Gay sex workers reported an upsurge in demand during this week’s Republican National Convention in Cleveland, while the ladies of the night appeared to miss out on the booming business.
Some male prostitutes claimed to have earned six times more than normal, with female sex workers noting that business has been slower.
Ironic, considering the Republican Party has just passed what has been called the most anti-LGBT platform in its history.
Craigslist was bombarded with a flurry of ads offering gay sex, specifically aimed at RNC attendees, according to The Daily Dot.
It appears that several Republicans have been quick to take male escorts up on their offers, according to the New York Post, which spoke with a number of male prostitutes working in Cleveland during the RNC.
They described the typical client as married and aged between 40 and 50.
“Most of them were first-timers. You could tell they were nervous, but once they became more comfortable, they seemed to be be enjoying themselves”, one escort, who had seen 10 clients this week, said.
Another escort said he had already earned $1,600 since Monday – over six times the amount he usually makes.
One prostitute told the Post he wasn’t surprised that the RNC, made up of politicians openly against gay marriage, brought such a boost in business.
“When it comes to anything people aren’t supposed to be doing, they like to do it,” the escort said. “The Republicans have a lot of delegates in the closet, let’s put it that way.”
The female sex workers in Cleveland, however, appeared to have a very different experience, not particularly benefiting from the extracurricular activities of the RNC attendees.
“Has business been better for me? Honestly, no,” one woman told the Post. “Business is slower than usual,” said another. “I haven’t been getting any calls.”
Strippers in the city also seemed to have lost out in the expected upsurge in clientele.
One stripper, accounting a diary of her week stripping during the convention wrote in Gawker that many girls similar to her went to Cleveland for the “quadrennial pilgrimage to the Republican National Convention anticipating a big haul.”
However, she was left disappointed. She reported business as being unusually slow, despite extended club opening hours and eager preparations from the city’s top gentlemen clubs.
The stripper concludes her Tuesday diary entry by saying, “I take home the lowest sum I have ever earned for removing my clothes.”