EXCLUSIVE: Mum-of-four and professional pleasurer Cherry Bloom has been working in the industry for some years now – but she wants change like Belgium workers have seen

A sex working mum-of-four admitted that she’s pushing to start a union so those in the industry can get the same rights as those in Belgium.

Cherry Bloom, 43, from Scotland, is a digital sex worker who specialises in photo and video requests on adult subscription sites. The mum, who has teen children, first started working in the industry as her NHS cleaning job was not enough to keep a stable roof over her family’s head.

Roll on a couple of years and now Cherry is one of he most established models in Scotland, having orchestrated a campaign after her collaborative model business was ‘banned’ from a huge billboard next to a stadium. She’s also an integral part of helping other women in the industry with her advice and expertise.

This is because the mum knows how hard it can be to navigate an industry that often does not promise a consistent income and comes with a lot of disrespect from society.

Now after hearing the world-first legislation Belgium has passed to grant sex workers employment rights, like maternity and sick pay, Cherry wants to start a union to help those in the UK have the same safety net as most other industries.

Although she and many other digital workers are self-employed, Cherry thinks there needs to be more to support those, mainly working class women, in the professional pleasuring industry.

Speaking exclusively to Daily Star, the mum and sex worker advocate said: “The lack of employment rights in the industry for me has always been an issue I’ve tried to resolve even going as far as getting a group of friends to attempt to set up a union to try and get a fair deal.

“I found out that it’s very difficult to get everyone on the same thought train in regards to that.

“It has always been an issue I’d like to change but I wouldn’t change my work because of it. The work I do is hard work and a lot of time and effort goes into it. But it has a lot of positive aspects as well like choosing your own hours and you have much more flexibility in life with it.”

Just recently, Belgium have ordered that sex workers will now get official contracts after decriminalising prostitution back in 2022. This means that those who are employed by someone else will be provided with employment rights like; sick pay, maternity leave, health insurance and pensions.

This does not include self-employed sex workers, which many are. Though this has been penned as a positive move for the 30,000 working in the likes of red light districts and brothels to create a safer work environment both physically and financially.

Hearing of the news, it’s given Cherry a push to organise her contacts in the sex worker world to attempt to get a union for professional pleasurers specifically for her area of digital work and those in Scotland.

There is already a general sex workers union (SWU), that covers all sorts of work from; stripping, prostitution, dancing and digital sex workers. But Cherry wants to head up change herself.

She said: “I have to say as soon as I saw the new laws being put in place, I thought, firstly, it’s overdue as this industry is now a massive worldwide occupation for millions of people and should be treated the same as any other form of employment.

“I think Belgium has shown the way forward here with a bold move that will hopefully see many other countries follow suit in the near future.

“I do think the UK should be looking to bring in the same laws here, the sex industry has always been looked at as a kind of taboo subject. But, the rise of adult subscription sites over the last decade or so has shown how high a demand there is for this type of work. This allows women and men who do this as work to earn a living while also keeping them safe.

“The world has changed so much over the last few years to be inclusive and treat everyone the same regardless of race, sex, religion so why should people who earn a living from sex work not be treated the same as any other worker in the country?”

Despite more and more people turning to sex work due to the cost-of-living, attitudes to the line of work changing and the flexibility it offers, Cherry said that no matter how many employment rights they get or how normalised the job gets, the abuse towards women will not be coming to an end anytime soon.

She says that those women working in the industry need a ‘very high tolerance’ for abuse.

The mum concluded: “In regards to sex workers getting more respect, I think it would feel like a step in that direction but I also see to much abuse directed at woman in the industry.

“The people who do that won’t change because of new employment laws.

“It’s a job you need to have a very high tolerance for the abuse you get. Unfortunately, I think we will have a long hard road ahead to get the same level of respect as any other worker.”