bbcPorcelana Victoria has been selling sex for eight years.
The 26-year-old says freelancing allows her to be flexible with her work schedule, which helps with childcare.
“I really enjoy how liberating it is and, of course, making my clients smile,” she says.
“In any customer service job, you want to make your customer smile, whether they’re a chef, a plumber or just someone who works in a store.”
Porcelain Victoria says she started selling sex when she was 18 and used it as a way to escape an abusive home.
“Basically, I plan to do this until I can’t. I would love to do it when I’m 60,” he says.
“My plan is to hopefully semi-retire and become a counselor helping couples and singles discover their sexuality as it relates to kink and fetishes.”
But she worries that a possible change in the law in Scotland could push her and other sex workers into poverty.
Independent MP Ash Regan has introduced a bill that would criminalize paying for sexual services. It is an approach often referred to as the Nordic model and was first implemented in Sweden.
Regan, who previously ran in an SNP leadership contest, argues that challenging men’s demand for prostitution will help protect women.
At the moment, sex can be sold and bought in Scotland, but certain elements, such as prostitution, curb access and brothel-keeping, are illegal.
Under Regan’s plans, selling would be legal and buying would be criminalized. Sex workers would have a legal right to support and prostitution convictions would be expunged. The law would not change regarding brothels.
But the plans are divisive.
Porcelain Victoria, who works in the Fife area, says sex work has provided her with an income that allows her to give her son the best life possible.
She says criminalizing clients will drive sex workers into poverty.
“There will be fewer customers who want to come to us, see us and pay us,” he says.
“I know for a fact that if I had a normal nine-to-five job I wouldn’t be able to pay my bills.”
Porcelain Victoria’s concerns are shared by Amelia, whom the BBC chooses to keep anonymous. He made the decision to sell sex six years ago.
“I worked in hospitality and did 11-hour shifts with 20-minute breaks,” he says.
“I was put down quite a bit at work, despite being a hard worker. I felt like no matter what I did, I was never good enough.
“I started doing Onlyfans for a couple of years. And then through the internet, Instagram and meeting other sex workers, I realized I was quite interested in doing in-person sex work.”
Amelia, who works in the Edinburgh area, disagrees with Regan’s belief that a Nordic model will lead to a decrease in violence against women.
He fears that such a model will only deter customers considered “good.”
“I think we’re willing to put sex workers at risk of violence to send a message to men. It’s crazy and it won’t work,” she says.
“Because violent clients who were going to hurt you were breaking the law anyway. They’ll happily go see a sex worker. A client who was going to hurt me will do it, whether he’s a Nordic model or not.”
He also fears that other clients, who would be criminalized under these plans, will not be willing to share their personal data to evade the police.
“If I could sit down with a politician and show them how I do my booking process, they would immediately see all the ways the Nordic model would make me insecure,” she says.
“If I can’t get my client’s name, age, number and basic things, I won’t feel safe at work. I would never be able to make a reservation without their name.”
Regan dismissed concerns that some say his plans could endanger the people he is trying to protect.
“That’s complete nonsense,” he says. “Right now the balance of power between someone working in prostitution and the punter is very much in favor of the punter and very often punters use that to further exploit women’s vulnerabilities.
“Then they will be told ‘you know, if you don’t do what I tell you, I’ll tell the police about you’ and so on, whereas in the Nordic model things change. Women in prostitution can tell the client: ‘No, I’m not going to comply with that request, and I can call the police.’
“It doesn’t seem like much, but it’s a subtle power shift that I think gives more security to those who work in prostitution.”
Porcelain Victoria and Amelia fully accept that not all people who sell sex have chosen to do so and do not speak for all sex workers in Scotland.
Regan has the support of others who have previously been involved in the trade and some of those who work to support them.
Bronagh Andrew is operations manager at Tara (Trafficking Awareness Raising Alliance), a support service for survivors of trafficking.
He strongly supports Regan’s plans, drawing on the organization’s experience in the sex trade.
It has seen a significant increase in the number of trafficked women it has supported this year.
“Between April and September this year, we supported 124 individual women,” Ms Andrew said.
“In that six-month period, 43 of those women had been newly identified and referred to us, which is a big jump from the previous year.”
The women supported by Tara are extremely vulnerable. Ms Andrew was clear that the organization would never put anyone forward for interview due to the trauma they had suffered.
“Traffickers use many different and creative ways to keep women under their control,” she says.
“So the women don’t know English, many are disoriented and don’t really know where in the UK they are. We were referred to a young woman who thought she was in Toronto – she didn’t know she was in Glasgow.”
Last week, the Scottish Government said it “strongly supports” making it illegal to buy sex, but had “significant concerns” about Ash Regan’s bill.
Ministers want to see “substantial amendments” to the legislation, meaning it is unlikely to be passed before parliament is dissolved for elections next year.
This is a complex debate. Both parties want the same thing and that is to improve the lives of women.
But they have very different views on what that improvement should look like.
