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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 21, 2019

NBA Statement on Introduction of Anti-Brothel Bill

(Carson City, Nevada) – In response to the introduction of Senate Bill 413, co-sponsored by Sens. Joe Hardy and Patricia Spearman, to outlaw legal brothels statewide in Nevada the Nevada Brothel Association issued the following statement…

“We have anticipated the introduction of this bill for several months now, so it comes as no surprise and we will actively oppose its passage.

“We find it unfortunate that Sens. Hardy and Spearman have decided to focus their attention on legal brothels where the public’s health and workers’ safety have been protected for almost 50 years now, and where the women who work there do so voluntarily and only after passing a vigorous FBI background check.

“We suggest that the Legislature’s time would better be spent concentrating on the real problem:  Illegal prostitution in the major metropolitan areas of Las Vegas and Reno where sexually transmitted diseases are common and where the horror of forced sex trafficking – including of underage girls – regularly occurs.”

To read the bill, click here

For more information, please visit www.NevadaBrothelAssociation.com

(Madam Dena) – The #MeToo movement is one of the most significant social and cultural movements of the 21st century thus far, ushered in by the throngs of women (and men) that broke their silence and shined a bright light on the sexual harassment issue in America.

One of the many positive impacts of the movement is the discussion it has generated surrounding how women have traditionally been mistreated in the American workplace. This discussion will hopefully lead to a positive and permanent shift in the workplace paradigm, allowing deserving women leaders to emerge where they were once suppressed and marginalized.

This discourse will also, I hope, allow women managers to openly discuss workplace models that cultivate a fair and prosperous environment for female workers – even when these models are representative of a non-conventional career choice, such as sex work.

I like to consider myself a self-made woman who grew up in a low-income household and had to struggle for every achievement. Working full-time at various positions in the political and entertainment sectors since the 1980’s, I’ve been intimately acquainted with just about every hindrance working women face – not the least of which was being overlooked for promotions and being paid far less than my male counterparts.

Thankfully, when I was a younger woman, I was noticed and mentored by more experienced female colleagues that helped teach me the management and people skills necessary to eventually attain a leadership position in a successful company and become the breadwinner of my family. That position?

I am currently a madam in a legal brothel in Nevada.

Sex work is a stigmatized field, so it’s no surprise that sex workers are often left out of conversations about women in the workplace. This is unfortunate, not only because there are so many women across this country that practice some form of sex work as a profession, but also because sex workers operating in legalized conditions are often among the most financially successful and self-reliant professional women in the United States.

At Sheri’s Ranch, the licensed brothel I manage, I believe that we have cultivated a workplace model where women providing sexual services can thrive in an environment that is fair, safe, respectful, and lucrative. Below are the reasons why I feel that a brothel, particularly one that is legal and legitimized, is an excellent example of a positive workplace for women.

Fair Pay

While Sheri’s Ranch employs men (and women) in support and management positions such as maintenance and operations, the primary role, that of sex worker, is exclusively held by the 150 or so female entertainers currently in circulation.

Aside from the money made from our restaurant, bar, hotel, and gift shop, the overwhelming majority of revenue is generated by the services provided by sex workers, obviously making these women the highest paid workers in the establishment.

These women split profits 50/50 with the house, so that the brothel can compensate support staff and management, and maintain the property, but nevertheless these women are by far the highest earners in their workplace.

All of the women working at Sheri’s Ranch are independent contractors that set their own prices based on how each individual sex worker values her services. While I may collaborate with these women and make suggestions that may improve their negotiation and sales skills, there are no constraints as to what a woman may charge and no limit placed by management on the value of a woman’s work.

Getting paid what we’re worth is a big issue for working women. The brothel’s solution: let the woman decide what her services are worth. Don’t put a limit on what a woman can ask for and you’ll discover that her clients will pay her what she desires.

Agency

Establishing an environment where a woman can essentially name her own price for her work isn’t enough. A woman also needs to know that she has a reasonable degree of control over her work and is empowered to make her own decisions.

It’s not only about what a woman chooses to do within her chosen profession but also her ability to choose what not to do. At the brothel, no sex worker is obligated to perform services with any client. All sexual activity is 100% consensual and women can refuse any customer at any time for any reason.

