Welcome back to our sex worker interview series, A Tryst With... Today we're joined by Long Beach's Godexx Haru Haku.
Tell us your story, how did you get into the industry and what has your journey looked like thus far?
I actually started off doing online and in-person sex work shortly after FOSTA/SESTA had passed, and I had a number of bad experiences because I didn’t know what I was doing and there weren’t really any resources on how to get into and do sex work safely. I moved away from sex work for awhile, did some online work here and there, and then started doing online sex work full-time when the pandemic first hit. When the Atlanta 8 shooting happened in 2021, I was enraged by the way that people ignored and even perpetuated the role that (racialized) whorephobia played in the violence that those women faced. Regardless of whether or not they identified as sex workers, they were killed because Asian massage workers are often stereotyped as sex workers, and face discrimination and violence as a result.
I got more involved with SWOP-LA around this time, and took part in their book club reading of “We Too: Essays on Sex Work and Survival.” Through this book club and building community with other sex workers, I became radicalized with the understanding that all of our experiences, though often different, are inherently interconnected in a shared struggle against racial capitalism. Finding community helped me to not only work through a lot of shame that I held around being a sex worker, but also to develop the skills and tools needed to engage with kink and in-person sex work in a safer and healthier way. I now primarily do in-person sex work, with a specialty and preference for pro-domming, and I've come to love the work that I do and the community I’ve found through my work.
Why do you think it is important for sex work to be decriminalised, not just legalised and how would it change the way you are able to work?
Sex work decriminalization would remove all laws and criminal penalties around sex work, while legalization would implement regulations around sex work and increase the amount of policing that sex workers – especially more vulnerable street-based sex workers – face. We know from history that sex workers face significant violence from police presence in our communities, with police officers even using the criminalization of sex work as leverage to exploit and abuse sex workers. Legalization would increase police presence in our communities, making us more vulnerable to police violence, and increased regulations could actually make it more difficult for sex workers to find work.
When people need to make money to survive and sex work is their only option, they’re still going to find ways to work. Criminalization and legal regulations only serve to push sex workers further underground, making us more vulnerable to exploitation and violence. Furthermore, sex workers are far less likely to seek out resources and support when their work is criminalized or strictly regulated – decriminalization would actually make it easier for people to find support and even exit the sex industry, if that’s what they wish to do.
For those of us not interested in exiting the industry, decriminalization would make it easier for myself and other sex workers to find work with clients who are safe and respectful, and to get support when we do face violence. We would also be seen as real workers who are deserving of workers’ protections... I see many people touting the popular phrase “sex work is work,” but I find it far more useful to say “sex workers are workers,” because at its heart, the “issue” of sex work is an issue of labor rights.
What is it like navigating sex worker spaces as a non binary POC given that they are not always inclusive?
I wouldn’t say I feel particularly alienated as a trans person in sex work spaces/community – the majority of sex workers I know and am close with are trans – but I am often frustrated with the lack of representation of transmasculine people in mainstream porn and dungeons. I know for a fact that there is absolutely a market for transmasculine people's erotic labor, but we're still so niche that it's near impossible to find work unless you're working independently. I've also attended pro-domming classes at local dungeons which I found helpful to some degree, but ultimately, the kinds of marketing and the ways I need to navigate my work are incredibly different from how most of the (cis, white) women who teach these classes navigate their work.
What are your hobbies and interests outside of work?
When I have the energy, I absolutely love to cook, especially for the people around me! I started doing weekly pole classes again this year which has been exciting, I read a lot, and I tend to jump around between different arts and crafts projects – I was needlefelting last month, then screenprinting, and lately I’ve been messing around with a cheap film camera I found, and I’ve been having a lot of fun with it! Lastly, this definitely intersects with work, but I’ve been doing some intense needle scenes with Boy Mischief; planning out and executing such intense, elaborate scenes has been an incredible artistic (and sadomasochistic) outlet.
Has your work impacted your relationship with your gender and or your presentation?
I've always loved to play around with my gender and presentation, and I've been able to do a lot of that through sex work and developing my persona. When I started out, I definitely presented more femininely because there's a larger audience for that sort of thing. While I love feminine clothes, accessories, and makeup and have a lot of fun with these things, I've realized over time that I don't actually care to personally wear these things on the regular, even if I enjoy styling them. In finding ways to present more masculinely in my work, I've actually grown a lot more comfortable with my gender and presentation, and I feel like I can show up more authentically for myself and for the people I play with. One of my favorite kinks to explore is actually body worship, which is incredibly hot regardless, but so much more fun when I feel good in how I'm presenting – and this is also how I recently learned that I enjoy having my muscles worshipped.
How do you bring your own personality and personal style to your kink work?
In the process of being more authentic about my gender identity and personality as a whole in my work, I feel like I've naturally been bringing my personality and personal style to my kink work. I'm a lifestyle kinkster as well, and while the things I do for fun in my personal time might not always match perfectly with what I do for work, I think that I've developed a stronger idea of my desires, boundaries, and what brings me pleasure through engaging in kink in my personal life. Having this self-knowledge allows me to navigate my work in a way that feels fun and authentic to myself and my own desires.
What’s an aspect of being a sex worker that you really love?
One of my favorite things about being a sex worker is the incredible community I've found through my work – not only am I thrilled to be surrounded by incredibly talented people who I get to do cool, freaky, fucked-up-shit with, I am constantly amazed at everything my friends and peers are accomplishing. Sex workers are some of the smartest, funniest, most talented people I know. While I wish our existence weren't criminalized, I also recognize that being pushed underground forces you to find new means of surviving and even thriving outside of the dominant culture. Outside of my identity as a sex worker, I am also part of the movement for National Democracy in the Philippines and against imperialism globally. Something I think about often is the idea that, as organizers, we are learning and discovering how to build a better society through the work we do and the relationships we build. Though not all sex workers identify as political organizers or activists, I see the mutual aid work we do to help one another survive, and the ways we have to innovate and constantly readjust to contend with the ever-changing regulations placed on us. In our day-to-day lives, I find us constantly discovering and creating new ways of existence and building community and solidarity across differences.
I’m weirdly attracted to: Honesty, humility, and strong communication. I find it so, so hot when someone trusts me enough to share what they want, how they want to feel, and how to get there – or if they don't know these things yet, I love being able to walk someone through this on-going process of self-discovery.
The last pic I took on my phone was: A picture of a bird I saw in a tree in a parking lot :)
The secret to getting to know me is: Vulnerability and honesty is the number one way to build intimacy, though you have to remember to respect me as a fellow human being!
Together we could: explore wherever desire takes us <3
I feel most sexy when: I love to be the object of someone's desire, and to know that my very presence is enough to turn them on or bring them to their knees – watching people unravel for me (whether I have control or I'm letting them take control) truly makes me wetter than anything else.
A social cause I care about is: Sex work decriminalization, the fight against imperialism globally, and the fight for National Democracy in the Philippines!
The most exciting thing I have ever done is: I don't know about the most exciting thing "ever" but the most exciting thing I've done recently was a very intense 4-hour long needle scene with Boy Mischief (you can find him on twitter and reddit @boymischief666) where I used needles and twine to put him into a forced prayer position at a secluded little beach.
My social handles are:
Twitter: @softm0ss
Instagram: @pupwhobites
Fetlife: @GoddexxHaru
Website: thisishowanangelcums.com
Want to meet Long Beach's Godexx Haru Haku in person?
Head over to his profile! 👇👇👇
