"Rough trade," or "trade" - what's it all about?

From my understanding of what I've read on the history of the term is that you've got it pretty accurate, it usually also implies some form of inequality between the two partners, with a richer guy either paying the poorer, 'rough' one, or at the very least buying them something in exchange for sex, hence the trade part of the name. The trade most probably identified as straight, but personally I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if many of them were actually at least bi. Although one thing to bear in mind is that the term dates back to before the categories of gay and straight were viewed exactly as they are now. It's an interesting topic to read about. That's a historical viewpoint on the term, I've never heard it used by anyone except in books.

 

I think prostitutes have also used the term as applied to those who like aggressive, physical, and perhaps sadistic, sex...