Here are some tidbits on why we need this lifestyle to be decriminalized…not legalization.
Well I want to say a few things about the legal Nevada brothels. I am not sure if any of your readers are providers but if there are any who read it they need to know a few things about the houses in Nevada.
First you have to register with the Sheriffs office. There is no privacy. You give up anywhere from 65% to 85% of your money to the house, government, IRS and the new prostitute tax the state is now charging.
After your airline tickets, clothing, full price drinks and other misc. Fees you leave with little. To top it off, you are treated like a work horse and fined for just about everything. Fall asleep on you 14 hour shift at Old Bridge now named the new Mustang and get $100 fine, late for a line up, leave early etc… $100-500 in fines.
The way the girls get treated by the madams is sad and uncalled for. There are so many guys who only want to pay $150-$200 and the girls are forced to take the party when after the taxi cut of 20-30%, house cut and room fees they get only around $40.
We still have to pay weekly doctors fees and taxes on top of that! I can say that I tried 2 houses and I just didn't have it in me to stay. I was happy for the education and I learned more than most about safe sex. I am grateful for that. I just cannot see working myself like that for so little.
Many of the women in those houses are lacking spirit and are quite sad. Men are called tricks and there is much bitterness. It is not uncommon for men to leave unhappy and feeling bad about what they did. I had one guy say he felt worse than he did when he came in after his session. Its the turn them and burn them method that makes all involved feel bad.
The women have to see as many "tricks" a night as possible to make any money at all. The brothel owners are worse than any pimp. They abuse and imprison women and are fully protected by the state. I thought brothels were a wonderful idea before I knew what they are all about. Now I can't believe how that sort of business is acceptable and legal when it seems it is the most harmful of all.
Teri
Working In Nevada
by Laura Anderson
Source: http://www.bayswan.org/Laura.html
Many people think that a legal brothel system, similar to the state of Nevada's is the best way to allow prostitution to operate. Speaking as a former Nevada brothel intimate, current self-employed call girl, and sex worker advocate, I would like to inform others of the disadvantage to prostitutes created by this system. From 1986 to 1991, I worked at four different brothels in Northern Nevada. Two of them were large, well known houses. I met other women who had worked the state's brothels extensively, and certain common conditions prevailed which were disadvantageous to us.
By Nevada statute, the only prostitute can legally work is in the brothels. Due to intentional default, the state and brothels retain an unfair advantage in regulating the working women. Under this system, prostitutes give up too much autonomy, control and choice over their work and lives. Because prostitutes
are not allowed to work independently, or outside the brothel system, Nevada has essentially institutionalized third party management with no other options. While the brothel owners love this profitable solution, it can be exploitative and is unnecessary. Prostitutes are usually quite capable of transacting their own businesses without interference.
Even though the brothels consider prostitutes to be independent contractors (convenient and less costly to them than employee status), the prostitutes do not have the control or freedom that independent contractors or sole proprietors have. If they decide to refuse a customer, management must be provided with what it deems an acceptable reason. Some "customers" should certainly be avoided at all costs. They might be rude, rough, or drunk, want too much for their money, have an attitude problem, or just simply be jerks. I don't think anyone should have to provide sexual services to men like that. Yet, many of the brothels put the burden of proof on the prostitute. She must justify her right to refuse business, even though she loses money herself by doing so. The prostitute is the best judge of who is eligible for her services, and she should be able to decide that without feeling pressured by a third party. Throughout Nevada, the standard percentage kept by the house per transaction is 50%. The brothels charge additional for room and board and several of them have the prostitutes supplement the house employee’s income by giving them required tips. This mandatory tipping can start at a minimum of $18 per day in the larger brothels. This is an effective way for the house to minimize its labor costs.
Another problem with the Nevada system is the restrictions imposed on prostitutes' freedom. They are required to live in brothels while they work there. 12 to 14 hour shifts are usually imposed and any plans to leave the premises of these establishments must be approved by management or a prostitute may forfeit her job or money. At most of the brothels I worked at, we weren't allowed to read books while waiting for customers in the parlor. If business was slow, this could mean a long, boring shift and a waste of valuable time.
Mandatory STD testing and sheriff department registration are also required. The houses discourage and in many cases forbid prostitutes to see doctors of their own choosing. My experience with the house doctors has often been rushed, inadequate exams for inflated prices; some even exhibiting a patronizing or sexist attitude! HIV testing is done on a monthly basis even though many health professionals say that testing twice a year is adequate. The people most concerned about the health of the prostitutes are the prostitutes, not the brothel owners, and certainly not the state, which imposes politically motivated and gender biased controls on prostitutes rather than holding customers equally accountable for their own sexual behavior.
Registering with the sheriff can be a conundrum, as fingerprints are sent to the FBI. If a woman is known to work as a prostitute, she is subject to various social and economic penalties such as being unable to get health insurance, discrimination in housing or future employment, or accusations of unfit motherhood. In several countries a known prostitute is not allowed to immigrate or her travel is severely restricted.
I am not opposed to brothels per se. They can be a good option, especially for less experienced workers who can benefit from the shared knowledge of other professionals. But when that is the only legitimate way a prostitute can work, she finds herself with no other way to conduct business legally, while the power of third parties over her is lopsidedly strengthened. This naturally leads to exploitative circumstances. Until the needs and desires of prostitutes are fully considered and included in any schemes legitimizing our profession, many of us will choose to work illegally rather than sacrifice values important to us like freedom, privacy, and control over our work, lives and bodies.
