HUGE differences. First, to legalize something you have to have a new law about it. In places where prostitution is legal, there are so many laws surrounding it. The license is just one. Ask anyone who has worked at a NV ranch. There are so many regulations surrounding it that it makes it unappealing to most people- hence the larger illegal part of the business in the bigger cities where it isn't legal. There are laws about medical testing, where the workers can be and during what hours, and lots of other stuff.

Repealing laws means that someone can't be arrested for it, unless there are surrounding circumstances.
http://prostitution.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000114

would it change what you're already doing?

I stipulate that it would NOT dramatically change the actions of clients and paid escorts alike.

Clients: Those that are married would still slink around in the shadows at night to the incalls of their favorite escorts.

Paid escorts: Advertising would remain the same more or less. It's not like their websites or ads currently leave anything to the imagination with regards to their activities and services. Maybe they no longer have the need for that lengthy disclosure that you have to agree to before entering their sites.

I surmise that just enough stigma surrounding prostitution would remain so that only the most brazen (or without remorse) would open flaunt their prostitution activities once it was legalized.

Just look at where it is legal - Nevada - well in parts of Nevada anyway.  

The vast majority of guys who see hookers in Nevada are not going to the legal brothels.  

If it were legalized it would be soooooo fucking regulated that it would be such a pain in the ass to comply with all of the regs.  

it may or may not change it anything around  marketing. It just depends on how it is legalized. It is Germany type legalization or Canada type legalization - big difference there. And the devil is in the details.

However, if prostitution is legalized, it would mark as a huge social change in our culture. Mind goes back to a handful of events dating back to the 19th century.

1. Freeing of the Slaves in 1860s
2. Women being able to vote in 1920s
3. Civil Rights Act of 1960s
4. First Black President.

It is rather sad that we are the only western nation where prostitution is a crime (in most of the states at least).

-- Modified on 5/6/2012 10:47:22 AM

Prostitution is illegal, but paying a woman for her time is not, so what's the problem?

I'll add "Prohibition" and "the Repeal of Prohibition" to your list.

Culture has a lot to do with how society operates, acceptable and unacceptable behavior. For example, I was in Depok, Indonesia four years ago for something that was related to the job. Anyhow, I stayed there for a month, and don't recommend going back. First, it is a Muslim country, they are not radical Muslims, and they were very nice, courteous, and show a lot of hospitality to foreigners. Anyhow, I couldn't find a damn liqueur store anywhere in Depok, and Depok is a major city. They don't serve alcohol even in restaurants. So, I had to drive to Jakarta, another major city, and found one liqueur store, and they only serve that inside, and I couldn't purchase it to take home.

Anyhow, a society's culture does affect how it operates. This country is founded on "God", look at your dollar bill, what does it say? "God we trust". Those messages still hold on strong today. I'm not a religious person, but, when there is a majority of the population that have certain ideologies, then, it's difficult to convert them to the minority's ideology.

Look at places in Europe, they have naked news anchors on public television. Anyhow, I've come to accept it as is.

to pay taxes. It might get that total amount down though, but I for one would still pay the amount I do now and would NEVER publicly admit I was a hooker much less get a license to work...many women would do the same.

We just have to take baby steps towards it. 10th Amendment gives lot of power to the States. Look at Medical Marijuana.  Today 16 states and the District of Columbia have it legalized. Yes it takes time, and with enough political will it could be done.

Look at history.

US Mann Act. They wrote that because they were upset with that boxer Jack Johnson taking providers across state lines.

Watergate - It was about prostitution.

When they get guys like the ex governor of NY Elliott Spitzer.

LE uses it to justify existence of VICE departments.

Recent Secret Service scandal...

1. Legalize.
2. Tax like any other industry.
3. And balance the fking budget.

Give me 20 years people. I will lobby the hell out of Congress and get it done. Mark my words.

You (London) are an independent and need to protect your private info but many others work for agencies or indies that are more concerned about getting prosecuted for tax evasion (think Al Capone). (Tax filings are private; under job, you just say "Escort" or "Model" or "Entertainment" or something else that explains the cash income.) To stay in business as a LEGALIZED entity, those agencies would start paying taxes or be taking a big risk. Then, us guys could get fucked by the girls AND the government at the same time!

I think legalized prostitution is a big plus: tax revenue, protection for the providers, protection for the guys.

I gotta agree with London. It will just add a layer of bureaucracy into the whole industry. Currently, it is working 100% smoothly, for what I can at least expect, and there seems to be nothing that needs correction (or needs to be gained by being legalized).

