Article for GAY NT - by Jessie Abraham

Sexual health -It’s not the easiest or glamorous industry to be involved in. Who wants to listen to some one telling you to use lube with a condom? Saying big words like: there is an outbreak of gonnerea and Chlamydia please get tested if you have symptoms or no symptoms or if a condom breaks. Especially your throat if you shove cocks down your throat.

I think it’s the best job ever! I also do sex work and stand up comedy and I try to teach people how to put condoms on with their mouth!

Over the years I have visited many brothels and hear the most amazing stories of survival and strength - story telling is really healing. Then I put on my other hat and sometimes I see a client for a couple of hours or a couple of clients! I have been working for nearly a decade and anything a bit different in a booking is good to stimulate my brain!

Last week I tied up a man to my bed post, put my dirty feet in his face, and made him lick my feet clean and that’s it. Or I love when women orgasm for the first time in years - in front of her husband! I love to show off and know practice makes perfect!

People think sex work is dangerous. It is not. If you use your gut instinct, do informed risk management and communicate clearly you don’t need to put yourself in dodgy situations. I’m moving to Darwin for a peer educator’s job. A job I love interacting and listening to other sex workers - teaching them to value their skills and life experience!

I’d like to beam into society – a community of sex workers are the safe sex experts. We sex workers know how to use condoms correctly - yet listening to the clients on the phone it’s really scary - a lot of risk taking there!

While portraying yet another character out of my life in my stand up shows, I joke about how sex workers should be there in schools teaching the sex education! As I go though my hooker’s handbag routine I show that our essential tools of our trade are simple. Condoms, lube, tissues and sanitising gel to clean our hands & sex toys. But to make the routine more personal I also talk about how I own all this erotic stuff like vibes, butt plugs, rope, stilettos, feathers, g strings, whips, plus SOO many condoms and even a badge that says I’m a hooker and I’m proud!!

All this was thrown out of my car as a rolled it - It spread all across the red dirt all ready for when the ambo and cops turned up. This was all 10km from my hometown! Wonder why my ears have not stopped burning! Has made great comedy material!

Sasha (my black labador that is going to get a bit of a shock with the humidity in Darwin – I’m active! Attending 6 pride marches in the last 2 years! One in Perth, Melbourne ( making it even more queer is going with Mish the queer lead singer of queer band Glovebox and her amazing wife and baby girl!) 2 times Sasha has marched in Adelaide- us supporting the gay community in the same way that I advocate for whores.

Sex workers are queer we live outside that norm - especially sex worker lesbians that are wiccan! Also, I have strong links in the Adelaide & Melbourne gay communities. (But I only know one lesbian in Darwin!) I try to give a voice to all people who need a voice and in the past, a few important people like Ellen, shows like the L word, Queer as Folk have made it ok to be gay. This is something that I want do for whores in my own way using stand up, media, print, radio and doco’s. Thats the 5 year plan anyway! Come to a show! www.jessieabraham.com.