Oxford boy for hire on internet
An Oxford student offered gay sexual services in exchange for cash. The undergraduate, whom The Oxford Student has decided not to name, advertised himself as an escort under the pseudonym ‘Julian’. A friend alleged that Julian has sold himself for sex in London at least once since he matriculated. Julian also co-founded uniboys.co.uk, a website advertising Oxford students as escorts, with current finalist Freddie Fisher.
Julian is advertised on at least four male escort websites, including Adult Listings and Male Treasures. He describes himself as a 21-yearold reading History at Oxford University. The student offers explicit services including outcall, domination, fetish and role play, with a ‘versatile’ attitude to positions. The website states that he charges clients £120 an hour. Julian claims to possess an “average uncut” penis.
In one movie he is shown wearing a shirt, tie and yellow high heels while he tells viewers that he is studying at Oxford University. A former Oxford student who worked as an escort in his time as an undergraduate claimed that prostitution is rife among Oxford’s academic community and that dons are escorts’ biggest customers. He told The Oxford Student: “It has always gone on. Academics are the main base of clients in Oxford.
It is the leading academics and visiting academics who come to Oxford on visits, as it were, who are most likely to meet an escort, male or female.” The University Press Offi ce declined to comment on these allegations. Julian fi rst advertised himself on an escort website that he established with fellow undergraduate Fred Fisher. The website, called uniboys. co.uk, was set up last year.
Since its creation the site had displayed six profi les of male students, fi ve of whom are currently studying at Oxford University. It is unclear whether any of the participants other than Julian intended to sell themselves through the site. One said, “I don’t know whether or not anyone became involved in male escort services through uniboys.co.uk.” The website never progressed beyond the developmental stage.
The site, which was pulled off the internet by its creators on Thursday last week, advertised its two creators among other students. It says, “Second Year Historian and keen sportsman [Julian] enjoys rugby, rowing and gay sex.” Fisher used the pseudonym Jorgen.
The website stated, “Studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics, Jorgen knows how to have a blast!” The site stated, “The University enjoys the largest gay community in the South-West area so it was natural for us to combine all our hobbies, skills and interests.
One of the creators claims that the site was originally created as a comical response to Oxbridge Escorts, a company launched last year as an introduction service for people seeking to organise meetings with graduates or undergraduates from Oxbridge. One student, who asked not to be named, was displayed on the website but said his profi le was put up as a joke. “I don’t have any personal involvement with the website. From my understanding it was created as a bit of a joke. I don’t think it’s a professional site.”
Another profiled student said, “Virtually all the people involved on the site are friends who thought it would be funny. There were five profi les on there, four of them of Oxford students and one of a guy from LSE.” The creators said that uniboys. co.uk did not provide escort services for profit. However, the website itself stated that it was a “money-making scheme.
Fisher and Julian set up a registered company, Isen Ltd, to purchase the website domain. Julian’s college will not be taking disciplinary action against him for advertising himself on various websites as an Oxford student escort. His Senior Tutor said, “The college is actually extremely concerned about the welfare of [Julian] as an individual student. He is not in trouble. There is a problem over his welfare and I clearly cannot discuss the details of an individual’s welfare problems.
To the best of the Senior Tutor’s knowledge, Julian is not currently engaged in escort services: “He is not ‘active’ as far as I know.” Dr Brian Gasser, clerk to the Proctors, outlined the disciplinary implications that the actions of Julian might present. He said, “I cannot comment on a specifi c student, but if an Oxford student were to advertise themselves they would not be disciplined simply for that.
“If however they used University facilities, the College or University reputation to advertise themselves, it would be an issue for the Proctors.” However, the Senior Tutor of Julian’s college has informed the Dean and Head of Fisher’s college that Fisher co-founded uniboys.co.uk. The Dean of Fisher’s college refused to comment on his individual case but he made clear that if a student set up an escort website using college facilities they would be breaking college regulations.
OUSU VP (Welfare) Aidan Randle- Conde said, “If students feel they have to go to such extremes in order to afford University life then the hardships funds simply aren’t reaching the right students.” Asked why a student would resort to escort work, a former Oxford rent boy said, “It’s nothing new. It will always go on. The more students struggle fi nancially, the more students are going to use every option in the market economy, including escort work.
Escort work is not illegal in the UK if escorts do not solicit, described as “loitering or soliciting in a public place for the purpose of prostitution” under the Street Offences Act 1959. A spokesperson from the IUSW, the International Union of Sex Workers, said, “In case anyone is in doubt, working as an escort is legal. Hiring an escort is also legal, provided they’re at least 18. To be more explicit, selling sex is legal.
He said, “Indeed sex workers provide a number of important functions in society. We’re a discreet way for people to explore their sexual desires. We teach people how to be better lovers and how to have safer sex. We make lonely people less lonely.”
18th May 2006