You can hire a math tutor who cannot resist your lure and ends up giving you a bj during the session. The tutor does NOT need a separate legislature just to point out what "further" rights he/she has. Hell we just need to repeal laws that illegalize prostitution and no need to legalize it.

would stop many from staying illegal. I mean most are already ripping the government off and doing it illegally...why would they not continue? If you are greedy, you stay greedy no matter what lol. Taking away the criminal aspect is the only positive I can see. No one wants to be regulated on who they are fking, and I would quit if it ever became mandatory that I had to register to be a hooker. Just because it became legal won't stop the stigma.

You guys think blacklist sites are bad now? There would be nothing stopping people from putting your name everywhere knowing you could only be busted by your wife. I do think it would help with the robs and assaults, being we could easily report these things to the police, but I don't think I would be taking some dude to court for shorting me some money..most women wouldn't either. The humiliation is worse than losing the damn money.

It just takes away the discretion aspect and puts us too much in the open, thus making getting a real job in the future even harder. This is not something people want to know about the new CEO they hire to run their business. It will never change, and companies will not hire any differently. They do not consider hookers being able to operate with integrity or honesty because we are already breaking the law.

Hello Folks,

Legalizing prostitution will do the following:

1. Make the business a taxable entity.
2. Providers can now get the proper medical care without any kind of public ridiclule.
3. Make the provider businesses be held accountable for their practices.
4. Hobbyists will now have a legal way of recourse of the services and/or practices are not up to acceptable standards.
5. Provider businesses will be regulated by the state government based mainly on #1 and #4.
6  Law Enforcement will be able to refocus their resources on major crimes.
7. Provider business advertising and marketing will be found in mainstream marketing schemes, much like the dreaded attorney marketing are being done these days.
8. Married men will have additional options in regards to finding providers.

Serpius

Agreed. This is EXACTLY why I don't think much would really change if prostitution were to be legalized in the US.

In other words, I don't think parents would be too overjoyed if their little girls said to them "Mommy, I WANT to be a hooker when I grow up." I don't think parents would brag to their friends "Hey guys! My daughter's a hooker!"

The stigma attached to prostitution would be alive and well, regardless of whether prostitution were legalized or not.

I would NOT go so far as to say that it's working 100% smoothly. Clients and paid escorts (as well as agencies) still get arrested, indicted, and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. If you don't believe me, go visit your local LE office and inform them of your last paid visit to an escort for sexual purposes and see what happens.

Powerful "weapon" directed at whom exactly?

I'll add "Consumer Reports will start putting out 'Best Value Paid Escorts' by categories to their annual publications" to your list.

... paid sex is going to become legal is with a Supreme Court Case such as the one that struck down anti-sodomy laws.  It is politically impossible to get politicians at almost any level to vote FOR prostitution.  

I have often thought that a well crafted legal case might do the trick.  The basis would be that the state has no business judging a person's motivation for having sex.   What is the difference between the women (and we have all known them) who will have sex on a date given enough money has been spent and an honest woman who simply wants the Benjamins?  

This does not mean that activities such as streetwalking and open soliciting, teen hooking, human trafficing, pimping, etc would be legal.  Even I think the state has a right to prohibit that, but that discrete appointments with providers would be none of the government's business.  

mvr

that people are concerned about will disappear with time, but can only happen when its legalized first...

Think about views people had about homosexuality and cohabitating in the 50s and 60s.

-- Modified on 5/6/2012 1:45:35 PM

There are several apparent differences:

1. Advertising - I don't know too many golddiggers who have their own websites or advertise on Backpage or Craigslist.
2. Exchange - Paid escorts are directly exchanging sex for money, for all practical intents and purposes. With gold-diggers, the exchange is indirect, with bought goods serving as an intermediary between money for sex.
3. Frequency - Golddiggers tend NOT to see men in back-to-back appointments whereas paid escorts often times will.
4. Reviews - Golddiggers don't have reviews on TER whereas paid escorts do.

Agreed, the social stigma of prostitution will lessen with time after it is legalized. But it will take a long time. I wouldn't say homosexuality is completely without stigma yet.

It beats Australia being founded by cons and ex-cons from England.

But I agree with Prepkid that eliminating the laws making it illegal would change that. It's been done in some places- I think New Zealand and Australia somewhere. The people working feel safer and work better with the police.

And London is right- if you "legalize" it, I don't see thousands of us running to our local authorities to become card-carrying providers. As was mentioned, in Nevada you still hve a big part of it operating illegally because of just that.

I like the way it is now. I just want to get on with my business and lead my life privately. I don't need bureaucracy in my panties. (or thong) But taking away the criminality would meke it a whole lot better.

I agree, Curly. Medical marijuana and gay marriage rigths are both worthy models of how it can be done. And that texas lawsuit where they got rid of the law about sodomy (?) was also encouraging.

I agree here too. Like marijuana for arresting the lefties. But that's changing so maybe there is hope.

