consider a five-star hotel, but now that there’s such a
Although transgender sex
heavy crackdown on vice, I won’t go to small hotels or
workers do their best to
express hotels.”119 Shangguan Yue has lived in Beijing
conceal themselves, if they
for more than two years: “The small express hotels
are discovered, clients can
have ‘fishers.’ The police contact people and pretend
become abusive and refuse
to be clients and get you to come, and when you get
to pay. Sex workers’ fears of
there, they arrest you. So I normally won’t go to an
arrest and detention render
express hotel – it’s too dangerous.”120
them powerless to defend
themselves and demand fair
Shanghai
treatment by clients.
Unlike in Beijing, most of the interviewees in Shanghai
were street-based, and they only used cell phone apps
to find customers as a sideline method. Some interviewees also looked for clients in
bars and clubs.
In Shanghai, the work venues of the interviewees were mainly streets, parks and
squares, which are also popular locations for female sex workers. Lili told us, “I’m
mostly over at the park. It’s all girls selling in the park. Right now real and fake women
are mixed in together.”121Liu Xiaoqing has been involved in sex work for more than
ten years, and has been cross-dressing for four years. His relatively poor education
prevents him from using the internet: “I usually go looking [for clients] in the park. I’m
illiterate, so how can I go online?”122
As with female sex workers working in the park, target clients are mainly rural migrant
construction workers or other workers from outside the cities, as well as some local
residents. Street-based sex workers seldom bring their clients home. Xiao Kai is
married and engages in sex work to support his family. He says, “I stay outside with my
clients and don’t bring them home.”123Outdoor service venues include paths through
groves of trees in the parks. Yimeina has been cross-dressing for six years, working in
sales during the day and trolling for clients in the park at night: “We don’t take off our
clothes in the park. I get 50 yuan (USD 8) each time. It’s not like taking them home,
undressing and showering.”124
119 Interview with Xiao Hua, Beijing, April 15, 2014.
120 Interview with Shangguan Yue, Beijing, May 25, 2014.
121 Interview with Lili, Shanghai, July 28, 2014.
122 Interview with Liu Xiaoqing, Shanghai, March 24, 2014.
123 Interview with Xiao Kai, Shanghai, June 15, 2014.
124 Interview with Yimeina, Shanghai, April 29, 2014.
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