I am a New York City-based dominatrix and cultural activist. I started doing BDSM professionally in 2016 after finding a dungeon on craigslist (those were the days) and then mostly did online work for a year or two while I finished college before transitioning to full-time in-person BDSM.
"BDSM to me is about taking a part or parts of ourselves and blowing them up to be our entire existence in this nonlinear moment of time. This might include aspects of ourselves that may be buried and that we often do not fully understand."
The threats sex workers face are not just from clients or individuals in society; the very system we live within is at the root of much of the violence we face.
So far, sex work has been a wonderful job for me! I really enjoy meeting different types of people and have felt so lucky to connect with clients and colleagues who both share and expand my interests. The best gift this job has given me is the free time to pursue my interests.
I think the public could learn a lot about sex workers and how we have positive impacts on clients. We are gifted improvisers, resourceful in ways I never knew possible.