Additionally, many sex workers have families, businesses, or other obligations outside of the bordello, so the women have the opportunity to set their own schedules. As long as I have availability in my books, I can schedule a lady in a way that best suits her lifestyle.

Some women work at Sheri’s one week every quarter, others work upwards of three weeks out of every month. It’s all dependent on a woman’s personal preferences and what works best for her.

Female leaders

One of the biggest concerns for many women in the workplace is the profound shortage of women in management positions. In the event that an issue of any kind arises — not the least of which being a situation that makes a woman feel uncomfortable, such as perceived mistreatment or harassment — it’s important that a woman has a female leader to confide in.

This is a big reason why workplace diversity is so important – so that workers can identify with and reach out to leaders that authentically understand a worker’s concerns.

At Sheri’s, there is no shortage of women in management positions, from our shift supervisors to human resources personnel. A woman in a supervisory role is always available for sex workers to reach out to and confidentially confide in.

I often say that the brothel is my second family because a big portion of my responsibilities is being open and understanding, listening to my workers, and helping them navigate difficulties. Knowing that I’m there for them is very important to the women I manage, and their trust is something that I truly appreciate and take very seriously.

Respect

Of course, women need to be respected in any workplace, but I think that respect is doubly important in the sex work industry. I have a zero-tolerance policy for anyone that comes into the brothel and unfairly criticizes, insults, or demeans the sex workers or their customers.

While we very rarely have an issue with an unruly client or visitor, it’s important that everyone understands that just because a woman is a sex worker doesn’t mean that she can be treated like an object. These ladies are not playthings, they’re legitimate members of the American workforce providing a highly coveted service to people that genuinely yearn for and need intimacy.

Also, because sex workers (and women in general) have been marginalized for so long, it’s important to cultivate a workplace that encourages sex workers to express opinions and ideas that can positively impact day to day operations and, more importantly, to give credit to women that have been doing a great job.

Many managers, including myself, often take for granted the daily achievements of the people we supervise. I try my best to remember to recognize the amazing things the sex workers at Sheri’s are accomplishing every day.

These women, in the face of stigma, are pioneers in the incredibly successful 50-year legal prostitution experiment in Nevada. It’s too easy for us doing the day-to-day work to forget that these brave women are making history – and setting an example for why prostitution should be legalized throughout the United States.

Dena is the madam of Sheri’s Ranch, a legal brothel in Pahrump, Nevada, and a proud mother and grandmother

(Chuck Muth) – On Tuesday a hearing was held on AB166, a bill sponsored by Assemblywoman Jill Tolles (R-Washoe) to crack down on sex trafficking by people using otherwise legitimate businesses, such as massage parlors, as fronts for the illegal sex trade.

“We have identified there currently exists in the law a loophole that allows, for lack of a better description, franchises of slavery and human trafficking to occur,” Las Vegas police lobbyist Chuck Callaway told the Assembly Judiciary Committee.

“And the people that are running these businesses,” Callaway continued, “it’s very difficult under current language in the law to hold them accountable.”

It’s important to note that, as reporter Michelle Rindels pointed out, Assemblywoman Tolles “was explicit that the bill is not targeting Nevada’s legal brothels.”

That’s an important distinction, as many anti-brothel advocates disingenuously conflate the illegal sex trafficking of women against their will – often underaged – with women who freely choose sex work in Nevada’s legal brothels and are subjected to FBI background checks before being issued a work card.

It’s encouraging that Assemblywoman Tolles recognizes this critical difference and is focusing her attention on the real problem.

One day after the AB166 hearing, Assemblywoman Leslie Cohen (D-Clark) introduced ACR6; a resolution, as reported by Ms. Rindels, calling “for a study on the workplace conditions of Nevada’s legal brothels.”

