A profile of the clients of male sex workers in three Australian cities

Objective: This paper describes the profile of clients as reported by 186 m ale sex workers in three Australian cities. Method:The data were collected using a diary which was completed after each commercial sexual encounter with a male client over a two-week period. The data reported in this study are based on reports from 2,088 sex encounters and a profile of 1,776 clients. Results: The findings reveal, for example, that the most common source used for recruiting clients was advertisements, followed by escort agencies, al though there were differences between the three cities; the majority of the clients were in their 40s but clients of street workers were younger; clie nts were most often classified as 'middle class', with differences by sourc e of client recruitment; less than half the clients were identified as bein g gay and a significant number were identified as bisexual or straight; alc ohol and drug use took place in a small percentage of the encounters; most workers had some information about their clients, such as occupation and ho me number; violence was infrequent; and unsafe sex was requested in a minor ity of the encounters. Conclusion: Overall, the results reveal that clients of male sex workers ar e a highly heterogeneous group. Implications: The paper highlights a number of issues which can further pro mote safety and public accountability in male sex work.