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10-30-2007, 11:34 AM
http://www.samesame.com.au/features/1560/Transgenders-Big-Spenders-And-Suspenders.htm
Chanel is a transsexual sex worker and was just nineteen when she began working the streets. Unlike most young people, Chanel’s worries were not focused on fashion or what she was planning to do on the weekend. Instead, she was more concerned with where was she going to sleep that night and what her next meal would consist of, or more to the point, if she was even going to be having one.
How does someone find themselves in such a predicament? And why, ten years later, does she still choose to work in this industry?
I meet with Chanel at her place of work called Tiffany’s Palace. From the outside it’s fairly unassuming. Inside a number of paintings hang precariously from mauve coloured walls and the aroma of freshly cut flowers linger in dimly lit rooms. A sign on the counter reads, “No condom, no sex”.
I greet her, and soon after, the door bell rings.
“Ooh, that’s our shopper, got any cash on you?” she says excitedly. “She brings make up and sunnies, all sorts of things – real cheap too.”
The shopper enters, high as a kite, her baby son waiting in a pram outside. She’s selling Gucci sunglasses for a tenth of their value, $150 jewellery for $20 a pop and top quality make up at bargain bin prices. She has hats, nail art and moisturisers by the dozen.
‘Welcome to the dark side,’ I think to myself. ‘In just ten minutes of entering Chanel’s world I’ve already rubbed shoulders with sex, drugs and theft.’ Half an hour later and the shopper leaves beaming, with an empty bag and a full wallet.
Chanel is stunning to look at and as she gives me a tour of the parlour I am astonished at how beautiful everything is. It’s not at all like the image I had conjured up in my mind. It’s later that I realise that subverting these kinds of stereotypes is exactly what Chanel is all about.
“So why do you do it?” I ask her.
“Because of the money, it’s really good money,” she sighs.
Chanel’s mother died when she was 21 and a friend at the time suggested sex work as a way to fend for herself. Her friend was working as a stripper but because Chanel is a transsexual it wasn’t really appropriate for her to do that.
“My friend pointed me in the right direction though and it was that simple,” she says. “I started working for company, let’s call it the Valliant Club. I was given a card, I would log in online and they would call me. I was picked up by taxi, taken to the job and was then picked up and taken home again and would wait for another phone call.”
“What kind of clients did you see?”
“I saw some really unattractive old men and I would often see married guys. I saw one client at his home with his kids in bed. I didn’t feel too good about that but I needed the money and this guy was going to either pay me or someone else, so I did it.”
More often than not, sex work goes hand in hand with drug abuse and danger. Chanel says that she’s been pretty lucky overall.
“When I worked on the streets of St Kilda I always went with my gut instinct and was smart about where I worked. I would work under street lights and always have my phone on me. I built up a really good support network and I surrounded myself with powerful people. Other people weren’t so lucky. I knew of girls that really got into the drugs hard time, one girl who had her head bashed in after someone tried to rip her off and others that went missing. There were a few times when I did drugs just to keep warm but I tried to stay away from them. I wanted to be aware of what was going on around me.”
Chanel’s a strong survivor, someone who is very much tuned in to the world around her. She’s stared down the barrel of some pretty extreme circumstances and has managed to remain in control. She’s an expert in human behaviour – she knows first hand what people are capable of and what lengths they’ll go to to get it.
“Sex work is very stressful on your body, and you can start to feel bitter towards men if you don’t give yourself the rest you need. It is as challenging mentally as it is physically, so you have to be smart about how you treat your body. At the moment I am saving to get my breasts done.”
Chanel says that while it’s riskier, she much prefers to be working for herself than in clubs. “You have more choice over who you see. When working for a parlour it is really frowned upon if you refuse a client. Management don’t like it. You have a lot more choice when you work on your own.”
“What about family?” I ask. “Do you have a boyfriend?” She nods.
“He is a really good man he is very understanding, I met him through a mutual friend and I am very open and honest with him. He is very supportive, it’s nice.”
“What about kids?”
“Well unless John Howard changes his stance on gay marriage I don’t think I will be able to adopt in the near future. I prefer not to think about it really,” she says, solemnly.
“What is it that keeps you in this industry?”
“Well, it’s hard in this day and age for young transsexuals to try and work in the normal world. I have done it before but this kind of work is easy for me. Ultimately I like the money. I wouldn’t recommend it to just anyone though. If you are looking into doing this kind of work, then you really need to think long and hard about it.”
Chanel is my first encounter with the sex industry and she’s really opened my eyes. I find myself developing a new kind of respect for sex workers like Chanel, who approach their work in a very professional manner.
“People have all sorts of opinions about the sex industry. I think it’s important to educate the community, in order to eliminate the negative stigmas that are out there, not only about sex workers, but about transsexuals too.”
