Within the realm of sociology of social problems, male homosexual sex work in Germany can be understood as a social problem. This article serves to investigate the rise of male homosexual sex work as a social problem in Germany. It presents some initial results about the problem career of male homosexual sex work on the macro-sociological level in the time period from 1980 to 1985. It shows that male homosexual sex work was discussed along the lines of criminalisation and victimisation. The argumentation will focus on the presentation of two articles, which on the one hand, pose male homosexual sex workers as dangerous people and, on the other hand, as endangered people.