25 reasons Queer as Folk is essential LGBTQIA+ viewing today
Sex work in the queer community
Sex work is still something that does not get proper attention in mainstream media. There are movies like Pretty Woman that glamourize things like prostitution, but then storylines on shows like Sex and the City turned it into a joke where someone was mocked for previously working as an escort (like Stanford’s beau Marcus). It’s always looked at in a positive, lighthearted way, or in a disapproving light, but never anywhere in the middle. Queer as Folk also tackled the idea of sex work a few ways, both the good and the bad.
Hunter is the obvious one, as we’ve already discussed his history a few times now. He was a teenage hustler who worked as an escort while he lived on the street before Ben and Michael let him into their home. It was later revealed that Hunter’s mother pressured him into escorting at a young age.
Hunter is an example of the dark side of sex work; he started it as a child basically and then it was the only way he knew how to support himself when he was alone. To make matters worse, he contracted HIV while working as a gay escort, which stigmatized him for life. When people around him found out, his girlfriend broke up with him and he was ostracized and bullied at school.
One other example of sex work on Queer as Folk is Emmett. Emmett has a short-lived career as a webcam star on Ted’s website JerkAtWork.net. After Ted loses his job when he’s caught watching porn at the office in season 2, he decides to make his own adult site that is easily hidden by the click of a button so you can watch at work without being caught. He and Emmett manage to land a big-time pornstar named Zack O’Toole for their site and attaching his name to the site is a big draw… until he drops out moments before his live show is set to start.
That’s when Ted forces Emmett to take his place on cam, and it turns out, Emmett is even better than the pornstar. He becomes an internet sensation, to the point where Ted overworks him to keep the site’s numbers up. Emmett develops a fanbase, including a very rich older man who wants to spoil him with gifts.
Emmett’s story obviously isn’t typical, and Hunter’s is far too common, but both are still examples of sex work in the gay community. Sometimes it’s terrible, but sometimes it’s someone’s only option. It’s a job and it’s money, and it is the world’s oldest profession, after all.