Category: Featured

What makes Nevada special? I discovered the answer to that question a few years back when I met with a young documentary filmmaker at a watering hole on the outskirts of the dusty town of Pahrump in Nye County. The filmmaker was making a documentary for CMT.

Over a beer, I asked the filmmaker, “So, what exactly is the topic of this movie you’re making?”

“Freedom,” he answered. 

“Freedom? What does that have to do with this far-off Nevada town?”

He looked at me perplexed, as if, as a resident of the Silver State, I should have already known the answer.

“In this town you can legally buy fireworks, open carry a firearm, keep exotic pets, gamble to your heart’s content, and…well look around,” he replied, motioning to our surroundings.

“I guess you have a point,” I said, as I gazed at the dozens of sex workers strutting their negligee-clad stuff and chatting up their goggling clientele in the saloon— a saloon that just happened to be connected to a 20-acre legal brothel. 

“This is what the freedom looks like,” he said.

As I fulfilled my duties as a communications rep for the licensed bordello that day, I realized that what I was a part of was very precious and unique, and, like the concept of freedom itself, something that shouldn’t be taken for granted.

The State of Nevada is now at a crossroads. Petitioners in Lyon and Nye Counties are organizing an attempt to end legal prostitution in those areas. The women of Nevada’s brothels are under attack, and their freedom to lawfully practice sex work is threatened.

Why? Why does a group called “No Little Girl” want to close the brothels? 

If their website is any indication, the group says it wants to ban legal bordellos to end trafficking in these establishments, support the women who were forced into this life of “sexual slavery,” and create a more prosperous economy for the community.

But, the women working in Nevada’s legal brothels are not coerced, trafficked, or enslaved — there are certainly no records of such crimes occurring in these bordellos. The women all undergo a strict federal background check through the sheriff’s office, and every sex worker voluntarily operates in a regulated, safe, well-maintained, and disease-free environment. Many of these women have been willingly working in the legal brothels for years and are thriving financially as the breadwinners of their households. Scores of Nevada’s legal sex workers have passionately spoken out against No Little Girl on social media and in blogs and podcasts, making it clear that the sex workers did not ask for, and do not need, No Little Girl’s support. 

I have a B.A and am currently working on my M.A. at the University of Nevada, Reno — all funded by my time working in the Lyon County brothels. I choose to stay working in the brothels since 2011 because I am happy and passionate about my job. I am not #nolittlegirl

— Ruby Rae (@TheRubyRae) April 14, 2018

As far as economic development in these counties, the largest industrial park in the world, hosting some of the planet’s top companies, is located just a few miles from a legal brothel — so legal prostitution is unquestionably not an impediment to a Nevada community’s potential for economic growth. 

If No Little Girl’s website doesn’t offer a legitimate argument for their position, why does this group really want to close the brothels and take away one of Nevada’s unique freedoms?

No Little Girl was formed by faith-based activists with a strong opinion of what is morally right, and they believe that exchanging sexual services for money, legally or otherwise, is morally wrong.

There’s nothing wrong with having a moral position based on one’s religion. I grew up Catholic and, prior to entering college, experienced twelve years of parochial schooling, so I’m well aware of my church’s current position on sex work. I’ve had many spirited discussions about legal prostitution with relatives that chose the priesthood as their vocation, and I fully accept their right to have a point of view I disagree with.  

We each see the world, our nation, and the people in our local community, through our individual moral lens — and that’s OK. Every one of us has the right to disapprove of another person’s life choices based on our moral perspective. What’s not OK, and what No Little Girl endeavors to do, is to impose a specific moral or spiritual belief system onto the entirety of a community, and take away the freedom to make personal choices from members of that community.

I get it: There are some people that consider legalized prostitution sinful. There are also people that abhor gambling, firearms, liquor, and marijuana, but that definitely doesn’t mean Nevada communities are going to vote to abolish these freedoms.

Part of living in a free American society is accepting the fact that we’re sharing our space with people whose moral compass may not align with our own. What makes many of Nevada’s communities among the freest in the nation is our deep understanding of this “live free and let live” viewpoint. 

If No Little Girl gets its way, and we let Nevada’s legal brothels go, what freedoms will be taken away next?

Prostitution has been legal in Lyon County, Nevada for over forty years. In that time, the Nevada model for licensed and regulated prostitution has proven to be a time-tested and remarkably successful social experiment, where, under an umbrella of strict legislation, sex workers operating out of rurally-located brothels thrive harmoniously with their Lyon County neighbors. Now, after all these years, a small group of Lyon County residents have decided that they have a beef with the bordellos.

