Searching around Backpage Los Angeles recently and I stumbled upon an ad.  For some reason the pictures struck me as familiar and I cross-referenced them with someone I am friends with on Facebook.

and I think you also know how most of the responses will shake out. If you're on FB with her you have friends in common - you know this. If you try to book with her and she knows who you are she will not book with you and she'll be humiliated - you also know this. If you try to book with her and not tell her who you are and just show up she'll be both freaked out and humiliated - you absolutely know this. The prior infatuation is a powerful, judgment clouding force - fight that shit, nothing good comes of this. Plenty of other fish in the sea, let her be and silently wish her well.

At first I was tempted to say go for it as long as you can keep your private and hobbying life separate.  Don't we all wish to get that unattainable one?  I bet everyone has fantasies about a lady that we know we can't never have sex with, for various reasons.  If the opportunity presents itself, every man would jump for it.

As I well suspected - and thanks to all for their sage and astute observations

It's awesome when information is sought and shared and we're all the better for the discourse. The lunacy of this board is fun, and as it happens necessary or it would die out completely, but I do so love when it's useful.

be concerned with yourself first and foremost. She's a big girl and knows what she is getting into. do you think ladies here don't have friends that don't know what they do? I'm sure a few of them have been found out. Did the world stop....?

This assumes he, and she thinks that what she’s doing now is, somehow, shameful.  

I should not have written in absolutes. But I do think OP contacting this girl has bad outcome written all over it...why go for is girl in particular when there are so many others to see? This is not dating so there is no reason to risk finding out how she might react...there are no backsies here. Don't let being gay cloud your judgment on this, it's really not relevant as your sexuality is not a choice you've made whereas her being a provider is and neither you nor OP has any idea how she feels about that choice. I'm an abundance of caution kind of guy and this is a danger zone

Yes, that's right. So, no need to assume she would feel humiliated. The rest of the world already "knows" (making assumptions and without ever questioning further) that she feels humiliated. And 'they' make damned sure that this is the message that makes it into the public eye.  

Where I'm coming down on this is why attempt to see this girl in particular? They have friends in common, she no doubt does not want it generally known that she's a provider so there is an element of risk here for both of them that is unnecessary. I'm not commenting at all on the stigma of being a provider, I'm just talking about practicalities. And yes, your being gay is very different: you will be gay until the day you die, she may be doing this for six months to pay some medical bills, who knows? And what if OP really has the hots for this FB friend? Even more reason to stay away! But all this said, sure, he can contact her and either be ignored, have the time of his life, or ignite a shit storm, who knows? All I'm talking about is risk v. reward and I don't like this trade.

But to bring this back to what I focused on:

I know how you feel buddy.  You probably fantasizes about her before when she was just a friend and now your fantasy can come true.  However, if things get ugly your circle of friends might somehow get involve too.  The reward doesn't justify the risk.  Try someone else.  Lol or someone might just be using her pics as bait and switch too, who knows.

"may be humiliated" is enough to put the brakes on this, IMO. If you disagree that's totally fine, you are absolutely entitled to your opinion.

is enough to pull the whole "danger!! danger!!" thing, if he contacts her, off the table?

I went there because you made that point and I said it was valid! My first response to you was an apology for making absolute statements like "she will be humiliated," as in I should not have assumed she would be. My only point was that there is risk here that doesn't seem to be balanced by the reward. I thought I was pretty clear about that.

I'll let you go back and re-read our own comments

Christ, my first sentence was "I should not have written in absolutes." So what do you want, a full retraction? Sorry, no, and I'm out.

1st. I never said anything about you talking in absolutes. I'm not sure why you keep bringing this up.  

It's respectful to a lady to "allow for the POSSIBILITY" that she MIGHT NOT want others in her real world sphere to know.  I don't think it has anything to do with shame - it's just respect.  To impose one's own notion of shame (and who should and shouldn't feel it) upon her by contacting her ("hey, you SHOULDN'T be shamed by this damnit! - tell the world, proclaim it from rooftops, send out an ad with your Christmas cards to drum-up business - your Uncle Jimmy always looked at you with a lecherous eye anyway, I'm sure he'd be interested...") - to me is the height of arrogance.

but your comments appear directed at me....?

And keeping it that way is the respectful path.
To either assume that she wouldn't care if he knows - or to minimize the potential impact on her as perhaps just "awkward" is arrogant to me, and not considering how this truly might affect a lady.

That they have not considered the risks.  That they don't know this is illegal? Do you think they've not contemplated (even braced themselves for) someone in their life finding out? And, how do you know she hasn't already 'come out' to her family/friends?

Your questions posed do not demonstrate that you understood my points in my last post - so I don't see the point in continuing this.  I really can't keep explaining my opinion over and over and over and...

I do not think it is disrespectful to tell a provider that I know she's a provider.

and it sounds great (finding out that someone I know is a provider), until it happens for real and you have to face reality.  I concur with your other replies that contacting her for professional services is a mistake.  Now the obvious question is - how is this knowledge going to change your civvie relationship with her?

Wouldn't it be interesting if she had a review history going back to the time you worked together? You'd be going back in your mind reviewing every detail of your interaction looking for clues.

YOU need to be cool with this.  Don't project your feelings on to her; if you are weirded out by it, you really won't enjoy it and you being freaked out WILL be awkward for her.  If you are OK with it - do it, otherwise you will kick yourself ten years from now that you didn't do it.