Regardless of laws prohibiting the exchange of sex for money, it’s not entirely illegal. Since the Supreme Court has ruled that pornography is protected expression, having sex in exchange for money is not as likely to incur charges of prostitution provided one is doing it in front of a camera. It sounds strange that simply introducing a camera to the equation makes an illegal act perfectly legal.
But, in addition to the porn industry, there is a less well known career that involves an exchange of sex for money. Thefastertimes.com interviews Linda Poelzl, a certified Bay Area sex surrogate.
“We are not fucking our brains out all the time, but there is sex involved,” she says.
Of the profession in general:
The International Professional Surrogate Association (IPSA) is the only existing organization that certifies sexual surrogate therapists. Prostitution and fear of legal repercussions have taken a toll on the profession. Consequently, Poezl’s line of work is both highly risky and thinly populated. “We are a dying breed,” she says.
The fact that sex for money is legal in the porn and sex counseling industries highlights the authoritarian position the state holds over ordinary citizens who are denied those same rights in the name of morality. The real immorality is when the state insinuates itself between two consenting adults in a way that makes it the sole arbiter over their relationship.
I really enjoyed this interview–the writer who interviewed her, Jessica Pilot really did a great job.