The group calling itself “No Little Girl” is petitioning to close the legal brothels in Lyon County, and remove the livelihood of hundreds of women who have made an informed choice to work in these establishments. On the “Issues” page of this group’s website, they make claims that the legality of brothels does nothing to make women any safer, and that prostitution is inherently violence against women. However, the page cites data that either has been debunked or has nothing to do with legal prostitution. The handful of individuals that submitted the petition represent faith-based organizations, and seem to be more concerned with pushing their specific moral agenda onto the whole of Lyon County than with the actual safety of the women in the brothels. Let’s take a closer look at the information on the group’s website…

The group suggests that large tech companies won’t move to the county and boost the local economy because of the existence of legal brothels, but they neglect to mention that Lance Gilman, owner of the Mustang Ranch brothel, helped bring Tesla to Nevada. The massive Tesla Gigafactory is located seven miles from the Mustang Ranch, proving that tax incentives and smart dealmaking are what bring big name tech companies into an area. Brothels are clearly not a factor in the decision making, especially when one considers that a brothel owner played a key role in convincing a tech giant to choose Nevada for its factory location.

Concerning the safety of women in the brothels, the website cites Melissa Farley, a researcher whose work was debunked years ago. Farley claims to have interviewed 45 women in the Nevada brothels but discounts their comments in her 2007 book, writing “I knew that they would minimize how bad it was” (p. 22). Farley writes that her data does not support her conclusions because women “ignore bad things or they pretended that unpleasantness will go away, or they call the degrading abuse of prostitution by another name that sounds better” (p. 22). Farley did not listen to the women and instead formed her conclusions based on her own moral agenda. In 2011 Dr. Calum Bennachie, a gender studies scholar, sent a 115 page formal complaint to the American Psychological Association requesting that Farley be disqualified for professional misconduct. In his complaint he detailed evidence to show that “Dr. Farley is repeating unsubstantiated rumour as fact” and “is deliberately misleading people” (2011). Farley has a long and well-known history of discounting the voices of sex workers in an effort to push her ideological agenda. The website also cites a 2004 study by Potterat, but the sample is from women working independently in Colorado; a very different group of women with work conditions that are nothing like those in the legal Nevada brothels. Women who work illegally are subject to rape and assault because they do not have protections under the law. Criminalization forces them to work in unsafe settings and unlike in the legal Nevada brothels, they cannot call for help when they are raped or assaulted. This speaks to the harms of criminalization, not of prostitution.

On the FAQ page, it states that women are often raped in the legal brothels. This is grossly inaccurate. In my own doctoral research of 53 women working in 5 Nevada brothels, I did not encounter a single woman who had reported being raped by a client in the brothel, and I was certainly never raped during my years working in the brothels. Perhaps the most inflammatory claim on the FAQ portion of the website is that most of the women in the brothels are under the control of pimps. This is simply not true. Of the 53 women I interviewed, 5 reported that they had pimps BEFORE they worked in the brothels but since coming to work legally were able to escape this coercion and freely offer intimate services. One worker told me of the horrific abuse she endured at the hands of a pimp, and she was grateful to have escaped him and be in a place where she could work safely and legally. She credited her newfound safety and freedom to the brothel. She feared that if she went back to her home state, her former pimp would find her, kidnap her, and force her back on the streets.

The FAQ section claims that legalization does not improve conditions for prostitutes or women in the community. We can look to Rhode Island as a case study: In Rhode Island prostitution was decriminalized from 2003-2009. A study done by Cunningham & Shah (2014) shows that rates of rape and gonorrhea plummeted with decriminalization; 824 fewer rape offenses (31 percent decrease) and 1035 fewer cases of female gonorrhea (39 percent decrease) from 2004-2009.

The FAQ section also asks the question “has anyone asked the women what they want?” My fellow workers and I have reached out to this organization over the past 2 weeks, desperately trying to make our voices heard. We tell them that we are happy with our chosen careers and that we do not want to lose our jobs, but they are not listening, and continue to push their moral agenda onto us.

As a licensed prostitute and PhD student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, I can tell you that what I want is to continue to have the freedom to choose to work in a safe environment, where I can practice a trade that I love, lawfully and prosperously. Sex work is definitely not my last resort or my only option — it is my choice. I’d like to continue to have the opportunity to make that choice legally.

If you really care about us, just listen to us.

