Australian journalist Bension Siebert believes that he’s recently “stumbled onto a cheat code to capitalism,” having found out firsthand that he could earn way more moolah in far less time as a sex worker. Last year, at 31 years of age, Siebert, an award-winning Australian investigative journalist, lost his journalism job, prompting a turn to transactional sex, which ultimately gave him greater financial independence and freedom to pursue investigative reporting. Specifically, he was able to revive a story about alleged systemic abuse that his former employer had abandoned because of legal concerns. He used income from escorting to fund travel and reporting for the investigation, while journalist friends volunteered to help develop the project into a podcast. “Some of my core skills as an investigative journalist – convincing people to trust me, absorbing strangers’ traumas, and completing important work to a high standard by deadline – were coming in handy.”
Siebert is not out to romanticize sex work, however, and he acknowledges his privilege as a white, young, able-bodied, well-resourced, and conventionally attractive cisgender man, which has granted him a certain degree of safety not afforded to all who sell sex. Regardless, his imperative to loosen the moralizing and professionalizing chokehold that most mainstream industries have on their employees is commendable. In particular, there are several recent examples of politicians – Georgie Purcell, Stephen Mousdell, and Jessica Ann Roberts to name a few – who have all come under undue speculation and judgment due to their sex work, which indicates that Siebert’s experiences are not unique. His openness is bold and commendable.
Bravo, Bension!
