Renvoize told BuzzFeed News that reactions at Goldsmiths to her coming out as a sex worker have been mixed. "It can feel like secondary school, with rumours spreading around and people treating you differently," she said. "There's definitely mistrust and misunderstanding within the student body."

She added: "I've only ever heard staff refer to sex work in a victim-criminal dichotomy."

The Goldsmiths Sex Worker Solidarity Society offers support and a platform from which to campaign. Renvoize hopes the model will take off at other UK universities and believes that this type of initiative is sorely needed. Most students coming forward for support are simply trying to cover basic living costs.

Danielle (not her real name), a 25-year-old who's funding her degree by working as a full-service sex worker, dominatrix, and webcammer, told BuzzFeed News: "Sex work was a ruthlessly pragmatic decision for me. High rents and the cost of living meant there was no other option that would bring in a decent income and allow me time to study."

Students selling sex isn't a new phenomenon, but what this generation is doing differently is speaking out about perceived discrimination against those involved in the sex industry, and the Goldsmiths project is part of a growing wave of student activism.

Last year, the National Union of Students (NUS) passed a motion to support sex worker rights; this year, the NUS Women's Campaign voted to support full decriminalisation of the industry. Student unions regularly invite organisations such as the Sex Worker Open University (SWOU) and the English Collective of Prostitutes into universities to hold workshops.

These campaigns discuss safety for all sex workers, but student activists say they have plenty to contend with within their own institutions. In June, researchers from Swansea University and Kingston University revealed that some staff members at Welsh universities believe students who work in the sex industry should face disciplinary action for bringing their universities into disrepute.