HOOK: E-zine By, For, and About Men in the Sex Industry

You can imagine the multitude of questions that come about from this project. This manifestation of my own experience in the business has been slowly moving along since 1997, attempting to forge the union of a technology capable of private exploration and mentoring information that often will never be accepted by the public.

This third design allows us to create clearer paths to the much requested information, focus on the fun aspects of the business while pushing some heavy thinking about the challenges and choices involved everyday in the world of sexwork. What often perplexes me is the uncertain nature of that world and how important the discussion of these challenges is.

It is easy to say that people could be caught up in such a world - from the mythic nightlife operations to the run amok celebrity of porn, the male sexworker has enjoyed cultural fame from films, books, and tales told about this. While some elements of this exist, it makes up the tiniest fraction of the thousands of sexworkers whose tricks are turned part-time, whose trades are more for rent and drugs, whose associations as a sexworker fall long after their claim to gaydom, maledom, and nationality/race.

Indeed, my experience has taught me that the information you find here is valuable to many that will find it hard to even think of themselves as a male sexworker. It is our goal to be available to anyone (clients, workers, families) that wants to understand the industry, find useful information about it, and get multiple insights into people’s varying experiences.

As we continue to bring our efforts to you through HOOK, HOOK: Live events, and partnership publications, I hope you will take a moment to think about how you can contribute to this program. Your experience, your insights, and your ability to support a grassroots program like this is crucial. Please read how you can support HOOK while also browsing the many new articles and additions to the site.

I want to offer a special thanks to HOOK’s major sponsors over the past few years. Rentboy.com, Joey and Carlo, AIM Healthcare, the Harm Reduction Coalition and Danzine have all been wonderful partners in education for us. In addition, my greatest respect to Theresa Dulce of Danzine, which closed its doors recently and has been, since its inception, an inspiration to a small program like HOOK. We hope you will continue to consider HOOK to be a quality resource on male sexwork that is true to our stories, built by us, and for our needs.