Despite the fact that brothels have been open in Nye County for over 40 years, a county commissioner is now questioning whether they should continue to exist. In a county meeting last week, commissioner Lorinda Wichman stated “Staff is looking into what it is costing the taxpayer to have legalized prostitution in Nye County. I asked them to compare what it is costing us to what we receive. My curiosity is to whether or not taxpayers of Nye County are subsidizing the brothel industry.” This was in the wake of the reinstatement of Dennis Hof’s license for Love Ranch which was wrongfully removed almost a month ago over a supposed violation which the state fire department ruled was non-existent. Love Ranch is back open for business, but now the very existence of the brothels is under fire. Has Wichman considered what will happen to the county without the brothels and all of the revenue that they bring in, and what about the working women and their families who will be out of a job? Has she considered the toll the illegal prostitution may take on her community, or the welfare and safety of women who may have no option but to turn to the street to work? Does the commissioner even care, or is this part of a political vendetta against Dennis Hof who is seeking the Republican nomination for Assembly District 36?

Since Wichman is curious about the numbers, here are some numbers she should take into consideration: In Nye County the brothels bring in approximately $140,000 per year just from the license fees and work cards. A substantial portion of this goes to the veteran’s association as well as local EMT services. While Clark County is losing money and resources by trying to combat illegal prostitution, counties where prostitution is legal are reaping the benefits. Brothels in Nevada serve approximately 400,000 clients a year and generate a profit of $35-50 million (Hausbeck, Brents & Jackson, 2006).

What about illegal prostitution, how does Nye County stack up to Clark County? An estimated 300-400 prostitutes are arrested each month in Las Vegas (Flowers, 1998). In 2009 there were 4484 arrests for prostitution in Clark County where it is illegal versus 1 in Nye county where prostitution is legal. Illegal prostitution in Las Vegas grosses approximately $5 billion per year versus the $35-50 million generated from the legal brothels (Flowers, 2011). It is estimated that up to 3,500 prostitutes are working unlawfully in the Las Vegas area at any given time (Brents & Hausbeck, 2007). The majority of arrests for sex offenses in Nevada, 77%, involve prostitution (Ruggieri et al 2007). In 2010 Nevada had the highest proportion of prostitution-related arrests in the entire US at 0.1384% with second being California at a significantly lower 0.0376% (Federal Bureau Investigation 2010). This is not the case in Nye County where prostitution is legal. However, if the brothels close, what does Wichman think will happen to the working women? Will they go on welfare? Will they begin working illegally?

The brothels also make great community partners. Every year the Nye County brothels take part in the “Bordello Poker Run” motorcycle event, and the brothels frequently take part in charitable events like the American Cancer Society Relay for Life.

If Wichman wants to test all of this with a vote, I urge her to do so; historically the people of Nye County have been supportive of the brothels, and Nevada voters in general are overall in favor of legal prostitution; they understand the benefit to the community. A 2011 poll conducted by Public Policy Polling found that the majority of registered voters in Nevada believe that prostitution should be legalized throughout the state, including 65% of Independents, 56% Democrats, and 51% of Republicans (PPP Report 2012).

Wichman is not only playing with peoples’ livelihoods but with their safety and welfare, and considering the numbers are not in her favor, I have to wonder what the true source of her curiosity springs from.

I’m a romantic. I am also a millennial. So when I decided I wanted to get married as a single, 20-something living in Los Angeles, I did what any good millennial would do and took to the internet. Surely I’d find my husband on one of these social dating apps: Tinder, Bumble, PlentyofFish. Recent research revealed that 19% of brides-to-be met their husbands online, so I figured my odds were good! Ah yes, soon I’d be jetting off to Bora Bora with my new hubby on our tropical honeymoon feeling exhilarated, secure, and totally in love.

I chose Tinder and started swiping. What would ensue were the single worst five dates of my entire life. It was like Tinder had recruited all the biggest assholes and crammed them into one tight space called the Tinderverse, aka My Nightmare. One guy invited me on a date to play pool, to which I arrived to find was actually a date with him and 10 of his closest friends. Once in a while, he’d remember I was there and would turn to me and whisper sweet nothings in my ear such as, “Do you have money for beer?” My tummy grumbling, he made up for his less-than-stellar start by inviting me to his house to share his homemade leftovers. How nice, I thought. He hopped into our Uber with a warm smile–that was directed at his friends because I was not inside the vehicle! He had unwittingly left without me while I took a short trip to the ladies room. Needless to say, he never got another date with me, although I don’t think he was interested in dating anyone but himself. The following four—and final—dates with different Tinderers were even worse. 

