Male prostitution is the act or practice of men providing sexual services in return for payment. It is a form of sex work.
Although clients can be any gender, the vast majority are male. The terms used for male prostitutes generally differ from those used for females. Some terms vary by clientele or method of business. Where prostitution is illegal or taboo , it is common for male prostitutes to use euphemisms which present their business as providing companionship, nude modeling or dancing, body massage, or some other acceptable fee-for-service arrangement.
Thus one may be referred to as a male escort , gigolo implying female customers , rent boy , hustler more common for those soliciting in public places , model , or masseur. Male clients, especially those who pick up prostitutes on the street or in bars, are sometimes called johns or tricks.
Male prostitution has been part of nearly all cultures, ancient and modern. Some interpreters consider that in one of the Pauline vice lists, 1 Corinthians —10, one of the words malakoi "soft" or arsenokoitai a compound of "male" and "bed" refer to male prostitution or male temple prostitution : this interpretation of arsenokoitai is followed in the New Revised Standard Version.
The Encyclopedia of Homosexuality states that prostitutes in ancient Greece were generally slaves. Male brothels existed in both ancient Greece and ancient Rome. Court records and vice investigations from as early as the 17th century document male prostitution in what is now the United States. Around this time, prostitution was reported to have taken place in brothels, such as the Paresis Hall in the Bowery district of New York and in some gay bathhouses. Solicitation for sex, including paid sex, took place in certain bars between so-called "fairies".
