In late-stage capitalism, who we are is often conflated with what we do. This has particular consequences for sex workers, whose labor is heavily stigmatized and criminalized. The hope of the show is to detangle this conflation and give sex workers space to talk about their lives outside their work.
In Episode 1 of When We’re Not Hustling, host Jessie Sage and guest Trip Richards—10-year veteran of the sex industry—talk about whether this goal is possible and/or desirable. Trip observes that sex work (along with other important aspects of his identity such as gender and neurodivergence) forms the backdrop against which the rest of his life is intelligible. Jessie and Trip discuss shifting the convo from “Who are we outside of sex work?” to “What does sex work allow us to do?/who does it allow us to be?”
Jessie and Trip also talk about the freedom that sex work allows, the tricky intersection many sex workers face of marginalization and privilege, grief, labor under capitalism, and so much more.
- Host: Jessie Sage (@sapiotextual)
- Guest: Trip Richards (@triplextransman)
- Producer: Emily Foster
- Intern: Anna Fischer
- Music: Benjamin J Benamati
- You can follow us on Instagram & Twitter @nothustlingpod
You can buy Trip’s textiles on Etsy at WolfHead Weaving.