Navigating queer digital sex work: motivations, challenges, and platform practices of gay, bisexual, and transgender sex workers

This study examines the motives, rewards, and risks faced by Filipino gay, bisexual, and transgender (GBT) sex workers engaged in creating, marketing, and transacting online sex content. Guided by Foucault’s concepts of power and surveillance, it critically explores how queer sex workers navigate the complex intersection of global digital platforms, local cultural norms in the Philippines, and sexual identity. Through in-depth interviews with 20 Filipino GBT sex workers, the findings reveal a nuanced work ecosystem where workers balance opportunities such as financial independence, self-expression, and activism with risks like economic insecurity, digital harassment, and privacy violations. They also face discrimination from financial institutions and the compounded stigma of being both sex workers and GBT+ individuals. The study highlights the influence of moral judgments on platform regulations, forcing workers to continually negotiate their sexual roles against platform demands, social pressures, and monetization challenges. It concludes that Filipino GBT sex workers exist in a space between exploitation and empowerment, navigating competing forces while establishing digital sex work as a viable income source despite social stigma and digital regulation.