It’s a big enough city to probably not? 

But it’s not huge, and you are in a finite space…and I’m white and middle class and live in the same area as all these guys. 

Are there certain areas of town that you go to more often? 

I would say probably yes. Columbus is large enough to have outdoor prostitution and, of course, all of your really cheap motels are concentrated in certain areas so I would say yes.  I noticed a few years ago that I go to certain areas a lot and I suddenly realized why.  It’s because those are areas that I either used to live in or used to work out of.  It’s very geographic based.  For example, when I worked at the agency we were at a hotel on the east side so I had a lot of people from around that area because nobody, for unknown reasons, is going to travel across town to get laid.  They have to get laid in their place and so if you move across town you have to come back for them because they ain’t comin’ to you!  So it’s weird once they have that established location they stay there.   And when I first started there was a cheap motel everywhere. I have been doing this so long I can see changes in the hotel industry!  There was a cheap motel every five fucking feet and now there are not.  All of the independent motels have gone and they’re all chains now.  

When you go is it usually to their house or is it a hotel?  Do they pay for the hotel?  Is it included in the price? 

I only do outcall.  So they have to pay.  Obviously, a lot of the ladies do in call but I only do out call.  Out call means that I come to you versus in call where you would come to me. 

Have you ever done in call? 

I did years ago when I worked for an agency, I haven’t in years.  For someone I know I’m willing to get a hotel, but they have to pay for it.  For someone I don’t know, no. Cause I’m not going to be stuck with the bill. 

You go to their house sometimes? 

Usually, yeah.

Does that ever make you feel unsafe if it’s a new house? 

Um, not really.  I have two competing theories, one you’re at a hotel, there’s other people around, so you’re good.  Two, you’re in someone’s house, who’s going to fuck with you in their own house?  You know what I mean, what are you going to do?  Murder and kill someone in your own house?  How are you going to hide that? So I have two competing theories on why it’s safer to be at either place. 

Now, in your opinion, is it as popular as they make it out to be in the media that you would be assaulted? 

I don’t think so.  But it’s impossible to know because there is no good data on this.  But of course if you watch TV a prostitute will be killed within hours and every time, every time! You know, so I don’t think so, just because I’ve never had a problem, most people I know have never had a problem, but I don’t know.  It’s impossible to be sure. 

Which brings me to an interesting question, how do you feel about the movie Pretty Woman? 

When I read your question, I thought, why is it always Pretty Woman! Why! Why is it always Pretty Woman?  Everybody asks me about that one.  Don’t you people watch any other movies about sex work?  Seriously, civilians!  Anyway, I saw the movie of course when I was in junior high, long before I was a sex worker and I always kind of liked it. But here is the problem with it; one: she is a pimp free, drug free, disease free, white prostitute who looks like Julia Roberts and she works on the street, what’s up with that? 

Exactly. 

That doesn’t even make sense.  Alright and then this guy picks up a street prostitute, what’s up with that? 

He’s like a millionaire right? 

Exactly!

Exactly! I’m glad we share the same puzzlement! 

On the one hand Hugh Grant did pick up a lady on the street but still!  You know what I mean, and then of course, they fall in love; whatever…and of course she doesn’t like prostitution and she wants to get out of it.  She’s not okay with it and of course she’s assaulted.  And he has to rescue her.  She can’t save herself.  You know what I mean? And she’s so awkward and she can’t fit in high society and she’s assaulted, of course, because all hookers must be punished in movies. 

See, my problem with the movie, the reason I asked you about this movie, is because it was a mainstream movie and Julia Roberts was in it. 

On the plus side she is portrayed very sympathetically; she’s not evil. She doesn’t try to kill him, or steal from him.  She’s portrayed very sympathetically and not as being a morally bad person.  They talk about how she had this kind of rough childhood but she wasn’t being like raped by her father, you know, so it has some good points but it could go further. It’s better than most but it’s still not great.