I'm old enough that when I learned what "whore" meant it was only in reference to a female prostitute. "Gigolo" was the term for a male who had sex for money, but it's never had the same negative connotation as whore.
Sort of. You might see a headline that says "CONGRESSMAN CAUGHT WITH MALE PROSTITUTE", but never "CONGRESSMAN CAUGHT WITH FEMALE PROSTITUTE"--it's one of those concepts that is understood to be female by default.
I'm trying to think which gender i'd guess if I read: CONGRESSWOMAN CAUGHT WITH PROSTITUTE.
I honestly think i'd guess male prostitute.
Yes, but it is insulting to the non-whores. Its also insulting to non-people. We need a gender neutral, species neutral, personhood neutral word to describe "corporate whores".