If authorized, the study would be conducted by three members each of the Nevada State Assembly and Nevada State Senate who would examine over the next two years…

• “The extent to which the rules and working conditions in licensed brothels provide for the health, safety and general welfare of sex workers in licensed brothels”
• “The ways in which contracts between sex workers in licensed brothels and brothel owners and operators protect the physical and mental health of those workers”
• “The adequacy of oversight and regulation by the State and licensing and law enforcement units of local government with respect to the health, safety and general welfare of workers in licensed brothels”
• “Employment issues, including, without, limitation, the classification of sex workers as employees versus independent contractors”

The resolution directs the interim committee to consult with the local governments of counties that currently allow legal brothels, operators and workers of legal brothels, and law enforcement agencies.

It’s encouraging that the bill specifically includes actual brothel owners and workers in the study.  Too often in the past the first-person voices of those directly affected have been shut out of the debate.

The committee would be charged with the submitting a report with “recommended legislation” before the start of the 2021 legislative session.

The Nevada Brothel Association will be closely monitoring these two bills for the rest of the current legislative session and will keep you posted on developments.

Mr. Muth is Government Affairs Counsel to the Nevada Brothel Association

(Chuck Muth) – It’s been a busy week for Nevada’s legal brothel industry…

1.) The lawsuit to outlaw Nevada’s brothels

Ginger Allen of CBS News in Dallas, Texas reported on a federal lawsuit recently filed by a Texas woman named Rebekah Charleston who is seeking to wipe out Nevada’s law allowing brothels to operate legally in Nevada’s rural counties.

Charleston claims to have been forced into illegal prostitution, dating back to the late 1990’s, in a Dallas suburb and later set up shop in Nevada.  In her lawsuit, she claims her “pimp” forced her to work in a pair of Lyon County brothels – a dubious claim only recently raised that has yet to be confirmed or corroborated.

In addition, no record has been found indicating Charleston disclosed that she was being “trafficked” to either the local sheriff’s office – which would have issued her a work card after an FBI background check – or the brothels where she claims to have worked for a couple of weeks before re-locating to Las Vegas and returning to the illegal market.

There’s also no record of her reporting her claims of being trafficked in Nevada until many years after she was busted and jailed for tax evasion and bank fraud – neither of which has anything whatsoever to do with Nevada’s legal brothels.

How convenient…and suspicious.

One has to wonder why Charleston is focusing her time and attention on the legal brothel industry where women work voluntarily rather than on the illegal market which she claims victimized her against her will.

It’s a mystery.

2.)  The bill to outlaw Nevada’s brothels

Nevada State Sen. Joe Hardy (R-Clark County) is attempting to overturn Nevada’s decades-old brothel law and put all of the state’s legal courtesans and support employees on the street.  The BDR (bill draft request) is being co-sponsored by Democrat State Sen. Patricia Spearman (D-Clark County).

Sen. Hardy was interviewed this week by Sam Shad on the Nevada Newsmakers program and continued the opposition’s propaganda tactic of comparing illegal street prostitution to legal sex work in Nevada’s brothels.

When challenged by Mr. Shad – who pointed out that sex work in a legal brothel is far safer for workers, the clients and the public at large – Sen. Hardy then put forward a claim that the existence of legal brothels encourages illegal prostitution.

But that’s like saying the presence of legal pharmacies – and, for that matter, legal marijuana dispensaries – encourages the illegal drug market.  Yet we don’t see any proposals from Mr. Hardy to outlaw neighborhood drug stores or make marijuana illegal again.

It’s a mystery.

Two days later Mr. Shad interviewed Ruby Rae and Alice Little – two legal courtesans at the Moonlite Bunny Ranch brothel in Lyon County and ambassadors for the Nevada Brothel Association.

Ruby and Alice did a masterful job at shooting down Sen. Hardy’s paper-thin claims and made the case for why it should be an adult woman’s right to choose whether or not to work in a legal brothel.

Click here to watch both interviews.

3.)  The Patriots’ Owner and the Florida Massage Parlor

Aurora Snow of the Daily Beast wrote about the arrest of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft being arrested “in a prostitution sting on a South Florida massage parlor.”  And our own Nevada Brothel Association ambassador Alice Little is quoted extensively in the piece…

Courtesan Alice Little stresses the positive impact of legalized brothels and suggests if they were more widely adopted, they could bring clarity and enforce distinctions between sex trafficking and prostitution.

