About a decade ago, Liyara Roo was working at a tech job in the Bay area and hating it.

Then something better came up, and a friend of mine was a dominatrix, and she told me

that I thought I might like sex work better, and I did.

So Roo, whose genderqueer, decided to become an escort.

Liyara were aware of some challenges, including one many outsiders may not think about much.

That's banking.

Roo knew that keeping money at a traditional bank might be an issue.

Traditional finance doesn't like dealing with sex work.

It's a problem that's plagued the adult industry for decades, dating back to the 60s.

But for a while, Roo managed to hang on to their bank account.

A few years down the road, they figured out that I was a sex worker, and they shut down my account.

Losing bank accounts and being shut out of traditional banking altogether is common for sex workers.

As many as two-thirds have lost access to either a bank account or financial service,

according to data from the free speech coalition, a US Trade Association for the Adult Industry.

Some 40% have lost access to a bank account in the past year.

Unfortunately, it's really difficult.

I think banks have gotten really good at figuring out if someone is a sex worker,

and unless you're really careful with how you make payments and receive payments,

chances are you've had at least one form of banking shut down, whether that's Venmo,

traditional bank account, or credit card.

Roo, who banks under a different name, is unsure exactly how the banks found out about their new career.

But they have a hunch that what tipped the banks off was a transaction made under their work name.

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