Monetized Interactions in the Sexual Minorities Network at Daneshjoo Park (Tehran, Iran)

Daneshjoo Park is located in the center of Tehran and is the first hang-out for modern life in the city, gathering different communities such as students, artists, and various lifestyles. Over the years, it has become the most famous hang-out for LGBTQ communities. Despite its significance and hundreds of visitors per day from different parts of the country, Daneshjoo Park has faced years of neglect. This study, employing grounded theory as a research method and in-depth interview as a gathering data method, investigates the emergence of sex work in the park. Participants, aged 18–40, active or retired sex workers, were selected using theoretical and snowball sampling. The findings highlight that underlying individual circumstances, such as poverty, act as catalysts for creating conditions conducive to engaging in sex work, referred to as “Individual Background Conditions.” These conditions facilitate entry into the social network of sex workers, thereby enabling the manifestation of the phenomenon of sex work within Daneshjoo Park, where individuals are gravitated to engage in sex work. The study identifies “Actualizing Interaction Conditions” as the supportive and reproductive causal mechanism through which the network operates, bringing individuals with these background conditions into the fold. This mechanism has enabled the manifestation of the phenomenon of sex work within Daneshjoo Park. The research also identifies a significant historical shift, termed the “Historical Factor,” indicating a transition in the logic of interaction from traditional forms of interaction to monetary exchanges, which has fundamentally altered the landscape of sex work in the park. Ultimately, the study suggests social empowerment strategies as a response to these findings.