‘For the very first time I really enjoyed sex!’ − how lesbian escort agencies became a form of self-care in Japan

Since 2007, the Lesbian Girls Club has arranged meetups between its sex workers and female clients at hotels in Japan. RealPeopleGroup/iStock via Getty Images

In Japanese society, prostitution is often framed as a necessary evil – a way to maintain social harmony by providing men with an outlet for their pent-up sexual desires.

While there are a number of issues with this view – such as the implication that men are inherently unable to control their sexual impulses – it also has a critical flaw: It frames prostitution as something that only men want or need.