and pleasure-enhancing drug.203
The use of crystal methamphetamine, known as ‘Ice’, was also popular among
interviewees. Mingming, a 30-year-old transgender female sex worker, says Ice use is
extremely common: “[Ice] everyone uses it, just like Rush. It’s not only clients – when
you look at the Jack’d [gay social networking app], people are always asking if you’re
high yet. Everyone uses it. I think HIV has increased because of it. When you take it, you
don’t get hard, so you don’t use a condom. That’s very common.”204
Crystal meth is also a stimulant. Xiao Kai says he
“Meth users pay a lot
doesn’t use Ice, but he accepts clients who are on Ice
more. The average
and chats with them:
street-based job brings
50 to 100 yuan (USD
“I’ve never touched Ice, but I’ve kept them [clients]
8 to 16), but Ice users
company by talking with them. I start off by telling
may pay more than
them clearly that I won’t take it with them, but
1,000 yuan (USD 163).
I’ll keep them company, even for several hours.
This is an offer some
Because Ice makes people get carried away and
sex workers find hard
very excited, they have to keep talking. I talk with
to refuse.”
the client and smoke cigarettes. Once he’s ready, I
masturbate him and that’s it.”205
Meth users pay a lot more. The average street-based
job brings 50 to 100 yuan
(USD 8 to 16), but Ice users may pay more than 1,000
yuan (USD 163). This is an offer some sex workers find hard to refuse. Xiao Huli says:
“Once you’ve agreed on a price with a skater [Ice user], he’ll pay you. Depending
on the client’s financial circumstances, they typically pay 1,500 to 2,000 yuan
(USD 244 to 326). [The client] is more generous because he has this financial
capacity. He has to have a certain background to take [Ice] – he’s not a simple
migrant laborer.”206
Xiao Huli adds that there are many ways of “coming down” from Ice. Many clients ask
a transgender female sex worker to keep them company while they take Ice, and then
find a female sex worker to help them “come down.”207 Zhang Liang, a street-based
transgender female sex worker, says she often sees clients come out in the middle of
203 Zhang Beichuan, “To the Parents of Young Homosexuals and to Young Homosexuals.”
204 Interview with Mingming, Shanghai, April 25, 2014.
205 Interview with Akai, Shanghai, June 15, 2014.
206 Interview with Xiao Huli, Shanghai, May 27, 2014.
207 Ibid.
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