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About Us
Registered in August 2006 as a non-profit organization, over the years Midnight Blue has been committed to developing a mutual support network for male and transgender sex workers. Our mission is to affirm sex work as work, defend the rights of male and transgender sex workers, and promote gender and sexual equality. Our team is comprised of gender and sexuality scholars, sex workers, and labor rights advocates among others who share a concern for sex work-related issues and sex workers’ rights. A number of full time staff members also assist in maintaining the daily operations of our center and executing various funded projects.
Our History and What We Do Today
Since 2003, there has been in an increasing number of male sex workers in Hong Kong, coupled with a rise in HIV rates in the gay community. Taking note of these developments, Zi Teng, an organization supporting sex workers in Hong Kong, founded a task force specifically serving male sex workers in early 2005. This marked the beginning of a sustained concern about the rights and occupational safety of male sex workers, kicking off the promotion of HIV prevention and treatment among male sex workers in Hong Kong.
In mid-2006, in light of major differences between male and female sex workers in terms of their working habits, community culture and pressing needs, the task force separated from Zi Teng and grew into Midnight Blue, a registered independent organization dedicated to supporting male sex workers.
Since then Midnight Blue has embarked step-by-step on a variety of projects, reaching out to different segments of the male sex work industry, including local sex workers, migrant workers and escorts engaged in compensated dating. We have opened a center where we offer rapid HIV testing service and host events, workshops and gatherings to broaden and deepen interaction within and beyond the community. Besides male sex workers, we have extended our projects to serve transgender sex workers and cross-border clients of male sex workers as well, with the hope to further enhance awareness of HIV prevention and treatment and sex workers’ rights among more communities.
Our Work
An active advocate of the belief that “sex work is work”, Midnight Blue is dedicated to developing a mutual support network for male and transgender sex workers. Our work takes a two-pronged approach: organizing, empowering and serving the sex worker community while conducting public education and policy advocacy.
Community Outreach
With a presence both on the ground and on the Internet, we actively reach out to male and transgender sex workers in Hong Kong, in order to grasp their occupational, legal and health-related needs.
Event Organizing
We hold various training sessions on a regular basis, equipping the community with knowledge about the legal system, safe sex practices and how to defend themselves against abusive clients. Besides, we organize activities that help them develop skills in language, massage therapy and BDSM. Our newsletter provides an additional channel for the community to receive the latest updates about the industry and other useful information, effectively empowering them to improve their working conditions and the quality of their work.
Health Services
We offer free and anonymous rapid testing services for the sex worker community, covering HIV, syphilis and Hepatitis C. All personal data are treated as confidential. Through our outreach initiatives, we further our mission by promoting awareness of the prevention and treatment of AIDS and other STDs.
Legal Assistance
We provide legal support and consultancy services, ensuring that members of the community know their rights by learning about the laws and legal procedures that are related to their work.
Public Education
We believe that in order to fight for sex workers’ rights and realize our vision of gender and sexual equality, it is imperative that we communicate and engage with different sectors of society to enlist wider support. Therefore, public education remains an integral aspect of our work, with both our team and the sex worker community playing a role. Initiatives include talks and sharing sessions by sex workers, different kinds of workshops, as well as stalls and street booths.
Policy Advocacy
Our advocacy campaigns address major public issues, e.g. policy-making regarding HIV prevention, care and treatment; legal reforms related to the sex work industry; and improvements needed for law enforcement. These efforts aim to communicate the needs of the sex worker community to government departments, and to urge them to ameliorate existing problems with their operations. We also put an emphasis on coalescing with other NGOs to maximize our synergy.
Social Action
To bolster our advocacy for male and transgender sex workers’ rights, we drive and participate in a range of social movements. From the annual Hong Kong Pride Parade to the Labor Day March on May 1, we take to the streets together with sex workers and let people hear our voices. By intervening policy discussions, we strive to incorporate the perspective of sex workers into public debates.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Midnight Blue’s position on sex work?
We recognize sex work as work. It is a job in its own right. Like workers in other industries, sex workers exchange their labor and time for an honest living; they deserve respect, dignity and equal treatment. In Hong Kong, although sex work per se is not against the law, there is a myriad of legal restrictions on related fringe activities, severely jeopardizing the safety and working conditions of sex workers. We are therefore an avid supporter and advocate of full decriminalization, striving for a safe and equal environment for sex workers.
Are STDs more common among men who have sex with men (MSM)?
Despite the designation of MSM as a high-risk group by the Department of Health, we adhere to the view that STDs are caused by unprotected sexual practices, not a specific community. Regardless of the gender one identifies with, it is best to use condoms during sex (e.g. oral sex, anal sex, etc.) in order to protect ourselves and others.
Can the public access records of the HIV tests conducted by Midnight Blue?
No. The rapid testing service we offer is free-of-charge and anonymous. All personal data are treated as confidential and with utmost care.
How many male and transgender sex workers are there in Hong Kong?
Unfortunately we do not have any figures. Sex workers are a hidden population, and so far there has been no accurate or reliable estimate of the size of the industry. Despite practical challenges, we will continue to roll out outreach intiatives and extend our services to a greater number of male and transgender sex workers.
Does Midnight Blue help male and transgender sex workers leave their jobs and enter another industry?
We cannot stress enough that sex work is work; it is a job in its own right.Sex workers work as hard as, if not harder than, people in other industries.The marginalization of sex work is a result of social stigma, sometimes leading to self-blame and self-discrimination among sex workers themselves and ultimately discouraging them from considering sex work as a lifelong career. In any case, we put first priority on the various needs of sex workers and offer services accordingly.
How does Midnight Blue reach out to male and transgender sex workers?
We establish regular contact with different sex workers via our outreach sessions, interest-based classes and testing services. We seek to understand the current state of their working conditions and their different needs. For instance, we would ask them how their business is doing, and whether they have encountered any abusive clients lately. This way we could learn more about the community and design activities tailored for their needs. Through sustained communication, we hope to stay in touch and build a productive, long-term relationship with them.
Do sex workers sell sex out of desperation?
This is not necessarily the case. As we have heard from many sex workers, they engage in sex work NOT because they are desperate. For them, it is less about a lack of choice and more about the financial rewards of the job, the flexibility of work schedule, and the opportunity to pursue sexual pleasure with different people. Indeed, every sex worker has his or her own story.