Escorting is an age-old phenomenon in gay culture. I'm sure it can be traced to the first 18 year-old twink who ever walked into a smokey bar full of older men. Okay, maybe not so dramatic. But indeed, getting offered cash for sex is a staple for many guys under the age of, say, 25 or so. Curiously, part of the game is pretending you've never done this before. In fact, you're just a bit behind on your bills, really, and you just need a little assistance to keep the farm for another month. I'm reminded here of the ritual in some East Asian countries where sex workers in brothels are expected to profess their sexual inexperience, despite their obvious employment.

I was just talking about this with a friend from France who has recently moved to the States. He was saying that there were no gay sex workers in Ann Arbor, and thus someone might be able to make a pretty penny if they entered into the business. I balked at his claim, noting the profusion of ads on Craigslist from younger guys looking for "Generou$" older men to help them out. "But they are not sex workers!", he asserted. I explained that -- in fact -- while some of these guys may be doing a one-off kind of thing, many of them are actually relying on these "generou$" men as a primary source of income.

In researching Craigslist ads for this post, for instance, I discovered a VERY active young man in Ann Arbor who posts up to three times a day. The ads all read similarly -- here's one example:

Any men looking for a good looking young guy? I have fallen into a bit of debt, and need someone generous who could help me out in exchange for my time. :) If this is you, you must be able to host and also be in ann arbor. Discreet:) Looking for early this evening. 6 ft 150. Hott. Also please be discreet:) ps. nice abs and ass:) ideal for you if you like to suck.

So clearly he's performing a few things here: 1) youth; 2) a bit of coyness, I think; 3) the primary reason for engaging in sex work is his debt. Indeed, it may be the case that an amassing of debt as led him to seek extra income on the side in the form of sex work. But we shouldn't ignore this kind of activity as falling outside the realm of our definition of sex work, certainly. Since January 11th, he's posted at least 15 ads. So he's certainly a regular actor on the scene.

I realized in may late teenage years the potential cashcow that sex can be for young gay men. Men would message me all the time offering me upwards of $1000 to have sex with me. It seems that potential gay "Johns" first seek out guys online who do not appear to be escorts, but who might do so for the right price. In this case, the men who are being paid for sex ARE actually not professionals, but rather fulfilling the amateur / inexperienced fantasy.

My question is this: Why is the inexperienced escort the most highly prized? After all, it is somewhat counter-intuitive given the societal conception of sex as an art to be practiced, rather than something that everyone knows how to do automatically. Hence, those with more experience should be "better" in bed.

Is it the threat of disease transmission that men are scared of? Or a more general fear of being socially or symbolically contaminated? Any ideas?