Some escorts and sex workers may have policies excluding specific racial groups, such as Black or Indian men, due to a combination of personal safety concerns based on past experiences, entrenched racial stereotypes, and, in some cases, personal preferences that intersect with broader systemic prejudices. These policies often arise from a desire to control the clientele in a high-risk, often unregulated industry, though they are frequently criticized as discriminatory.
Here are the primary reasons cited for these, and similar, restrictions:
- Safety and Previous Bad Experiences: Many sex workers report using racial exclusion as a form of client screening to avoid situations they have found to be higher risk. Some cite personal or peer experiences with specific demographics, such as reports of increased verbal aggression, physical violence, or robbery during encounters with certain clients.
- Safety "Stereotyping": Some sex workers may generalize negative experiences with specific individuals to an entire group, a practice often criticized as racial prejudice that ignores individual behavior.
- Negotiation and Behavior Issues: In some contexts, particularly in certain regions, escorts have reported that clients from certain cultures are more likely to haggle over prices, show disrespect, or break established rules during meetings.
- Racialized Sexual Stereotypes: Research suggests that some choices are influenced by stereotypes that deem certain races more desirable or less desirable, or which associate specific groups with aggressive behavior.
- Cultural Differences and Miscommunication: Some exclusions are rationalized by potential clients' perceived cultural differences in communication, which some sex workers feel can lead to boundary-setting issues regarding consent.
- Preferences and "Body Autonomy": While many observers and researchers consider these policies to be racist, some sex workers argue they have the right to choose who they interact with, treating it as an exercise of body autonomy and personal preference.
These practices are sometimes linked to a broader, well-documented, and systemic racial hierarchy of desirability in dating and sex work, where white men are often sought after, and people of color may face higher rates of exclusion
