Posted by Suzi Fox on April 29, 2012 - 9:49am
Mariko Passion has been a stripper, high school teacher and sex worker activist. She currently works as an escort to fund her artistic endeavors as a musician and artist. This is her story.
“I have always been surrounded by other sex worker activists. Their support has prevented me from feeling isolated, which is a very real issue for most of us. Having that reinforcement was wonderful for me especially because the work and society’s stigma of the work can be so draining. The inequalities of resources and treatment by institutions for illegal sex workers are even starker than for those of legal sector sex workers like strippers and porn performers. I currently live and work in that disparity and deal daily with society’s stigma and contradictions. There are endless issues and injustices to fight for, especially for prostitutes with way less privilege than me around the world, of lower class status or who are working outdoors with drug addictions.”
So Mariko, right now you're talking to me from New York City. You said you take your work with you, but you being new to that area could be dangerous for you as an escort. Do you have connections set up in New York prior to your arrival? How do you make that work for you?
“Today in New York I put ads on the Back Page. It's a gamble but I put ads on the internet. I have a place in Manhattan where I am staying this week but I have invested $400 in ads and hotel rooms. Being in New York I can charge an hourly rate of $350. In LA, I can charge between $250-$300 per hour. I don't have the screening system some do, so I talk to the potential clients on the phone to get a sense of who they are, what their job is and if they are cops or civilians. Sometimes I feel the need to ask for proof like a business card, boarding pass or I ask to see their Facebook page. I can tell a lot from a simple line of questioning, where they live, and a visual screening of their hotel or apartment. If I catch them lying, or if they ask certain things or are vulgar they are disqualified.”
“I had a lawyer once who was daring me to sue him because he used one of his client's credit cards to pay me and then reversed the charges. He had shown me his state bar card and he offered to pay a large cell phone bill with his client’s credit card so we knew each others real names. I imagined he was attracted to the idea of putting me in that position because he knows sex workers don't want their real names or information out there. He was also taking advantage of my desperation. He knew how to manipulate the situation and robbed me. I trusted him because he was a lawyer with a plastic bar card in a nice hotel. Live and learn. Can you imagine what his client would have thought if he had found out that his own attorney was using his client's credit card for an escort service?”
“I have been the victim of strong-armed robbery twice, once by foolishly taking a client in my own home for the last time. Since then, I have studied martial arts for 2 years so I am now more confident should I be in a physical altercation. Self-Defense training is a requirement not a choice these days. I take it three times a week at least and love it. It has helped me heal from my traumas immensely. Sexual assault doesn't always happen with a gun to your head. Some guy can slip his condom off and that is also sexual assault. I take credit cards, so if my client pays on the card and later tries to reverse the charges, they are trying to steal from me. They are stealing sex. The lawyer with the Bar card stole sexual services.”
Photo Credit: Alex Safron
You can find out more about Mariko Passion's music and art at:
www.facebook.com/asianprincessartifacts
www.facebook.com/marikopassionsongs
Subscribe for FREE Today so You Don't Miss Out on More Juicy Articles by Suzi Fox.
http://www.examiner.com/sex-and-relationships-in-los-angeles/suzi-fox
“I have always been surrounded by other sex worker activists. Their support has prevented me from feeling isolated, which is a very real issue for most of us. Having that reinforcement was wonderful for me especially because the work and society’s stigma of the work can be so draining. The inequalities of resources and treatment by institutions for illegal sex workers are even starker than for those of legal sector sex workers like strippers and porn performers. I currently live and work in that disparity and deal daily with society’s stigma and contradictions. There are endless issues and injustices to fight for, especially for prostitutes with way less privilege than me around the world, of lower class status or who are working outdoors with drug addictions.”
So Mariko, right now you're talking to me from New York City. You said you take your work with you, but you being new to that area could be dangerous for you as an escort. Do you have connections set up in New York prior to your arrival? How do you make that work for you?
“Today in New York I put ads on the Back Page. It's a gamble but I put ads on the internet. I have a place in Manhattan where I am staying this week but I have invested $400 in ads and hotel rooms. Being in New York I can charge an hourly rate of $350. In LA, I can charge between $250-$300 per hour. I don't have the screening system some do, so I talk to the potential clients on the phone to get a sense of who they are, what their job is and if they are cops or civilians. Sometimes I feel the need to ask for proof like a business card, boarding pass or I ask to see their Facebook page. I can tell a lot from a simple line of questioning, where they live, and a visual screening of their hotel or apartment. If I catch them lying, or if they ask certain things or are vulgar they are disqualified.”
“I had a lawyer once who was daring me to sue him because he used one of his client's credit cards to pay me and then reversed the charges. He had shown me his state bar card and he offered to pay a large cell phone bill with his client’s credit card so we knew each others real names. I imagined he was attracted to the idea of putting me in that position because he knows sex workers don't want their real names or information out there. He was also taking advantage of my desperation. He knew how to manipulate the situation and robbed me. I trusted him because he was a lawyer with a plastic bar card in a nice hotel. Live and learn. Can you imagine what his client would have thought if he had found out that his own attorney was using his client's credit card for an escort service?”
“I have been the victim of strong-armed robbery twice, once by foolishly taking a client in my own home for the last time. Since then, I have studied martial arts for 2 years so I am now more confident should I be in a physical altercation. Self-Defense training is a requirement not a choice these days. I take it three times a week at least and love it. It has helped me heal from my traumas immensely. Sexual assault doesn't always happen with a gun to your head. Some guy can slip his condom off and that is also sexual assault. I take credit cards, so if my client pays on the card and later tries to reverse the charges, they are trying to steal from me. They are stealing sex. The lawyer with the Bar card stole sexual services.”
Photo Credit: Alex Safron
You can find out more about Mariko Passion's music and art at:
www.facebook.com/asianprincessartifacts
www.facebook.com/marikopassionsongs
Subscribe for FREE Today so You Don't Miss Out on More Juicy Articles by Suzi Fox.
http://www.examiner.com/sex-and-relationships-in-los-angeles/suzi-fox
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