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max-morris · 7 years

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21 Questions with PhD Student Max Morris

By Raven Bowen

Q: So, what do you do?

A: I’m a sociologist of sexualities and most of my research is about gay, bisexual and queer youth, but at the moment I’m writing up my PhD at Durham University based on 50 interviews with young men who have accepted money for sex online, which is something I call ‘incidental sex work.’ Basically, these guys did not advertise themselves as selling sex and most of them didn’t identify as sex workers. So selling sex is a form of sexual exploration or economic opportunism, and most often it was a one-time thing. So it challenges some of the assumptions about who sells sex and their motivations and the diversity of experiences people have about selling sex. What I want to do is to challenge some of our conventions around identity politics and sex work. I also managed to get a survey of 1,500 Grindr users and through that I found that 14.6% admitted to engaging in some form of commercial sex, with 8.2% of those doing incidental sex work or webcamming. So, it’s a lot more common among gay and bisexual men than we might realize.

Q: And your favourite colour?

A: Floral pink, because I’m a gay stereotype!!!

Q: What are you most proud of?

A: So, last year I was diagnosed with HIV and it came as a total shock to me, but I was quite proud that I was able to turn this unexpected event into an opportunity to learn from other people and educate other people. Within a couple of months of my diagnosis I had begun giving public lectures at universities and to HIV charities and I did some radio and television interviews. And they were all about the revolutionary changes in medication over the years, like PrEP as a form of prevention. I’ve been very vocal about that. I became HIV positive in a very good context with the new drugs and the normal life expectancy, and now it’s impossible to transmit the virus when you’re on effective mediation. So I want to see us move away from that stigmatized view we have of the virus from the 1980’s. Q: The death sentence idea. A: Yes, and that needs to be gone now. And this impacts my sex industry research because HIV is an intersectional issue that affects not just gay men, but trans women, migrants, sex workers. It also angers me…recently seeing prohibitionist feminists going after Amnesty International, UNAIDS and other charities because they endorse decrim as an effective way to reduce HIV infection. So that affects my life and my research in lots of different ways. Q: Amazing how your life experience now expands your scholarship and activism! A: Yes and it’s given me a feeling of solidarity for a lot of different groups with the intersections of HIV, sexual identity and feminism it definitely expanded my horizons intellectually and as an activist.

Q: What drew you to sex industry related work? What was the call for you?

A: Looking back, on the street that I was raised on, just after I left home for university, there was a ‘gay brothel’ that was raided from the Vice Squad in my home city of Bristol and my mom sent me a news clipping of the story. So, these were basically my neighbours who’d been arrested in a crackdown on drugs and prostitution in my city. Often times the laws cracking down on brothels are often policing people who are working together for safety. So it’s an excuse, so that the police can be seen as being tough on immorality. Also, when I was 16 I was on the BBC program, the Big Questions. So that was 9 years ago now and they were talking about if brothels should be legalized and I spoke up and I said that I supported decriminalization in solidarity with the two women speakers, and one of them was from the International Union of Sex Workers. The responses were moralist, right-wing. I ended up bumping into one of the speakers at the end of my street and I stopped her and said ‘hey you were on the Big Questions’ and I really remember the look of terror on her face. She thought I was going to stigmatize her or attack her for being an open sex worker. And I said, no I was one of the people how supported you. So basically, the poor diverse neighborhood where I grew up in the Southwest of England, sex workers were my friends and neighbors, they weren’t this ‘other’ identity. So, for me I took that forward when I went into university and I began my academic career looking at why we have this binary between them and us. People who sell sex are exactly the same as us. We are all sex workers in a sense. We are all selling services. My peers are engaging in incidental sex work, and that blurs the boundaries between ‘them’ and ‘us.’

Q: The last thing you laughed about?

A: I have a game that’s called Top2Bottom, which is the gay version of ‘Cards Against Humanity.’ It’s really fun. There is this one card I always laugh at. The answer card is ‘AIDS Face’ and I’m in stitches about it. When I was diagnosed, my doctor made that face at me and he said ‘don’t worry, people don’t get this face [makes face] any more because the medications have improved things so much.’ So, that card always makes me laugh.

Q: What’s your favourite food?

A: Olives, especially in a dirty martini. Q: That’s a bloody condiment!

Q: Your current project or pursuit?

