Easy money… somehow: Nikka’s introduction to the sex industry at 17

This is part of #KaraniwangLGBTQIA, which Outrage Magazine officially launched on July 26, 2015 to offer vignettes of LGBT people/living, particularly in the Philippines, to give so-called “everyday people” – in this case, the common LGBTQIA people – that chance to share their stories.
As Outrage Magazine editor Michael David C. Tan says: “All our stories are valid – not just the stories of the ‘big shots’. And it’s high time we start telling all our stories.”

Transgender woman Nikka, 22 years old, became a sex worker when she was around 17. “Nagsugod tungod sa encouragement sa friends. Kanang… kuwan… gidala ra sad ko. Sa ilahang Afam. And then kuwan… naabot sa punto nga nakakuwarta ko, na-amaze ko kay mao ra diay ni, kay makakuwarta diay ka dali-dali. Push (It started with the encouragement of friends. They took me with them. I went with them when they went to a foreign client. And then… I reached a point where I earned, and I was amazed that this is an easy way to make money. So I persevered)!”

That time, Nikka earned ₱2,000, which became the basic amount paid by foreigners who hired (and continue to hire) her, with the amount easily going to “as high as” ₱3,000. Filipino clients, of course, pay less (even as less as ₱500) since “walay kuwarta (they don’t have money),” she laughed.

GROWING UP TRANS

Nikka was 13 when she knew for sure she’s transgender.

“Sa kanang sanina, outfit, bet nako mga munyika, mga Barbie. Then sa akong mama sad, kay mananahi man akong mama… mao tu siya, kanang na-adapt nako ang mga gapatahi ug girly kay ako sang suot-suoton (With my clothes, I liked wearing those similar to dolls, Barbie dolls. With my mom as well, since she’s a seamstress… I got used to trying the female clothes sewn by her for her female clients),” said the youngest of seven kids.

Both her parents never said anything about her being transgender, focusing – instead – on making her finish her schooling (she’s Grade 12 now). And “nalipay ko ani (I’m happy with this).”

SEX WORK IN CEBU

With her peers influencing her to become a sex worker, it should really come as no surprise that most of what she knows related to the sex industry also came from these peers. They even have a group chat (GC) in Messenger, where “i-announce sa among group chat nga naay possible seminar para sa learning (they announce that we have a possible seminar so we can learn).”

For instance, with condom use, “ang mga amiga, nag-tudlo sad. Nga kanang, ‘Kuwan, day, pag-condom jud, day, para iwas sakit.’ Mga sakit sama sa pananghit… Char! Kanang mga kuwan, Aida. Kanang HIV (my friends also teach. They say, ‘Girl, use a condom to avoid getting sick.’ Illnesses like sleeping around… Kidding! Illnesses like AIDS. Like HIV).”

This could also explain why Nikka said she trusts LGBTQIA community leaders more – e.g. a local transgender community leader, Mommy Repos, gives them lectures on safer sex.

It is, nonetheless, worth stressing that knowing of the risks related to sex work does not automatically mean Nikka constantly practices safer sex. “Naa say part nga wala sad jud, nga wala nag-condom. Dili ganahan sila ug condom. Laban (There are times when I really don’t use condoms. That’s when clients don’t like it. I continue)!”

IGNORED POPULATON

Sex workers – for Nikka – continue to be largely ignored by services providers, including those supposed to reach out to them. In the distribution of pre-exposure prophylaxis in the en tire Cebu Province, as an example, “feel nako, lisod manguha ug supply sa PrEP. If wala kay kaila jud kaayo… maglisod kag kuha kung if wala kaayo kay access nga duol nga kuhaan, ingon-ana (I feel it’s hard getting PrEP. If you don’t know anyone…. you’d have a hard time getting supplies, particularly if providers are inaccessible).”

This is, surprisingly, even if Nikka herself has a neighbor working in the city’s health department.

As part of a largely ignored population, Nikka thinks that – moving forward – this reliance on “the available”, i.e. her peers, will be “what’ll be normal.” “Nadawat na namo ni (We’ve long accepted this),” she said, “samtang padayon sa pangita ug kuwarta (as we continue looking for ways to make a living).”