“Making sex work illegal doesn’t stop the need for human intimacy, it just sends those who need it underground. Instead of gangsters, criminalization creates pimps. Instead of speakeasies, criminalization creates massage parlors,” says Little.

“With legalization comes taxation to address social ills and a legitimate process for screening workers that keeps them clean, safe, and out of the hands of human traffickers,” she adds.

Working at the Bunny Ranch, one of Nevada’s several legalized brothels, Little has seen numerous affluent, famous clients treated with discretion, indulging without becoming a salacious headline.

Pondering why Kraft, who has the means, didn’t opt for a more secretive approach, Little theorizes, “If there was a restaurant several states away and you were hungry, it would be far more tempting to go to that place on the corner that doesn’t have a health inspection than it would be to fly in somewhere to eat.”

Why don’t more people see and accept the logic of Alice’s arguments?

It’s a mystery.

4.)  Throwing some sunshine on Clark County’s illegal sex trade

On Sunday the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that it’s been 745 days since it first began “asking for arrest reports, investigative files and other documents” from the Metropolitan Police Department related to the illegal prostitution market in Las Vegas and surrounding areas.

Metro, the paper reported, has “responded with endless rounds of arguments, obfuscation and outright refusal” to provide those records.

“Metro takes the position,” notes RJ editor Glenn Cook, “that the public doesn’t need to know how it enforces laws intended to combat a growing national problem with devastating consequences for young victims.”

What is Metro trying to hide by not releasing illegal prostitution arrest records?

It’s a mystery.

The RJ has had to sue Metro in its efforts to obtain these public records.  And last August the district court judge hearing the case said it “boggles my mind” that the police department has been blocking the records’ release, noting that Metro “has not complied or even come close to compliance” with the state’s public records law.

Perhaps Sens. Hardy and Spearman would be better advised to pass a law forcing Metro to disclose what it’s doing to combat the illegal sex trade rather than focusing on the comparatively non-existent problems in Nevada’s legal brothels.

By the way, the name of the district court judge is Joe Hardy Jr.

Sen. Hardy’s son.

5.)  On a far more cheerful and positive note

Reporter Amy Alonzo of the Fernley Leader-Courier did a story on Phil Wooley, a graphic artist employed by the Moonlite Bunny Ranch brothel in Lyon County.

It’s a wonderful story about how Phil is preparing to donate one of his kidneys to a man who was a complete stranger to him just a few short weeks ago.

“(W)hen he heard fellow Dayton resident David Mickelsen needed a kidney transplant,” Ms. Alonzo reports, “Wooley underwent tests to see if he was a match – and he was.

“In the seven years Mickelsen has been battling kidney failure, Wooley was the first possible match,” Ms. Alonzo continued.  “Mickelsen has been on dialysis for five years for kidney failure, and he also suffers from a benign brain tumor that, despite an operation and radiation, still affects him.”

And his time is running out.

Testing continues and is in the final stages…but so far, so good.  The surgery could happen very soon.  Fingers crossed.  This story deserves a happy ending!

That said, it’s simply unconscionable that while Phil is risking his own life to potentially save David’s life, by the time they both recover in about six months Phil could be out of a job thanks to Sen. Hardy’s bill.

Think about that.

Mr. Muth is Government Affairs Counsel to the Nevada Brothel Association

(Heidi Fleiss) – Why would a wealthy and powerful man like Robert Kraft allegedly pay for sex from women at a Florida strip-mall massage parlor? Don’t overthink it.

They do it because it’s sex. They do it because it’s convenient. They do it because it’s fast. They do it because it’s hassle-free. At least, until you’re caught.

Ever since New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was charged last week with two counts of solicitation of prostitution after the police obtained video evidence of him allegedly engaging in sex acts at a strip-mall massage parlor in Florida, people have been scratching their heads and wondering: Why would a man with wealth, power and prestige, who likely has women throwing themselves at him on a daily basis, go to a massage parlor? If he wanted sex, shouldn’t he have a madam — like me — or a number of beautiful women at his disposal?

