Last month, I launched a government petition calling for a crucial amendment to the 2010 Equality Act. As it stands, the Act protects against discrimination on the basis of age, race, religion, sex, gender reassignment, marriage, pregnancy, disability, and sexual orientation. Yet it fails to include protection for those working in entirely legal yet heavily stigmatised professions, especially sex work.
Author and Activist Elizabeth G. campaigning for sex workers - Courtesy Naveen Annam/Pexels rights in Westminster
You might not necessarily agree with sex work but we are supposed to live in a free and respectful society. For many, however, earning a living and paying their way leaves them vulnerable to prejudice, verbal abuse, and even physical violence.
Discrimination against professions is nothing new, but perhaps this history of abuse runs deepest when it comes to sex workers. History is filled with stories of women who, despite their intelligence, ambition, and success, were still ostracised because of their career. Take Charlotte Hayes, an 18th-century courtesan who built an extraordinary career, amassing wealth and property across London. She entertained high society, yet when she retired to the countryside, she was shunned. Her past followed her, ensuring she spent her later years in isolation.
This same sorry pattern repeats today. Despite sex work being entirely legal in the UK, sex workers still face exclusion from jobs, housing, banking services, and even social circles. They are judged not for who they are, but for what they do—or once did.
A recent visit to London’s Crossbones Graveyard, a burial site for medieval sex workers, highlighted the enduring double standards. In the past, women who worked in the industry were denied Christian burials, cast aside as sinners. Yet at the same time, the church profited from their work. Sex workers in medieval Southwark—nicknamed the Winchester Geese—operated under the licensing of the Bishop of Winchester, who took a cut of their earnings.
That same hypocrisy is alive today. Powerful men use and benefit from the industry while publicly condemning it. Politicians, business leaders, and even institutions that rely on sex workers behind closed doors still contribute to their marginalisation.
As a former high-class sex worker, I’ve experienced this discrimination firsthand. I spent two decades in the industry and endured the judgment, the whispers, and the outright cruelty. Ex-friends questioned my mental health, ex-lovers humiliated me in public, and strangers made assumptions about my worth.
Finding a place to live was a constant battle. I had to lie to estate agents, hiding my work history just to secure a rental. That shame, that feeling of living in the shadows, took a toll. The stress and secrecy led me to years of substance abuse, masking the anxiety that came from constantly fearing exposure.
Even something as simple as banking was an ordeal. A cashier once scrutinised my deposits, eyeing my manicured nails before bluntly demanding, “Where’s this money from?” The hostility in her tone made it clear—she knew, and she wanted to punish me for it. I left the bank in tears, overwhelmed by shame. No one should be made to feel like that for earning a legal living.
For many sex workers, discrimination makes it nearly impossible to leave the industry—even if they want to. Gaps in employment history, judgement from potential employers, and a lack of legal protection mean that exiting sex work often means stepping into poverty.
This petition can change that. By recognising discrimination against sex workers as unlawful, we can begin to dismantle the stigma that keeps them trapped. It’s not about encouraging or discouraging sex work—it’s about ensuring that those in the industry, past or present, are treated with dignity and respect.
The media’s portrayal of sex work as ‘seedy’ and ‘shameful’ has done untold damage. But this industry isn’t going anywhere. We can choose to remain ignorant, to pretend it doesn’t exist, or we can choose progress. We can acknowledge sex workers, afford them legal protection, and give them the opportunity to build safe, fulfilling lives—just like anyone else.
I want to see an end to the abuse and I want to prove that being a sex worker doesn’t define your future. I want to give hope to those who feel trapped in a cycle of stigma and shame. But real change starts with the law. It’s time to criminalise discrimination against sex workers and give them the rights they deserve.
If you believe in equality, please sign and share my petition HERE.
Thank you for your support.
Elizabeth G. is a British author and podcaster who campaigns for, and is a vocal advocate of, equality for sex workers. She is currently trying to expand the scope of The Equality Act 2010 to include the sex industry in order to protect those working within it from discrimination. Her candid memoir, ‘Unashamed: Why Do People Pay for Sex?’ is out now.