Lamenting my troubles to a gal pal, she told me of a magical place on the internet where the men were handsome, polite, successful, and no-nonsense. “Join a sugar dating site–you’ll definitely have better luck,” she cooed. I made my sugar dating profile the next day, and soon I was getting tons of messages from seemingly great guys: doctors, lawyers, and businessmen with hair that smelled of rosewater and sandalwood, and strong bodies fed exclusively by Whole Foods. I chose the moniker, “IdealWifey,” because I am, in that I’m nice, driven, and sexual; I will always be a team player, I’ll always make money for us, and I’ll always have a very healthy sexual appetite.  One of the greatest parts about these great guys was how great their pocket books were. I got caught up in the flash and the show of it all. One guy took me to the top of a skyscraper to a 4-star restaurant overlooking the entire city, feeding me hamachi crudo and foie gras terrine over our second glass of Duckhorn Cabernet 2014. Luxurious dinners were a regular affair, as were lavish shopping trips, fun vacations, and many exorbitant gifts. One even helped me buy a car.

I enjoyed the stimulating conversation and found their stories inspiring for my own business aspirations. I was offered business connections and future startup money. These guys believed in me! I was continuously impressed by the knowledge, power, and presence all these guys seemed to have in common; I definitely wasn’t in Tinder-land anymore. Soon I was flying all over the country to New York, Miami, Seattle, Chicago, going on vacations with my suitors, all expenses paid plus plenty of spending money, of course. 

All the men I met on sugar dating websites just wanted to treat me nicely, fuck my brains out and give me all their money. It was too good to be true. It seemed that I had opened a Pandora’s Box that I could not un-open. I was drawn like a drug. After a few months, it was clear to me that there lied a direct relationship between money and sex. I’d meet a guy, and if we had chemistry and I was horny, we’d have sex. I’m pretty much always horny, so this outcome was common.  Upon our goodbye kiss, he’d hand me a stack of cash and tell me to go pamper myself. If we didn’t have chemistry, I wouldn’t have sex and I’d leave empty-handed. It boggled my mind that normal guys, total law-abiding citizens with prominence in their communities, were totally okay with this. 

“Yes,” I realized, “all this ‘arrangement’ jargon is just a euphemism for ‘prostitution’.” My experiences were that of deep emotional connection, quality memories, great sex, and lots of money—some of my favorite things! I decided that if this is prostitution, then prostitution is awesome and I’m 100% for it. If these men that I respected and revered approved of prostitution, I reasoned, then I do too! Being the fiercely independent woman that I am, I wanted to go make my own money instead of waiting on a sugar daddy to give it to me. I also wanted to ensure my safety, as my trusting attitude could have gotten me into trouble if I had continued to meet strangers online. 

I wanted see what else this money/sex adventure had in store for my life. I called Moonlite Bunny Ranch in Nevada and applied for a courtesan position, a move I was a little apprehensive about because of the social stigma. What would my friends think? There is not a social stigma for sugar baby prostitution, but for some beguiling reason unbeknownst to me, as soon as you go legal and safe within the confines of a licensed brothel, society balks. I really hope I can help get the message out there that sugar dating IS prostitution, and also that prostitution really isn’t a big deal.  It can be fun if you have the personality for it, as well provide an invaluable opportunity that will serve as a springboard towards future successes.

So yes, sugar dating introduced me to prostitution, and now I’m one of the top earners at the most famous legal brothel in the world. Thanks sugar dating!

With the financial freedom I have garnered from sex work, I’ll be able to pay off my college loans and start a business next year, goals that would have been 10+ years away from feasibility if I hadn’t accidentally discovered sex work. I enjoy emotional connection, great conversation, and sex, and I get all of this at work. As a sexually progressive person, I assign no morality to the number of sexual partners one has; I think people should do what they want with their own bodies and be happy. I looked inside myself and found that Bunny Ranch makes perfect sense for me at this point in my life. It’s a personal choice that aligns with my morals, values, and goals. For now, I have put off the mission of meeting The One so that I can achieve my goals, but there’s ample time for love later, and I’ll be better equipped to start a family post-Bunny Ranch because I already have a nest egg.

The future looks so bright! I wouldn’t change a thing about the way things unfurled. Sometimes life is strange, but you just have to follow your heart and everything else will work itself out!