People are overthinking it. Kraft, 77, allegedly went to a massage parlor because it was uncomplicated. The only problems are:

► It happens to be illegal.

► The women there were reportedly victims of sex trafficking.

► The two points above are closely linked.

There’s a problem that has led to this problem. We are a society tied in knots around sexuality and sexual pleasure. We all love it, but we have such specific, archaic rules around where and when we are allowed to feel it. If we had the same rules around happiness, there would be a revolution.

Prostitution is illegal — but at what cost?

For much of human history, men went not to illicit massage parlors for sexual pleasure but to temples. Prostitution was condoned by many religions. But as soon as religion became anti-sexuality and pro-chastity, prostitution became a sin rather than a service.

The point is, there is a cultural disagreement on whether prostitution is sacred or sinful. The more we repress something as a culture, the more it comes out sideways in individuals.

However, when it comes to sexual trafficking, we are all in agreement: It is morally reprehensible and a violation of basic human rights to force an unwilling person into sex.

Given that there always has been and always will be a demand for sexual services, we need to decide: At what cost are we making transactional sex illegal?

When you make something that is in demand illegal, you create an opportunity for people who live outside the code of law to make money out of it. Some choose to do this by subjugating others.

The laws in place now to supposedly protect people are hurting us and creating a bigger black market for sex. We have to change the law so there’s a substantial reduction in human trafficking. Here in Nevada, legal brothels do the community a service and they are regulated, inspected and taxed.

There are people who have a passion for the job, who consider themselves healers, who make high salaries and who have healthy relationships with themselves and others.

Protect sex workers, trafficking victims

I was the Match.com, Tinder and Grinder of my day. I made the transaction easy by cutting directly to everyone’s goals, without any of them having to endure the long and often dishonest song and dance that people do when dating. Among the people who were in my personal world at that time, I saw a lot more men and women hurt from dysfunctional relationships than from transactional sex.

And there is evidence that legalizing prostitution can reduce sex trafficking. For instance, New Zealand legalized prostitution in 2003. In a 2008 study, the New Zealand Ministry of Justice found no incidence of trafficking over the previous five years. Sex worker advocates also say the law made it easier for them to report abuse, and for law enforcement to make arrests for crimes committed against sex workers.

Human rights organizations like Amnesty International, the United Nations and Human Rights Watch have all advocated decriminalizing prostitution.

For those who are against prostitution, just like those who are against pornography, it’s fine to hold that opinion. Just don’t participate in it or pay for it. But don’t impose your rules and values on the rest of us. There are 7 billion people on this planet. And a certain percentage of them are always going to be willing to pay for sex.

So the reason why Robert Kraft went to a Florida massage parlor allegedly for sex is because he wanted to. It was there. Sometimes you want to eat a nice steak, and sometimes you want fast food. It was the fast-food equivalent of sex.

None of this diminishes or discounts his character. A person is not a fraud or a liar because he wants sex. Many people do, and that’s never going to change. What can change is the way we, as a society, police, regulate and legislate sexual pleasure.

Heidi Fleiss is the former Hollywood Madam and currently runs a macaw rescue in Nevada. This column was originally published by USA Today on February 27, 2019.  The views expressed are not necessarily those of the Nevada Brothel Association.

(Chuck Muth) – Lots of news stories about the federal lawsuit filed this week by anti-brothel crusader Jason Guinasso on behalf of former illegal prostitute and ex-con for bank fraud and tax evasion, Rebekah Charleston.

The target of the lawsuit is the State of Nevada.  The suit asks the federal government to step in and strike down Nevada’s law that allows the operation of legal brothels in a number of the state’s rural counties.

And while Guinasso has claimed in newspaper interviews that he’s representing Charleston “pro bono,” he asks in the suit for “reasonable attorneys’ fees, costs, and litigation expenses plus interest accruing thereon, in their favor at the maximum rate allowed by law.”

The same “we don’t win, you don’t pay” scheme of personal injury attorneys.  It also means if he does win, the taxpayers of Nevada will actually be paying his fees.  But that’s not all…

Guinasso is also demanding that Nevada create a $20 million “Sex Trade Exit Fund” ostensibly for the purpose of providing former sex workers “mental health services, rent assistant, job training, scholarships, funding for childcare, medical treatments, tattoo removal, etc.”

