Shirley McLaren
Shirley McLaren
Occupation: Full Service Sex Worker
Location: Barcelona, Spain
The Sex In My Business: Full-service sex work means that sex is the primary thing I sell. I also host a radio show called El Puticlub (the brothel), which is 100% made by sex workers.
A Typical Day: I wake up around 8 a.m., have a light breakfast and go to the gym. Then, I go to my work apartment, where I make my ads more visible, check my mail for enquiries and receive clients. Between these tasks I get time to work on my activist projects and read. After finishing my shift (which is around nine or ten hours), I go home and watch Netflix with my partner while having dinner. I am also a car mechanic and racer, although I am a bit retired from motorsports at the moment.
The Best Part: When I get the money!
The Worst Part: My least favorite part is dealing with time wasters and people who I know will never get through my screening processes and filters. That is when all the machismo of the average dude is most visible.
How I Got Here: Being a trans woman has made it really hard to get pretty much any job in the regular labor market, and being a migrant in another country adds another layer of challenges. So, I guess you could say that I wound up in this job as a means of taking care of myself and being independent.
What Society Thinks: My mother accepts my job, although she worries about my safety. With the rest of the family, I don't really care, and the feeling has been mutual for many years. Attitudes toward my profession have become a useful tool to sort through romantic partners: If they are not okay with my work then they can leave my life the same way they came to it.
When I’m Not At Work: I sometimes enjoy not doing anything — laying on the sand at a beach, sleeping, or reading a book.
Published May 1, 2020
Updated Dec 19, 2022
Published in Issue VI: Identity