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Documentary ‘ Men for Sale’ explores the world of male sex work

A new documentary comes to SBS this Friday which looks into the many different sides of male sex work.

With more young men turning to adult work than ever before, filmmaker Ben Zand takes viewers on a journey through the intriguing and sometimes secretive services of male escorts.

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The film delves into their lives to reveal the true nature of their profession and finds it’s not always just about sex, but also about companionship and emotional connection.

We meet three male escorts who offer very different services to a variety of clients. “Tom”, who’s 21, says he just does it for fun and only charges £15 per hour. Ruebens are offering more high-end experiences where a single booking can cost hundreds, sometimes thousands of pounds, while Danny (pictured above), who’s straight, offers a “gay-for-pay” service.

Danny shares with Ben Zand how he promotes himself as a “happy going cheeky builder” with his profile filled with images of him dressed as a tradie. It’s not role play, during the day he’s a roofer working on building sites.

Ben Zand also tries his luck at a top agency to see if he could theoretically be one of the men their female clients pay good money to spend time with.

The documentary highlights the many different levels there are within the sex work industry and the safety concerns that exist.

The documentary premieres Friday, 2 August at 9.25pm on SBS Viceland and SBS On Demand.

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