Not only would Nevada taxpayers be on the hook for this $20 million, but a Guinasso ally, Awaken Reno – which partnered with him on his failed effort to ban brothels in Lyon County last fall – would likely be a beneficiary of the largess.

Feather-bedding?

Meanwhile, Bree Zender of KUNR noted that the Mann Act, the basis for Guinasso’s claim relating to interstate commerce, was actually steeped in anti-black racism…

“The Mann Act – also known as the White Slave Traffic Act – became federal law in 1910 … In fact, in 1913, famed boxer Jack Johnson was the first person to be found guilty of violating the act after he allegedly transported a prostitute from Pittsburgh to Chicago. Many believe that Johnson’s case was racially motivated. [Johnson] was black and the woman, who some say was actually his girlfriend, was white.”

So where does the lawsuit go from here?

According to the process summons issued on February 25, 2019, the State of Nevada – including the Legislature, the Governor’s Office and the Attorney General – now have 60 days to respond.

In addition, Lance Gilman, owner of the Mustang Ranch brothel in northern Nevada, told the Associated Press that he “intends to file a motion to become a party in the lawsuit,” while the Washington Post reported that Mustang “has announced that it plans to file a motion to intervene in the lawsuit (and) become a full party to it as an intervenor and get the claim dismissed.”

“Guinasso’s actions will put thousands of women back into the hands of pimps working illegally,” Mr. Gilman said.  “His entire complaint is about illegal prostitution and trafficking, which has no relationship to licensed brothels in Nevada.”

Indeed, as Amy Westervelt wrote, “Several women, who spoke with The Washington Post on the condition of anonymity to protect their safety, said they feel safer at the brothels than they would as independent sex workers.”

“Gilman,” the AP reported, “said Guinasso would be better off trying to help illegal prostitutes escape from their pimps, working to outlaw the distribution of handbills on the Las Vegas Strip for illegal prostitution services and cracking down on illegal sexual services at massage parlors.”

Meanwhile, Miranda Wilson of the Las Vegas Sun reported that Republican Nevada State Sen. Joe Hardy has introduced a bill to outlaw legal brothels statewide.

Wilson’s article notes that while Charleston claims to have been “trafficked” through a pair of Nevada’s legal brothels, Gilman argues that “it isn’t the legal brothels’ responsibilities to determine whether a prostitute is being coerced into working.”

“The brothels cannot be the clearinghouse,” he said in an interview. “They cannot be the law enforcement group.”

Indeed.  If, as Charleston alleges, her “pimp” sent her to work in a legal Nevada brothel, and she failed to disclose that to the sheriff who issued her a work card or the brothel where she allegedly worked, how was anyone supposed know?

It should also be noted that Charleston claims she wasn’t making enough money in the legal brothels, so her pimp allegedly pulled her out and sent her to Las Vegas where the illegal and unregulated market was more lucrative, even though far more dangerous.

But the real heart of the matter is this: Even if Charleston was “trafficked” into legal brothels without the knowledge of law enforcement or the brothels themselves, that doesn’t mean the vast majority of other women who choose to work there are doing so against their will.

As Cherry of the Mustang Ranch explained to the Washington Post…

“I pay for my mother’s chemotherapy. And I grew up in a bad area with a bad school system, and the first step to getting out of poverty is to go to a better school. So I pay for my younger sister’s schooling, too.

“If something happened and this place shut down, most all of us would still be doing this work, but we’d be pushed to the streets, to hotels, to strip clubs selling ‘extras,’ and things would happen to us. Statistically, things would happen to us and it would be awful.”

Exactly.

At the very least, folks such as Guinasso and Sen. Hardy should visit the legal brothels and speak with the adult, consenting women who work there, such as Cherry, and get their first-person perspective on the work they’ve chosen to do.

Listen to THEM.  And then live and let live.

Mr. Muth is president of Citizen Outreach, a limited-government grassroots advocacy organization, and government affairs counsel to the Nevada Brothel Association