A: At the moment I’m working on an article looking at the legal implications of new HIV meds for a special edition on consent in the journal of criminal law. So, looking into whether someone can consent to having bareback sex with someone who is positive, in light of the research that says that if you’re on medication you can’t transmit it, so why do we keep the legislation around transmission. My partner and I are participants in the PARTNER study, and they found zero cases of HIV transmission across 58,000 acts of condomless sex between serodiscordant couples. There is a debate within NHS about funding PrEP as well. It has big implications for sex workers as well. So much advocacy has been around gay and bisexual men but these issues are really important for sex workers.

Q: What’s your biggest regret?

A: I wish that I had been more of an ally to sex workers, trans people, migrants, people of color, people living with HIV, when I was younger. I wish I had been more active in challenging stigma before it hit me personally. The message I’d like to send is that if you have privilege and you’re not in these groups that are stigmatized, it can so easily be you or someone you know and actually these are people who you should care about. They are your friends and neighbours.

Q: Facebook or Twitter?

A: Well I went to a lecture last month by sociologist Bev Skeggs and she was talking about how Facebook collects user information, and basically sells high-end consumer goods to ‘high value’ users but sells debt to ‘low value’ users. It reinforces class inequality. And they are even tracking you when you’re not on the App. So I uninstalled the Facebook App and now I only use Twitter. Q: You don’t use Whatsapp? Facebook bought Whatsapp. A: Really!? Q: Yeah, it’s now part of their ‘family of companies’…data harvesters! A: And every website that has the Facebook logo is tracking you. Q: So, Twitter then [laughter]?

Q: What challenges you the most about your sex work or related work?

A: Being raised by a single mom on benefits, I’ve always been a feminist and class conscious, but at the same time as a man I’ve benefited from male privilege and patriarchy, so the difficulty comes in balancing my critique of sex worker and trans exclusionary feminisms with my belief in giving women a greater platform. So, that’s often an intellectual challenge I come up against. For me the best solution for that has been to use queer theory and understanding as a vocal queer person I experience some of the same patriarchy and heterosexism, so goals are intersecting and unified. Homophobia and misogyny are two sides of the same coin, especially when it comes to toxic masculinity and issues of suppressing marginalized people. That’s how I square the circle as a feminist man. Q: Yes, and no need to square the circle, we need circles, but your level of introspection outstrips most humans!

Q: Favourite Movie?

A: Alien, I absolutely love Sigourney Weaver. She was amazing in it.

Q: And the last time you cried?

A: The last time I had an argument with my boyfriend. Relationships can be hard at times.

Q: Cat or dog person?

A: I love all animals but I’m allergic to cats. I’m definitely a dog person. Me and my boyfriend dog sat for Alex Feis-Bryce who you interviewed a few weeks ago!

Q: Who understands you?

A: My boyfriend.

Q: What’s the last book or article you read?

A: I actually borrowed this from Alex: ‘Sex workers unite: a history of the movement from Stonewall to Slutwalk.’ Q: Does he know you have it, or is he going to find out here on the blog? A: Yeah he knows. Q: Oh, too bad [Laughter].

Q: Childhood Fear?

A: I used to be a surfer kid and would go down to Cornwall every summer and even though there’s nothing that can kill you in the oceans around Britain, I used to be afraid of sharks while I was on my surfboard. Which is funny because I love sharks now and I use it as a symbol for irrational fears, like those around HIV transmission. You’re more likely to get hit by a car on the way to the beach than get bitten by a shark! Q: Interesting. Let me guess, you watched Jaws as a kid, right? A: Yeah! Another great movie.

Q: What did your last text message say?

A: It was to my mom ‘Thank you for the lovely text a few days ago [mom’s name]. Happy Birthday! We are dog-sitting. Can’t wait to see more of your art exhibit.’

Q: One thing that your work or existence is aimed to do for the sex industry?

A: I think the main thing I’m interest in doing is breaking down binaries and challenging the dichotomies between us and them. The idea that sex workers are some stereotypical other…a marginalized and victimized group. There are issues of victimization and problems that the community experiences, but we need to stop thinking in such binary terms. So, feminist and queer theories are great at breaking those things down. They are more like us than we realize. Q: Yeah, ‘they’ are us!

Q: The meaning of life in one word?

