sex and society: sydney brothels

FEATURE

By Mary Anne Ghobrial

1/06/2014

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The New South Wales brothel industry has faced much controversy since its decriminalisation in 1995. But what do Australians think of the sex industry today? CMQ Escort, Madison Ashton opens up to The Den.

 

 

In the underground city of Sydney lay houses that, from afar, look like your average home.

But behind the layers of brick and curtains are women in provocative outfits, leading men into

rooms designed exclusively for pleasure.

 

Madison Ashton, a worker for CMQ escorts, is one of Australia’s most acclaimed private escorts.

Known under the guise of Christine McQueen, she says society’s perception of Sydney’s sex

industry is much better than 30 years ago.

 

In a private interview Ashton says, “The stigmatization really kicks in a notch when it comes to

personal relationships, because, essentially, everywhere I pay my bills, no one asks. It’s not like

they will go, ‘oh, you cannot have that sandwich Madison Ashton, aka Christine McQueen, we can’t

accept your money because of where you work’. Like, that’s never happened.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a US study published earlier this year, it was revealed at in America, where prostitution is illegal, the sex economy is made up of small-scale operations. This is unlike NSW, where sex work has been legal since 1995.

 

A report issued by the state government in 2010 revealed there was an average of 250 recorded brothels in Sydney alone. Brothel Busters’ Chris Seage, however, believes there are many brothels that continue to fall “under the radar”, even today. This, he believes, can often be linked to sex trafficking rings.

 

But it has yet to be confirmed the number of illegal sex trafficking rings NSW still has.

 

Ashton says that from her understanding such sex trafficking rings in NSW is very low. “It’s very, very minimal. It is nothing like how they make it out to be,” she says.

 

Dr Penny Crofts from the University of Technology, Sydney has also conducted research on Sydney brothels. She believes that a lot of brothel owners and workers may not necessarily fit the mould of a stereotypical, Australian sex worker.

 

“Most of the sex workers I’ve come across have been very articulate, very educated about what the laws are in their area, and possibly even tertiary educated as well,” she says.

 

Sex therapist Matty Silver, however, believes there is still a lot of stigma surrounding sex workers, particularly amongst women.

 

“From my experience with patients, not many men complain about sex workers and they don’t particularly feel a vibe like women do. Women hate them, women don’t like them at all,” she says.

 

Madison Ashton, however, says it is society as a whole that tends to stigmatise the industry.

 

She says, “After you look at the handiness of stereotyping people, it just becomes lazy thinking. And I always ask people to critique the person that you’ve met and not trade off of habitual thinking”.