in entertainment venues. Twenty-nine interview respondents had
experienced such police “stop and search” operations. In these cases, sex workers were
not engaging with clients or soliciting; police were looking for condoms.
On the street: Twelve sex workers reported encountering police inspections when they
were in parks or on the street. One sex worker said that the police often made sweeps of a
certain district in the city where she works, or patrolled the area in their cars. 108 Some sex
workers said that, even if they were just standing along the road, not necessarily soliciting
for business, the police would take them back to the police station for questioning, and
if condoms were found when they were searched, they would be penalized. 109 Other sex
workers said that while they stood along the streets, the police would come over and open
their handbags and see if they were carrying condoms. 110 Shasha, a transgender sex worker,
said that after she went to stand on the street one night, but before she had conducted any
business, police picked her up and took her to the police station. At the station, Shasha
explained:
They [the police] began asking me, “Are you engaging in prostitution?” I kept
denying it, and the truth is that I hadn’t done anything that day. Finally, the police
ran out of patience and began to hit me and berate me to make me admit it. The
police rummaged through my bag and found a lot of condoms and some lubricant,
and they claimed that I was providing prostitution services and sent me to a
detention center for 15 days. I was very angry at the time. They had no evidence,
and hadn’t caught me in the act or chatting anyone up, so on what basis could
they say I was engaging in prostitution? 111
Residences: Some male and transgender sex workers use rented rooms as their living and
working quarters, while some rent rooms in hotels. Ten interview respondents reported that
the police raided their residences. Xiaoman, a male sex worker who presents as female for
sex work, said:
Because everything here is rental units, a lot of people who hook up or who sell
it like me live around here. So when there are anti-vice sweeps, large numbers of
police officers come here to search the rooms, sometimes once in the morning and
again in the afternoon. It’s a real pain! 112
45