Sex Work Discrimination: Understanding Legal, Social, and Housing Risks

When we talk about sex work discrimination, the unfair treatment of people who exchange sex for money, often due to stigma, outdated laws, or moral bias. Also known as occupational stigma, it shows up in places you wouldn’t expect—like your landlord’s notice, a hospital waiting room, or an immigration officer’s questions. This isn’t about legality. Even where sex work is legal, discrimination still happens because society treats it as something shameful, not a job.

That stigma turns into real consequences. housing discrimination, when landlords refuse to rent, evict, or threaten sex workers because of their work. Also known as tenancy bias, it’s a daily threat for many—even in cities where their work is protected by law. You might have paid rent on time, kept the place clean, and never caused trouble—but if a neighbor complains, or the landlord finds out, you’re at risk. And you can’t always fight back because reporting it might mean exposing yourself to more scrutiny. Then there’s civil forfeiture, when police take your cash, car, or phone without charging you with a crime, just because they suspect you’re involved in sex work. Also known as asset seizure, this tool is used far more often against sex workers than drug dealers in some areas. You don’t need to be arrested. You just need to be seen.

And for noncitizens, the stakes are even higher. immigration risks, including visa cancellation, detention, or permanent bans, are common for migrant sex workers. Also known as deportation threats, these aren’t just about breaking laws—they’re about being labeled as "undesirable" by systems that don’t distinguish between exploitation and consensual work. Even if you’re not trafficking, not coerced, not under age, the system still treats you like a criminal. And because you’re afraid to report violence or ask for help, you’re stuck.

What you’ll find in these posts isn’t theory. It’s what people actually deal with: how to keep a roof over your head, how to protect your phone from being used as evidence, how to avoid losing your savings to a random police raid, and how to build safety nets when the system won’t help. These aren’t hypotheticals. These are real tools, real stories, and real strategies used by sex workers to survive discrimination every day.