Jacqueline Frances, a.k.a. Jacq the Stripper

Coming out as queer is easier than coming out as a sex worker for Jacqueline Frances, a.k.a. Jacq the Stripper. Her profession is “met with a lot more tension” than her sexual orientation. “Either way, I have to come out again and again, every day,” says the Canadian artist and comedian. “I’ve learned that you have to do it quickly and matter-of-factly, otherwise it’s a ‘thing,’ and once it becomes a ‘thing,’ it’s harder to own.” And own it she does. “I didn’t choose the slut life,” says Frances, who is based in Brooklyn. “The slut life chose me.” Along the way, she’s made it her mission to humanize sex work, and comedy has served as the tool. The author and illustrator of The Beaver Show and Striptastic: A Celebration of Dope-Ass Cunts Who Like Money, and creator of the web series Sluts in Slippers Getting Snacks, was stripping for about five years before she delved into comedy. “Stripping has taught me that waiting is bullshit, and that when you’re asked to ‘wait’ it is usually by someone who doesn’t have the respect or conviction to tell you ‘no’ right off the bat,” she tells GO. Before self-publishing her four comedic books, Frances got her writing career started off right here at GO! “I’ve published four titles in the last two years, and it’s inspired me to hustle anything and everything I desire. No one’s gonna do it for you. A literary agent is just a pimp with an office in Midtown.” —SEJ