The disabled community is the largest marginalised community on the planet. It is also the only marginalised community that anyone can become a part of at any time, and that most people will become part of later in life. Despite this, abled people live in blissful ignorance of the struggles we disabled folk deal with every day, and this is never more apparent than in our access to the job market and the ways we must survive under late stage capitalism.
Many people believe that state welfare is bountiful and all we must do as a disabled person is to inform our government and we'll be taken care of from the cradle to the grave. But we know this is far from the case, with disability benefits in the US, UK and EU being almost non-existent at this point in time.
Ableism is rife in the traditional job market. Despite most countries having an Equality Act to protect us, it's difficult and costly to enforce those laws when a traditional employer does discriminate. The financial burden of taking it to court or tribunal falls on the disabled worker, and with most working class people living pay cheque to pay cheque, legal representation to challenge this ableism is impossible. So we lose our income, time and time again.
Abled people live in blissful ignorance of the struggles we disabled folk deal with every day.
I am a multiply disabled worker, I live with Narcolepsy, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and autism, and have been summarily dismissed by ableist employers so many times that I realised I was going to have to think differently about how to earn a living.
Growing up in London, I was introduced to the whole spectrum of society and I was naturally drawn to radical leftist folk and their politics of 'no one gets left behind'. It just so happened many of these people were sex workers.
As a hypersexual individual who believed deeply in the healing properties of sexuality, these women were my idols. Not only had they found a way to survive in an unfair system, they were doing it with skills I felt were inspirational and deeply healing to society. Their ethics were intersectional and I saw many disabled voices not just surviving, but thriving.
After my being dismissed from my final job in the UK film industry because of ableism directed at my neurodivergence, I realised it was time to take the plunge. I had actively cultivated sexual skills in the kink world for my own personal pleasure, but I now realised I could take those skills and 'seize the means of production' by becoming a professional Domina.
Not only had they found a way to survive in an unfair system, they were doing it with skills I felt were inspirational and deeply healing to society.
Armed with a wealth of knowledge from my friends and comrades in the industry, I started taking clients as Mistress Koshka and my world bloomed. My income no longer relied on the whims of an ableist boss, and I could also work according to my body and mind’s needs. I spent my entire working life in the traditional job market burnt out, depressed, and in agonising pain.
Sex Work gave me and countless others a way to work within our limits whilst being able to be financially independent, which is incredibly important for our mental wellbeing. Everyone has their own story of how they moved into sex work. It is not the first option for many as we are relentlessly stigmatised and criminalised in some jurisdictions, however it is a booming industry in almost every country.
Beyond the demand there is for our work, I have found a reason for this is the accessibility of this job for disabled people the world over. Without sex work we would be forced to either destroy our bodies and minds bouncing from job to job or live a meager existence on the bread line on state welfare.
Sex Work gives us the opportunity to live the full and rich lives we deserve, because at the end of the day nobody should suffer because of a characteristic they cannot change.
Are you a sex worker with a story, opinion, news, or tips to share? We'd love to hear from you!
We started the tryst.link sex worker blog to help amplify those who aren't handed the mic and bring attention to the issues ya'll care about the most. Got a tale to tell? 👇☂️✨
