Is the Party Over for Nevada’s Legal Brothels? Possibility of a Ban Looms
Referendum measures, if passed, would outlaw nine bordellos in two Nevada counties as women’s advocates take on working conditions for prostitutes
Dennis Hof owns six of the nine legal bordellos that could be banned if a Nevada ballot initiative passes in November. Mr. Hof, a candidate for the state legislature who won the June 12 Republican primary, is seen outside Love Ranch, one of his brothels. PHOTO: JOHN LOCHER/ASSOCIATED PRESS
MOUND HOUSE, Nev.—Nevada’s legal brothels have a new adversary: the #MeToo movement.
A coalition of women’s advocacy groups in Nevada has undertaken referendum initiatives against legal prostitution in Lyon and Nye counties, opposite corners of the state that are home to about half of the state’s brothels.
Lyon County commissioners voted on June 7 to place a nonbinding question on the November ballot on whether to ban prostitution at legal brothels and agreed to abide by whatever the public decides—effectively pre-empting the referendum initiative there.
With names like Love Ranch and Chicken Ranch, brothels have been legal or tolerated in much of Nevada for over a century and are as much a part of the Silver State’s image of sin and debauchery as gaming and bachelor parties.
The referendum measures, if passed, would outlaw nine bordellos in the two rural counties located a short drive from Reno and Las Vegas, where prostitution is illegal. Observers say the measures would serve notice to the state’s remaining 11 or so legal brothels that their days could be numbered, too.
A similar referendum on a ban failed at the polls in 2004 in Churchill County, but some industry supporters say the efforts this year have a chance to succeed.
Public sentiment appears to have turned against the brothels lately, these supporters say, in part because of the influx of newcomers from California and other states, and a growing desire to diversify the state economy beyond tourism. Another factor these people point to is increased concern over the treatment of women, brought to the fore by the #MeToo movement.
“The future of the industry is in definite jeopardy,” said George Flint, former lobbyist for the Nevada Brothel Owners Association and a ban opponent. “I would not put any money on that industry surviving.”
Dennis Hof, seen with some of the workers at the Moonlite Bunny Ranch in Mound House, Nev. One employee, Alice Little, far right, said she has earned as much as $100,000 in a month working at the brothel and is now financially secure. PHOTO: JIM CARLTON/THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Nevada began legalizing prostitution on a county basis in 1971, the only state to have done so. Seven of the state’s 16 counties have licensed bordellos; prostitution remains illegal in populous Clark County including Las Vegas, and Washoe County including Reno.
Women’s activists said they began seeking the bans last year after hearing about ongoing assaults of prostitutes at the brothels. “These are all areas of sexual harassment and assault within the workplace, which is why this is a part of the #MeToo movement,” said Melissa Holland, executive director of Awaken, a Reno women’s nonprofit that teamed with other groups to push for the referendums.
The groups said they began with Lyon and Nye counties because residents there approached them for help in pursuing brothel bans.
There isn’t any public-opinion polling on the issue, said Eric Herzik, chairman of the political-science department at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Two former prostitutes, in interviews, told of drug use and occasional assaults by customers at the legal brothels. “The girls deal with terrible treatment in there,” said Rebekah Charleston, 36, who says she is a former prostitute who worked at Nevada brothels.
Several brothel operators, employees and industry supporters deny that workers are mistreated or that drug use is tolerated. The operators said they have been singled out unfairly. Prohibition would simply drive prostitution underground, they said, exposing workers to more dangers than they currently face under state control. Legal prostitutes at present must undergo regular medical exams, and condom use is required.
Frederick Fabian, manager at the Desert Club brothel in Battle Mountain, Nev., which hasn’t been targeted for a ban, said illegal prostitution is a dangerous profession while legalized prostitution isn’t. “The cathouses and brothels are regulated by the county sheriff and the health facilities,” he said.
Brothel supporters say the businesses provide millions of dollars in economic stimulus to surrounding areas, while offering prostitutes a safe place where they can earn, in some cases, a lot of money.
Dennis Hof, owner of six of the nine bordellos that would be banned, estimates his brothels generate $10 million in local economic benefits, including local taxes and consumer spending.
On Tuesday, Mr. Hof won a Republican primary bid for the Nevada state legislature against an unpopular incumbent. He said his establishments were targeted because he is running for office, an assertion state GOP leaders and the women’s groups deny.
Mr. Hof said that while not every prostitute makes a good living, many do, especially at his most famous brothel, the Moonlite Bunny Ranch, just outside Carson City.
One woman who works there as a prostitute and uses only her stage name, Alice Little, said she has earned up to $100,000 a month there and is now financially secure. “God, it’s the greatest job on earth,” she said.
Write to Jim Carlton at jim.carlton@wsj.com
