Topic: Prostitution. Workers in Queensland's sex industry say they've been "hung out to dry" by "offensive" anti-discrimination laws. She had been a patient of the same doctor for some time, but what she did for a living had never come up during appointments. This time, as well as getting a refill for low-dose sleeping medication, which he usually gave her "without batting an eyelid", she also needed something else. I'm a sex worker — I need it so I can work in a brothel. Within a split second, Hope said everything changed — his mannerisms, the look in his eye.
He just gave me a whole big lecture and wanted to harp on about safe sex and misusing drugs. The GP refused to refill the script she had been taking for months out of concern she might "misuse and abuse" the medication.
Hope's experience comes as the largest survey of sex workers in Queensland has revealed more than 70 per cent of workers face "daily and systemic" discrimination and vilification across key areas such as healthcare, housing and banking. The survey also found there was an "extremely high" rate of unreported discrimination, with 91 per cent of workers choosing not to report their experiences due to barriers in reporting and fears they would face further stigma.
Sex work is legal in Queensland but not yet decriminalised. When it comes to healthcare, nearly 60 per cent of sex workers reported discrimination by GPs and doctors.
A further study, led by the Centre for Social Research in Health, found 31 per cent of health workers self-reported they would behave negatively towards sex workers due to their occupation. The survey of more than workers , conducted by advocacy groups Respect Inc and Decrim Queensland, is part of a submission to the Human Rights Commission to overhaul the state's anti-discrimination act.
