In this Digital Story, Lesly decries how the continued criminalisation of sex work and the absence of laws to protect sex workers place him and other sex workers at risk of abuse and discrimination from many sectors of society, including their clients.
Lesly relates how a deal with a client went wrong and the client threatened him with the police when he questioned him on an agreement that was the basis of him offering his services. He argues that if South Africa recognised sex work as an occupation, there would be an end to discrimination and violence against sex workers. “Society says sex work is immoral, but there is a demand for it. And it cannot be as immoral as rape, drugs and police brutality,” he says.
