Making a Place for Escort Work: A Case Study‪.‬

Sangera (1997), in her examination of the changes in sex work related to globalization, noted the emergence of a new spatial and social dimension to sex work. Historically, prostitution has concentrated near colonies of single men (e.g., military camps, port cities, colonies of migrant workers, urban centres). During times of natural disasters or social and political upheavals, masses of newly displaced and marginalised women offering sexual services in the market are drawn to these regions. Sangera refers to this as the first or traditional tier of sex work, a tier that has marked sex work throughout history. Globalization has produced a second tier. This tier is attached to the tourism industry, catering primarily to domestic and international tourists and business travellers. It grows and flourishes around major tourist and business centres. Unlike the first tier, which has remained relatively constant in size, this new tier is a growing industry designed to provide "R and R for the corporate world workforce" (Sangera, 1997, p. 11). This paper presents a case study of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, a city that actively pursued becoming an "R and R" destination for those seeking adult entertainment. While the intent was to cater to those drawn to gaming (casino, race track, bingo), the city found itself attracting tourists who also sought a commercial sex entertainment package. In this paper we focus on the steps taken by the city to manage the commercial sex sector that was part of this package and how this management reflected the specific historical, geographic, social, and political location of Windsor. We describe the development of a new social order that permitted the city to maintain a dual identity as an adult entertainment destination and a "safe, quiet, place to raise a family." (1)