A: So, part of me wants to reject the premise of your question. Q: Of course you do. Damn academics [laughter]! A: There is no objective meaning of life, but for me it’s Pleasure!

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?

A: I’ve always liked the idea of becoming an elected member of parliament, if only to queer the House of Commons by attending important votes in full drag. I’ve said so many controversial things publicly now that I don’t think that I would ever be qualified for that, but there’s too many men in suits and it doesn’t really represent the population.

Q: Three portable items that you would have with you while stranded on a desert island?

A: How long am I on the island for? Q: Well you’re stranded. Between you and Rosie I’m starting to regret adding this question. A: [Laughter] Okay, well I’ll definitely take

(1) a sex toy, like a vibrator or a dildo or something like that, because a boy’s got needs.

(2) Then I would take a full medical kit with my insulin and HIV meds, and plasters if I cut myself on a rock. So that’s sex and health covered.

And I’d take (3) a truck full of wine!

This interview was first posted on the Sex Work Research Hub website, available here: https://sexworkresearchhub.org/2017/11/30/21-questions-with-phd-student-max-morris/

#SexWork #HIV #Research #Activism

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elizabethcariasa · 5 years

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Don't fear, or fall for, these 13 seemingly scary tax tidbits

It's Friday the 13th and a full moon will rise late tonight.

Werewolves and Friday the 13th. Scared yet?

Take a breath. Depending on where you live, and how superstitious you are, tonight might not be so bad.

The Farmers' Almanac says folks in the Pacific, Central and Mountain time zones will get to gaze on the full moon before midnight this Friday, Sept. 13. However, if you live in the Eastern time zone, the moon won't be full until 12:33 a.m. on the less spooky Saturday, Sept. 14.

Micro Harvest moon: Plus, it won't be a very big full moon. This Harvest Moon, the name given the full moon closest to the Autumnal Equinox on Sept. 23, also is a micro moon.

As the name indicates, it's the opposite of the previously lauded super moons. Tonight's moon, says the says the Farmers' Almanac, is nearly at apogee, the point in the moon's orbit where it's at its greatest distance, 252,100 miles, from Earth.

That means tonight's full moon will look about 14 percent smaller than usual.

So maybe the lycanthropes will be small, too, and not around for very long or at all along the East Coast, tonight.

Scary tax misconceptions: All these combined supernatural thoughts got me thinking about other superstitions, myths and mistaken ideas, specifically those related to taxes.

So on this full moon (for most of us) Friday the 13th, here are Here are 13 misguided tax beliefs that you shouldn't fall for on any day — or moonlit night — of the year.

1. Students don't owe taxes. There are lots of tax breaks to help parents offset the costs of rearing children, including older kids attending college. But helping families out doesn't mean the Internal Revenue Service ignores young earners.

The U.S. tax code still applies to young and/or in school earners who make certain amounts of money for their age and filing status. In these cases, the IRS expects them to file a 1040.

2. Married couples must file a joint return. Most husbands and wives do file one Form 1040. But they don't necessarily have to. Married couples, both heterosexual and same-sex married couples, have two filing status options, married filing jointly or married filing separately.

Separate returns by spouses usually mean higher tax bills for the spouses, but in some situations filing two 1040s is the better move.

And if you're still legally married but separated and are caring for a dependent child, you might be able to file as a head of household.

3. An audit involves time-consuming meetings with the IRS. Sometimes, but not always. IRS data over the last few years have shown that less than 1 percent of individual returns that were audited were examined in person. Most tax audits are actually solved through the mail, known as correspondence audits.

So while every taxpayer's goal is to avoid any kind of audit, don't obsess over the possibility that you'll face a full face-to-face field audit. And if you do happen to get a notice from the IRS, be sure to answer its questions as soon as possible to resolve any IRS questions about your return.

4. Tax filing is voluntary. Sorry, but this is a load of hooey perpetuated by tax protesters. Folks have latched onto the use of the word "voluntary" but ignored its companion word "compliance."

Paying taxes is not voluntary, but filing our annual returns so that we pay the correct amount is voluntary. The IRS depends on our voluntary compliance here. Most of us do just that for a variety of reasons.

Some of us fear the aforementioned audits. Others believe paying taxes is part of everyone's civic duty. And a lot of us fill out 1040s every year because we're getting refunds.

