I’m a sex worker: I’ve been judged and mistreated by doctors who have sent me to the STI clinic for regular medical issues

A woman who decided to leave a career as a sales director at a major estate agent to become a sex worker has revealed how she has been ‘judged and abused’ by doctors since switching professions.

Gigi Patsy, a full-time escort from Hertfordshire who has been in the profession for more than two years, said she was often sent to the STD clinic for ‘regular’ medical problems.

She also claimed that professionals have made her feel “lucky” that they are helping her – despite her job.

Speaking to FEMAIL earlier this year, Gigi recounted one incident, when she went to her local surgery to fill her prescription for ADHD medication.

She says the doctor told her he had spoken to other colleagues about her case and suggested she be grateful she had received the drug.

When Gigi asked why, he said it was because of her work. Although she wasn’t sure if the comment was made because she didn’t work a normal 9-to-5 job – or, even more poignantly, he was implying that all sex workers have drug problems – it was “extremely emotionally disturbing and she left the doctor’s office.” in tears’.

“As I sat in my car, trying to calm myself and ignore the negative thoughts racing through my mind, I couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of pain,” she said.

“The implication that my profession somehow makes me unworthy of proper medical treatment is unfair.”

Gigi – who works as an ambassador for Vivastreet, which educates people about sex work in the hope that sex workers are taken seriously and respected – added that she expected a ‘higher level of sensitivity and understanding from professionals’.

“Unfortunately, this experience adds to a pattern of abuse I have encountered at the hands of medical professionals,” she explained.

‘Regardless of my personal views, I deserve to be treated with the same respect and care for my mental and general well-being as any other patient. I feel like if I had told them I was an actress, no comment would have been made.”

She admitted that such cases have prompted her to “hide her profession to avoid judgment and ridicule.”

“However, I refuse to compromise my authenticity to appease others who are quick to criticize and trivialize my livelihood,” she added. ‘It is daunting to undergo such treatment in a professional environment.’

Speaking to FEMAIL earlier this year, Gigi recounted one incident, when she went to her local surgery to fill her prescription for ADHD medication.

She admitted that such cases have prompted her to ‘hide her profession to avoid judgment and ridicule’

Gigi revealed that she never had any issues with judgment or abuse before she started sex work.

“I was listened to, I was respected and, above all, I was taken seriously,” she said.

‘The incident with my ADHD medication was not a one-off – over the past two years there have been several times I have been sent to the sexual health clinic, even though my condition has nothing to do with sexual health.

“I’m being put into a certain category and labeled as undeserving, or that it’s all related to my work. But my career doesn’t define me.’

Gigi says medical treatment isn’t the only area of ​​her life where she faces stigma.

“There is a huge problem with judgment and stigma surrounding the sex industry,” she explained.

‘It’s not just medical professionals, we experience it everywhere. On the one hand there are individuals. People who hear what your work is and immediately judge. Surprisingly, these are mainly women; they should support other women.

Gigi revealed that she never had any issues with judgment or abuse before she started sex work

‘Some men who book with me just come to talk, they need a friend. Some are not married and need a partner, but others are and come to me because they feel like their desires are being suppressed or judged at home. However, the problem is bigger than that.

‘First of all from a legal point of view. The law makes it increasingly difficult for us to stay safe, which not only puts us at risk but also perpetuates stereotypes against us.

‘We are also being punished by banks and the financial sector, for example, because as sex workers we are not allowed to open accounts.’

However, she has stressed that despite the challenges, her life has “absolutely changed for the better in many ways” since becoming an escort.

“I used to make a lot of money but was stuck in the monotonous 9 to 5 routine,” she said.

‘I worked in an extremely male-dominated industry, where men who worked half as hard as me made double the amount. I can now be my own boss and have much more control over my own life.

However, she has stressed that despite the challenges, her life has “absolutely changed for the better in many ways” since becoming an escort

‘If I want to travel, take a week off or need some more money, I can do that without having to answer to anyone. Another huge positive for me is how much I have helped people.

‘Again, this is completely the opposite of the corporate world, where people tend to be quite rude and unfriendly; it is business after all. However, by escorting I make real connections with people. Clients have told me that I have literally saved their lives or that they no longer feel alone and I think that is the best part.

“In terms of negatives, I would say the misconceptions and judgments are the worst. All my clients and interactions with people within the industry have been nothing but positive, but it’s not the same story when it comes from other people who are quick to make assumptions about me and my work.”