LIFE has always been tough for as far back as transexual man Hailey Morganna (*not his real name) can remember.
Growing up in a big family at a dense informal Suva settlement, the second youngest of nine siblings, Hailey’s life story is one tainted with abuse and alienation from home, school and the community.
He was introduced to discrimination when he began to fall victim to name calling and sexual remarks in school and in the settlement, and physical abuse being a common occurrence at home aimed to toughen and “man him up”.
So much so, when he looks back, he said one thing stood out clearly to him — how his family had always seen him as nothing but an embarrassment.
Hailey says he remembers growing up a happy child, and how he was always proud of having bigger brothers and sisters, giving him a sense of guaranteed love and protection.
He said he was wrong because all that changed when his sexuality became the daily subject of ridicule.
In 2005, Hailey who was then a 13-year-old Class Eight (now Year 8) student at a Suva school, was forced to stay home because as he remembers, no one could pay for his fees any more.
He stayed home for the whole of 2006.
The following year, he repeated in the same class, but that prematurely ended.
At that time, Hailey, then 14 years, had his own small circle of friends — the same time, he says, that he discovered his sexuality.
At 16, Hailey lost his virginity to his first client when he became a sex worker.
In an interview with The Fiji Times, he said after that first experience, he did not give sex much thought except that he got money in return.
Each client after that gave him the experience of receiving different amounts of money that he could hold in his hand and call his own.
“I don’t remember a time when I would be given money for spending in school, or to be given money to join my friends to participate in school activities. And then all of a sudden, I am making money from this,” Hailey said.
“It was a bit off in the beginning, but seeing the kind of money I was making at that time, I did not think of doing anything else.”
Twelve years later and Hailey is still in the trade, billeted at a shelter for sex workers in a densely-Suva suburb.
Money and drugs:
“Receiving money, and sometimes very good money is the best part of being a sex worker,” Hailey says.
And like other sex workers, Hailey too determines his charges according to the service he provides his client.
“They (clients) pay us for various services, even massages. A half body massage could earn me $50 if the client prefers because it will come with other services. And a full body massage for $100.
“Sometimes, the charges depend on the customers because there are some who can pay high amounts and there are some who can only afford so much.
“There are some clients who will take us for a whole night to a hotel and apart from the charge we agree on, he will pay more in the morning depending on his level of satisfaction of the service.”
On slow working nights, the highest he could make a night is $80.
Marijuana, he said had become a vital part of his life too.
“Smoke is a must for me. I have to smoke before I go out to work because I am on a certain high that I can boldly approach my clients. I smoke every day before I go out to work.”
A new trend:
According to Hailey, a lot has changed in this industry since he joined, especially changes with clients.
“Before, not many female sex workers were seen on the street, except for the transexual men. So for clients, as long as they saw us in dresses and with breasts, they tell us to get in their car.
“A lot of that has changed.
“Now, the demand is there for the trans-sexual men and clients come to us with different demands.
“We have also noticed that there are couples, elderly couples mostly, who come looking for transexual workers because they want us to provide them the service.
“Adult male clients as well now come to our spots specifically asking for trans-sexual men.”
What safety means to you?
“That is very important and I say this from experience because there are some clients who will always want to play up,” Hailey said.
“I have faced dangers before, but I am no longer the scared little girl I was when I started because there was the fear that things could go wrong.”
Hailey remembers an incident few years back when a client brought the police to one of their spots and identified him as a suspect in a case of theft.
An argument ensued that led to a punch-up that landed him in court, and he eventually served six weeks’ jail in Korovou.
Hailey has also experienced a health scare when he was diagnosed with gonorrhea, a sexually-transmitted infection that resulted in a two-week coma at CWM Hospital.
“Both experiences taught me a lot.
“I now carefully choose my clients because of my safety. And I also attend to my usual tests for STI. I get checked once in a month.”
Would you do it any other way?
“I would have but growing up then was very different and difficult for me. I regret a lot of things honestly. A lot,” Hailey told The Fiji Times.
“But I don’t know how and when things are going to change for me. I am sure it will take time, but I can’t wait for a change.
“This is not an ideal job, but it is what puts the food on the table and pays the rent for me for now.
“But if we can get help from private and government organisations, at least in terms of opportunities for work and studies, it will help some of us a lot because we want real jobs too.
“Most of us cannot get jobs in some places because of our feminine sexuality, but that is a big ask right now.
“As much as we want acceptance and to be treated equally, we know mind-sets cannot be changed overnight so we hope a day will come that that will happen.”