Chanel is a transsexual sex worker and was just nineteen when she began working the streets. Unlike most young people, Chanel’s worries were not focused on fashion or what she was planning to do on the weekend. Instead, she was more concerned with where was she going to sleep that night and what her next meal would consist of, or more to the point, if she was even going to be having one.
How does someone find themselves in such a predicament? And why, ten years later, does she still choose to work in this industry?
I meet with Chanel at her place of work called Tiffany’s Palace. From the outside it’s fairly unassuming. Inside a number of paintings hang precariously from mauve coloured walls and the aroma of freshly cut flowers linger in dimly lit rooms. A sign on the counter reads, “No condom, no sex”.
I greet her, and soon after, the door bell rings.
“Ooh, that’s our shopper, got any cash on you?” she says excitedly. “She brings make up and sunnies, all sorts of things – real cheap too.”
The shopper enters, high as a kite, her baby son waiting in a pram outside. She’s selling Gucci sunglasses for a tenth of their value, $150 jewellery for $20 a pop and top quality make up at bargain bin prices. She has hats, nail art and moisturisers by the dozen.
‘Welcome to the dark side,’ I think to myself. ‘In just ten minutes of entering Chanel’s world I’ve already rubbed shoulders with sex, drugs and theft.’ Half an hour later and the shopper leaves beaming, with an empty bag and a full wallet.
Chanel is stunning to look at and as she gives me a tour of the parlour I am astonished at how beautiful everything is. It’s not at all like the image I had conjured up in my mind. It’s later that I realise that subverting these kinds of stereotypes is exactly what Chanel is all about.
“So why do you do it?” I ask her.
“Because of the money, it’s really good money,” she sighs.
Chanel’s mother died when she was 21 and a friend at the time suggested sex work as a way to fend for herself. Her friend was working as a stripper but because Chanel is a transsexual it wasn’t really appropriate for her to do that.
“My friend pointed me in the right direction though and it was that simple,” she says. “I started working for company, let’s call it the Valliant Club. I was given a card, I would log in online and they would call me. I was picked up by taxi, taken to the job and was then picked up and taken home again and would wait for another phone call.”
“What kind of clients did you see?”
“I saw some really unattractive old men and I would often see married guys. I saw one client at his home with his kids in bed. I didn’t feel too good about that but I needed the money and this guy was going to either pay me or someone else, so I did it.”
More often than not, sex work goes hand in hand with drug abuse and danger. Chanel says that she’s been pretty lucky overall.
“When I worked on the streets of St Kilda I always went with my gut instinct and was smart about where I worked. I would work under street lights and always have my phone on me. I built up a really good support network and I surrounded myself with powerful people. Other people weren’t so lucky. I knew of girls that really got into the drugs hard time, one girl who had her head bashed in after someone tried to rip her off and others that went missing. There were a few times when I did drugs just to keep warm but I tried to stay away from them. I wanted to be aware of what was going on around me.”
Chanel’s a strong survivor, someone who is very much tuned in to the world around her. She’s stared down the barrel of some pretty extreme circumstances and has managed to remain in control. She’s an expert in human behaviour – she knows first hand what people are capable of and what lengths they’ll go to to get it.
“Sex work is very stressful on your body, and you can start to feel bitter towards men if you don’t give yourself the rest you need. It is as challenging mentally as it is physically, so you have to be smart about how you treat your body. At the moment I am saving to get my breasts done.”
Chanel says that while it’s riskier, she much prefers to be working for herself than in clubs. “You have more choice over who you see. When working for a parlour it is really frowned upon if you refuse a client. Management don’t like it. You have a lot more choice when you work on your own.”
“What about family?” I ask. “Do you have a boyfriend?” She nods.
“He is a really good man he is very understanding, I met him through a mutual friend and I am very open and honest with him. He is very supportive, it’s nice.”
“What about kids?”
“Well unless John Howard changes his stance on gay marriage I don’t think I will be able to adopt in the near future. I prefer not to think about it really,” she says, solemnly.
“What is it that keeps you in this industry?”
“Well, it’s hard in this day and age for young transsexuals to try and work in the normal world. I have done it before but this kind of work is easy for me. Ultimately I like the money. I wouldn’t recommend it to just anyone though. If you are looking into doing this kind of work, then you really need to think long and hard about it.”
Chanel is my first encounter with the sex industry and she’s really opened my eyes. I find myself developing a new kind of respect for sex workers like Chanel, who approach their work in a very professional manner.
“People have all sorts of opinions about the sex industry. I think it’s important to educate the community, in order to eliminate the negative stigmas that are out there, not only about sex workers, but about transsexuals too.”