I work in a homeless shelter so I see a lot of street people. While leaving the building the other day I overheard two coworkers derogatorily discussing a well known prostitute who was in the alley. It made me sad. If only they knew.
Most prostitutes I've worked with have had a long history of sexual abuse, often starting in early childhood. They were trained as children that they were on this Earth to provide sexual favors to whoever asked. And they carried this into adulthood. Drugs and alcohol are often involved to numb the emotional pain of the early sexual abuse. Many attribute prostition to drug or alcohol abuse, but the sexual abuse often preceded the addiction. The person continues to use alcohol and/or drugs to numb the pain to the continued sexual abuse as an adult. So when I see a prostitute, male or female, this is what I think of. They should not be a subject of scorn, but of empathy.