Jack Parker FAQ:
Current project: Warped, a trans+ horror and sci-fi anthology! Live on Kickstarter now.
What kind of sex worker activism and education do you do?
I've been a sex worker for over 10 years, writing about the experience actively for half of that time, and have been involved with organizations supporting sex workers and advocating for our rights. In every facet of my life, I am surrounded by those in the same industry as me.
You can find my website with hundreds of free articles and resources on the topic of sex work here.
I fight for the full decriminalization of sex work by organizing with groups like THORN and SWARM. I have also worked as a peer support worker at Spectra as part of the ALEX team, running drop-ins for sex workers and offering training to charities and medical professionals. I've been hired as a researcher on projects assessing sex workers' needs. Finally, I am now one of the owners of The People's Letters, a worker co-operative radical leftist bookshop prioritizing work by marginalized writers (especially sex workers).
Where can I find your books?
You can buy them from me directly, from The People's Letters if you're in the UK, or order them from bookshops near you/online by searching for the title! Descriptions included below with a few links to paperback and e-book options.
Hooker Mentality [E-book, Paperback (Worldwide shipping)]
"Hooker Mentality contains thoughts on society from a sex worker perspective. For those tired of reading leftist theory that degrades sex workers and misunderstands the nature of our work if we are remembered at all, the perspective within is a breath of fresh air. Learn what sex workers’ experiences reveal about capitalism and gender doer and policing. This book covers all the ways that selling sex can give hookers an insight into the systems which controls us all."
Transactional Intercourse [E-book, Paperback (Worldwide shipping)]
"Transactional Intercourse is an anthology of trans and intersex sex workers' writing, including essays and personal narratives from 30 contributors. People who do not conform to society's expectations with regards to our sex and gender are typically either overlooked or made into hypervisible subjects of mockery and hatred, and this is compounded further when we engage in stigmatized labour like sex work. With this in mind, Transactional Intercourse contains a range of perspectives to create a collection which is not solely about empowerment or trauma. It covers topics regarding public opinion of trans and intersex sex workers, stereotypes, family reactions, intersections between whorephobia and other forms of bigotry, client behaviour, the politicization of our identities, and the day-to-day experiences of the writers."
Working Guys [E-book, Paperback (Worldwide shipping)]
"Working Guys is a collection of essays, personal narratives and interviews about the lives of transmasculine sex workers, in our own words. Joyful, traumatic, or somewhere in between, this book preserves nuance and highlights a range of experiences. From selling sex under a female persona to taking advantage of the rise in popularity of trans men in porn, the pieces within provide a snapshot of moments in various transmasculine sex workers' lives."
Contemporary Prostitution: Study of a Social Question [E-book, Paperback (Worldwide shipping)]
"Contemporary Prostitution: Study of a Social question is a book that was originally published in 1884 by Léo Taxil, causing significant scandal for its condemnation of the morality police and its argumentation for the regulation of prostitution to be abolished. It details the lives of sex workers in France, and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Europe, and supplements these accounts with data from the police and doctors tasked with the inspection and treatment of sex workers. Various elements of contemporary prostitution in the 1800s are discussed, from disease to mistreatment at the hands of police to lesbians and gay men selling sex and the sexual vices. The text shines a light on children being registered as prostitutes by the very police claiming to desire to protect them."
Why do you want to fully decriminalize prostitution, instead of criminalizing clients (the Nordic Model)?
Full decriminalization is what keeps sex workers safest. When you criminalize our clients and our workplaces, you force us into interactions with police and incentivise our clients to harm us to keep us quiet. Any part of our work being criminalized turns our earnings into proceeds of crime that can be stolen by cops during raids, makes us vulnerable to eviction from landlords who would otherwise get into trouble for profiting from our prostitution, and keeps us from being able to seek help and openly talk about our work.
When paying for sex is illegal, rates of violence against sex workers go up and our ability to self-advocate goes down.
How did you end up in sex work and what has your experience of it been like?
My early years selling sex were traumatic and I started at age 17, while homeless. I recounted my start in sex work while underage here. Warning for frank discussions of rape.
How I feel about selling sex has changed dramatically depending on my circumstances. I've had periods of hating it and enjoying it. These days find it tedious and uncomfortable even during the times I'm not in danger. While I would like to stop selling sex in person, I can't afford to.
Where can I find your other articles and work?
Here's an assortment of other things I've done:
Articles for Tryst, Podcasts (They Talk Sex, Trashfuture, Yes a Stripper), The hidden trans men in sex work for Irresistible Damage, Being the Catalyst for SWARM, and a hell of a lot of zines that are no longer in print.
What are your other socials?
Find me @mxjackparker on everything, including Instagram and Bluesky.
