#SexWorkFacts 101

• Sex work is legal in 10 of the 17 Nevada counties.

• Today there are 20 operating brothels in the state.

• Nevada is the only state in the U.S. where sex work is legal. The women I spoke with are not victims of sex trafficking.

• Sex work is illegal in Las Vegas.

• Brothel regulations include:

• Brothels must exist in counties with less than 700,000 people (Las Vegas is the only county these laws exclude).

• They must be located further than 400 yards from any church, school, or “principal business street” (NRS 201.380, Wolfe & Blithe, 2015, p. 544).

• The women obtain work cards that qualify them as independent contractors.

• These cards are “issued by the local police or sheriff’s office” and, in most cases, are the same as those issued to hotel and casino employees (Brents et al., 2010, p. 9).

• Working girls must also pass monthly blood testing and weekly testing for sexually transmitted infections (Wolfe & Blithe, 2015).

• The sizes of the brothels vary in size from hundreds of women contracted at a time, to only three to five (Wolfe & Blithe, 2015; Blithe & Wolfe, 2017).

The industry first came to fruition in the 1850’s when large deposits of silver were discovered in Virginia City, Nevada. This discovery attracted miners from across the country who were willing to pay for female companionship. It was during this time brothel boardinghouses began appearing throughout the state to fulfill this need (Wolfe & Blithe, 2015). When outsiders first hear of legal sex work today, many ask “how does this still exist?” According to Barbara Brents, Crystal Jackson, and Kathryn Hausbeck, “Nevada built a tourist industry on turning deviance into leisure” (2010, p. 2). It is this attitude that motivates and sustains the brothel industry today. There are also great tax benefits for the Nevada communities where brothels are located (Brents et al., 2010).

A Story of Katie's: The Role of a Madam in Nevada's Legal Brothels

I struggled for a long time trying to figure out how to best do these women and their stories justice. I visited with 11 women and each of them were extremely different. No one story was alike. When it came down to trying to figure out the best writing practice for this project I couldn't get over the fact that each of these stories could stand alone. This project has evolved over and over again. And, again, it is evolving today. Most recently, the thesis is ditching the academic world (for now) and going mainstream. I've stopped writing and am now focusing on writing a book proposal (!!!!). I can't believe it either.

As far as the project goes, not every story is going to be included in the greater piece (which I wish wasn't the case). BUT, I want there to be a space where those other stories, that are just as valuable and just as fascinating, are told. So here we go...

Katie was the first woman in the industry that I met. She is a madam (female manager) at one of the most successful brothels in the state. When I arrived, she greeted me with kindness but also a little skepticism. She was the epitome of "mama bear" if I've ever seen it. She was well dressed and put together. Katie introduced me to a few women and took me back to a large great room. It was impressive. I'll say it.

After a tour of the facilities, I sat down with Katie and one of the working girls, Wendy. She taught me the in's and out's of the industry and familiarized me with the expectations between employee and employer:

"This is just business. We are just business partners with the women here. If they work here and are going to go out in public, we expect them to be law abiding citizens. And then as business partners, we provide this legal umbrella for them to work under and so we provide 24 hour security, housekeeping, chefs, bartenders, maintenance, everything. They're the product and their room is the storefront. I expect them to make a ton of money. They better be making a lot of money or I'm not doing something right!"

Background to the "legal umbrella": The women are registered with the state as independent contractors, therefore, they set their own pricing and have some additional flexibility. Brothels also vary in size and the number of women contracted at a time might vary from 2-3 to two or three hundred. Also, they really do have all of the amenities she mentioned! I was surprised too.

Katie has worked in the industry both legally and illegally before working her way up to madam. She takes great pride in this role and when I asked her if she was proud to be the madam of that particular brothel she responded with, "very."

Katie was incredibly open throughout our conversation and gave invaluable insight into the industry. What struck me most was her love for and desire to assist the women working at the brothel. As she stated,"In my heart and soul I want these ladies to change their lives."

I don't think I expected a brothel to try and nurture and sustain a healthy workplace environment. She was genuinely concerned with the well-being of her employees. She views legal sex work as a temporary stepping stone to the next thing. Whatever that "thing" may be. Which is something she never did.

Katie left mid-way through my time at the brothel but left a lasting impression on my experience and interpretation of what brothel life and the role of the madam is like. She was the first to introduce me to an industry I so misunderstood. There are a lot of things I still wrestle with about this whole concept but Katie's introduction and tour of the 5-star facilities was incredibly influential and one that I give a lot of credit to.

A Story of Robin's: A Sex Worker in Nevada's Legal Brothels

I found this note written on one of my articles about identity earlier today. It pretty much sums up everything I’ve been thinking and feeling about school work/thesis lately. I was planning on waiting until I felt like I’d really grasped these stories before I shared some of them but that’s not as fun and there’s a lot to comprehend so here’s one of my very favorites, a first of many stories from my trip:

“When I was in high school, I would basically give sex away for free because that’s how I thought I was gonna get a boyfriend. Then after awhile it wasn’t workin.’ It was then when I sat at my first brothel and the first time I got picked I was like, “You’re gonna pay me for this? And you think I’m funny? And you think I’m pretty?” And I thought, “This is like taking candy from a baby! This is so easy! Wow!” And then it actually built my self-esteem. You would think it would do the opposite right? It would cut you down? It made me feel like, “Oh my god, these guys are pickin’ me and they think I’m pretty. Wow!” Never did I ever expect to feel this way. Ever.”

This story is from a woman named Robin (that’s not her real name #anonymous ) who had been in the industry for over 15 years. It’s one of my favorites. Prior to the trip, I had a lot of expectations for what confidence and self-esteem could and would be rooted in and for her to stand there so proud yet so open and honest was incredibly eye opening. Her story really flipped all of my prior understandings about this work on its head. Robin was one of the first interviews I did and she really welcomed me with open arms. Rereading our conversation is one of my favorite parts of processing all of this info. She provided such delicate insight into the work and this little bit has really stuck with me. Honestly, all of this gets better everyday.