But folks who don't file because they don't believe it's required will be hearing from the IRS.

5. Illegal income is tax-free. You and all the wannabe Al Capones out there wish! While the IRS doesn't care how you get your cash, it definitely wants its rightful portion of your money, even if it's ill-gotten.

6. Claiming a home office will automatically trigger a tax audit. This might have been true long ago, but nowadays more people are legitimately working from home. In fact, it's easier to claim a home office with the simplified deduction option. Whether you use the original deduction option or the simplified one, make sure your office is used exclusively for work.

And as with any deduction, the key is to avoiding a special IRS inquiry, or at least ending it as soon as possible, is thorough documentation.

7. If I didn't get a 1099, I don't owe any tax. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Independent contractors might not get a tax statement from a payer if they earned less than $600 for the job. But that $600 figure refers only to the amount that triggers the requirement that a paying entity send out the form.

Regardless of how little you earn, and even if you don't get a 1099 or any other documentation, it's taxable income.

Sure, it might be difficult for the IRS to track down those various $50 and $100 payments, but if it does find them, you'll owe the taxes on the unreported earnings along with penalties and interest for not including them on your 1040 in the first place.

8. A tax refund means my return is fine. You filed. You got your refund. Tax case closed, right? That's usually the case. But that check from Treasury or direct deposit of the amount doesn't necessarily mean you're in the clear. The IRS generally has up to three years to take a closer look at your filing. If finds an issue during that time, you'll be hearing from an agent.

9. After three years, the IRS can't audit me. For most taxpayers, three years from the date a 1040 is filed (or the due date, whichever is later) is the amount of time that the IRS has to audit a return. But several things can affect the statute of limitations when it comes to an audit.

If, for example, you don't send in a return, the IRS gets to look into your taxes whenever it sees fit. And if there's an indication of tax fraud, there's no limit on when the IRS can review your filing.

10. If the IRS is OK with my return, my state taxes also are fine. This usually is true. Most of the states that do collect income taxes use your federal return as the basis for the filing. But anyone who's filled out a state tax return (ah, fond memories of our Maryland filings) knows that there are some tweaks of your federal data on the state forms.

And state tax departments are getting pickier as states have suffered financial losses during the recession. So double check those forms so that you don't hear back from your state tax office.

11. Standard deduction filers get stiffed. True, most taxpayers claim the standard deduction instead of itemizing. It's also true that they lose out on some popular tax-cutting deductions. But this was never necessarily true and it certainly isn't now that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 greatly increased standard deduction amounts.

You can still fill out a Schedule A if it's more than the new standard amounts, but for most taxpayers that won't be the case, especially since so many itemized deductions also were eliminated or reduced by the TCJA.

And many of the so-called above-the-line deductions that are available to qualifying taxpayers regardless of which deduction method, itemized or standard, they choose are still around.

12. Amending a return will get you audited. Based on all the audit-related myths, the thought of facing an IRS examiner obviously is a top tax terror. But the idea that correcting or changing an old 1040 will automatically prompt an audit is wrong. Most people file an amended return (that's Form 1040-X) because they discovered they missed something on their original return that will get them a lower tax bill or bigger refund.

If, however, you find you made a mistake that will cost you a bit more, you should amend your return anyway. Getting your taxes right is what you and the IRS both want. An effort to do that won't put an IRS target on your back.

13. My tax preparer is liable for any errors. Sorry, but you are still ultimately responsible for any mistakes on your tax return. If it's a joint filing, both spouses are jointly and severally liable, which is legalese for the IRS will come after you both for any due taxes.

You should have paid better attention to the statement on your return just above the line for your signature. The one that talks about "under penalties of perjury" ...

... and says "I declare that I have examined this return." That puts the onus on you, not your preparer.

And while there are instances where paid preparers can be held culpable, the bottom line (or penultimate section of your return as far as signatures go) is that it's your tax return, your tax responsibility. You agreed to that by inking your old-fashioned John Hancock on a paper form or via an e-signature for electronic filing.

Take a movie break: OK, feeling a bit less fearful? Good.

But just in case you don't want to press your tax or other luck, you might want to stay in today (and tonight) and watch a movie. An American Werewolf in London (that's the transformation scene video clip below; warning: brief nudity), Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, Teen Wolf or the Lon Chaney, Jr. classic The Wolf Man, perhaps?

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