My name is Kourtney Chase. I wanted to reach out to all five Nye County commissioners personally and let you know how much this issue means to me.
I oppose the existing 24-hour lockdown rule in the County Code and urge you to repeal it completely so sex workers in Nye County brothels are free to come-and-go.
By keeping the 24-hour lockdown rule in place women will still not be allowed to leave the brothel premises except for Tuesdays from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm because of the way brothel policies are currently set up.
That is just as restrictive as the proposed 6-hour lockdown ordinance – which, I understand, you have now removed. Thank you for that.
It is in the best interest of the sex workers in Nye County brothels to completely repeal lockdown policies altogether. How can Nye County sex workers have a normal life – like being able to go to school or pick up their kids from daycare and tuck them in bed?
I have a 2-year-old boy who I feel deserves to have his mother come home at night.
Nye County has the most restrictive lockdown policy of all other counties. But you don’t see a skyrocket of STD transmissions in counties like Lyon which don’t lock women down.
In fact, it’s the opposite – which goes to show that lockdown is not necessary.
The study I referenced in a previous column on this issue shows that it is the mandatory use of condoms that protects the public from the transmission of STDs, not the testing itself.
Testing is simply a way to monitor our health so that if an STD is transmitted it is caught and treated sooner, since a lot of people do not show symptoms.
Also, let’s say I did go off the brothel premises for longer than 24 hours, had unprotected sex and contracted an STD – then came back to the brothel, which then made me re-test for being gone too long.
The medical fact is that’s far too soon for anything to show up on a test. It can take a week or two to test positive. You’re not going to have something show up the day after being exposed. Testing does not work like that.
All this 24-hour lockdown policy does is interfere with the ability of sex workers in Nye County brothels to have a normal life, cost us more money for testing (we pay for the tests out of our own pockets), cost us income while unable to work, and stigmatize us as dirty and untrustworthy third-class citizens.
My hope is that Nye County sex workers can be treated like human beings and people will realize we are someone’s daughter, sister, mother, and friend.
We have families and a life outside of our work at the brothel. Many have goals of obtaining a degree or opening a business. Lockdown policies interfere with the amount of freedom we have to be able to do those things or spend time with our loved ones.
I have included a picture of me and my son, Mel. I want you to see that I’m a real person.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. It truly means a lot to me.
Ms. Chase is a professional courtesan at the Chicken Ranch brothel in Nevada. Her views are her own.
