Male Sex Workers: A Comparative Study of a Fringe Phenomenon in Italy and Sweden

This research aims at mapping and analysing the phenomenon of male sex workers (specifically men that sell sex to other men) in Italy and Sweden. If female prostitution has been studied from different scholars worldwide, a lack of attention exists on the male side of the phenomenon. This gap in the academic literature mirrors a more general ‘invisibility’ of the issue also in other domains - politics (governments and public institutions), press and public opinion. Why would men in XXI century still be willing to pay for sexual encounters, when sex among gay people appears so easily and freely accessible? The research aims, first of all, at answering this complicated question and at grasping the different sides of the phenomenon through qualitative methodology. In-depth interviews with sex workers will be carried on in Milan and in Stockholm. The research focuses, in particular, on the issue of identity and the ‘identification’, self-labelling problems of both sex workers and clients. The project then looks at the working conditions of sex workers and at the services provided to their clients. A further gap in most studies, indeed, relates to the analysis of sex work as an actual work. Being a comparative research, much attention will be paid to the different legislation that exists in Italy (abolitionist country) and Sweden (neo-prohibitionist country) and on the effects of existing provisions on sex workers.

Another important issue related to homosexuality, which will be addressed by the project is the cultural and historical context of the two countries (Italy and Sweden). Living in an open society as Spain or England, for example, where the right to marriage and to adopt has been established and where specific laws protect the gay community, it is different from living in places where gays and lesbians have no rights. Being gay or lesbian in Italy or Sweden it is not the same. Even if both countries are part of the European Union, there are significant differences in the protection of the gay community. It will be necessary see, in the end, if there is any relation or reflection between cultural differences of the states’ overall policies and male homosexual sex workers activities. The interviews with the sex workers will make it possible to assess how the cultural and political context in fact influences their working situation and general life situation in both countries.

As already said, among the differences between the Italian Republic and the Kingdom of Sweden, there is also a different legislation about sex work. In 1999 Sweden introduced a law that made the buying of sexual services illegal (Garofalo Geymonat, 2014). However, no action is taken against the sex seller. Because of this law, Sweden is classed as a neo- prohibitionist country. The story of prostitution in Italy is simple and has changed very little. Regulated prostitution was ended by Act No. 75 dated 20th February 1958, better known as the Merlin Act, which does not criminalise prostitution itself (the exchange of sex for money between consenting adults is not illegal), but it outlaws brothels, as well as house-sharing by prostitutes, and leaves liable to prosecution any intermediary (between prostitute and client) aiding and abetting the purchase of sex. After 1958 nothing happened with the legislation.

It is thus possible to distinguish the Swedish model (neo-prohibitionist) from the Italian model (abolitionist). One of the most important research questions is whether the different legislation of these two countries has an impact on sex work practices, and on the lives of the sex workers and clients.

This project will use qualitative methods and builds on in-depth interviews with male sex workers in both Sweden and Italy (Cardano, 2003; Corbetta, 2003). Access to the field is a pivotal question, since male sex workers who do not work on the street may be easy to find but not easily persuaded to take part in a research project. The recruitment of research persons will take place in real space and in virtual space. The first type of space are bars, clubs, saunas, darkrooms, etc. The second type of place is the virtual. Internet offers a large number of websites created for gays, some exclusively for sex workers, while others are mixed (with dedicated pages for sex workers). There is also an ‘indirect’ way to reach sex workers. It is possible to use associations, social movements, and other public actors as an intermediate between the researcher and the sex workers, as for example gay right associations, sex workers’ associations, and health centres for HIV/AIDS prevention. Also, other sex workers’ researchers can help me to find sex workers in Sweden and Italy. From the first contacts, I will able to find other male sex workers with the snowball sample technique.

My fieldwork in Stockholm starts in April/May and ends in August 2016, while the fieldwork in Milan will be from September 2016 to April 2017. From May 2017 until October 2018 I have enough time to elaborate my data and to write my final dissertation. My plan is to meet at least fifteen sex workers in Stockholm and the same amount in Milan. The final number of interviews will depend on how successful I am to recruit research persons, and the time limit I have to my fieldwork, but an average of 30 interviews should give me enough data.

The project will focus on the lived experience of men who sell sex to men in two European countries, Italy and Sweden. The cultural, religious, legal and political differences between the two countries are important, and it is to be expected that the life situations differ significantly between the two groups of research persons. As the research questions indicate, there will be a focus on working conditions, self esteem and sexual practices in the two groups, and by the data it will be possible to draw conclusions about possible health risks for male homosexual sex workers in the two countries. Possibly, it will also be possible to assess the influence of different prostitution policies on the lived situation, health hazards, and future prospects of these two groups of people.