And interracial marriage.

There is NO difference between legalizing something and repealing laws that make something illegal.

Posted By: SoftlySarah

But I agree with Prepkid that eliminating the laws making it illegal would change that. It's been done in some places- I think New Zealand and Australia somewhere. The people working feel safer and work better with the police.

And London is right- if you "legalize" it, I don't see thousands of us running to our local authorities to become card-carrying providers. As was mentioned, in Nevada you still hve a big part of it operating illegally because of just that.

I like the way it is now. I just want to get on with my business and lead my life privately. I don't need bureaucracy in my panties. (or thong) But taking away the criminality would meke it a whole lot better.

All good for the GDP.

I will take issue with one of your assertions: "gold diggers" do advertise on sugardaddy websites, and on personals sites. And in response to number 2, most gold diggers get allowances as part of their arrangements.

But it's legal there in some places... so does it really beat it?

Well yeah of course there are people getting caught and all. I just meant that in terms of what I have to deal with, with precaution, I am 100% satisfied with it. (Since it is technically legal.)

The outside world would still view guys as pathetic and the women as damaged, used up goods. You can't compare a "choice" to being gay as to them it is not something they chose to be. They think and truly believe they are born gay, and there is nothing to regulate about that. The only reason Gay Marriage was such a big deal is because you can't expect a religion to change its beliefs to suit you...church and state should always be apart. Under the eyes of God that most believe in gay marriage is wrong, so why would anyone want to marry in a church that thinks they are doomed to hell? I certainly would not.

Prostitution and homosexuality are like comparing apples and oranges...the stigmas are entirely different. We chose to get paid for sex, but they did not choose to be gay. The stigma will never be lessened because of a piece of paper saying it is legal. Companies will still discriminate in hiring if they find out you are or ever were a hooker...not so much if you're a client because it is always a double standard. The guy gets a slap on the wriste...Vitter, Spitzer, etc. and the women involved end up with a Scarlett letter or dead in some cases.

-- Modified on 5/6/2012 8:55:25 AM

-- Modified on 5/6/2012 9:06:39 AM

little to do with laws. and moreso with that culture being more open about sex in general. Legalized hooking is just a product of their culture, not the cause of it.

-- Modified on 5/6/2012 9:27:02 AM

drive women in herds to run out and be hookers. Getting arrested for a simple misdemeanor is NOT the main reason so many women are not here...it is having respect for themselves and thinking this is a disgusting way to make money. It is also to do with self preservation and not wanting to be viewed as "used up." Making it legal would not save them from being humiliated or being refused employment at a corporate job, so there is no "more competition" to consider. The women coming into the business just because it is legal, would not be the cream of the crop as those women would still prefer to remain under the radar and discreet. You might have a new line of crack heads, but that's about it.

High end ladies would still pull the same money they do now, because being exclusive is their main selling point in addition to being masters at their craft. They take being a hooker seriously in all aspects, not just the legal one.  Any woman can enter the business and spread her legs, but it takes more than that to gain a reputation for service, promptness, and TCB skills. My guess is the new breed would not be held accountable as they would not take being a provider seriously. The only reason they would enter would be to make quick cash, then split with no regard for clients or fellow providers.

-- Modified on 5/6/2012 9:35:22 AM

You're WRONG again. Take how Prohibition was repealed in the US. Even though the laws prohibiting the  manufacture, transportation and sale of alcohol and alcoholic beverages was repealed, people could STILL be arrested for failure to have an alcohol license.

Again, there is NO difference between between legalizing something and repealing laws that make something illegal. You will ALWAYS have to contend with a modicum of bureaucracy.  Being "free" is not as simple and paperwork free as some would have you believe.

Actually, I could envision a time in the distant future where prostitution in the US would lose its stigma (and I do mean DISTANT).

The Europeans have a pretty relaxed view of sexual relations among young adults and teenagers in general. I have many European colleagues who are quite comfortable with the knowledge that their 17 year old daughters are sleeping with their boyfriends.

While that attitude among American parents is not exactly "mainstream", it's not completely verbotten either.

While some golddiggers may have their own websites or advertise on sugardaddy sites, it is not as widespread or prevalent as those that deal with paid escorts.

Yes, golddiggers may get "allowances". But those allowances typically mean that the golddigger is NOT allowed to see other men. The same cannot be said for paid escorts, who are free to see whomever they please.

When a paid escort is able to score a sugardaddy by agreeing to be "faithful" and forgoing all other men during their "relationship", then she is no longer a paid escort and has "graduated" to golddigger status (I'm thinking of Vivian at the end of Pretty Woman here).

Of course it does.

The Puritans chose to go to the US of their own free will to escape religious persecution back in Europe. The Australians had NO choice and were sent to Australia by way of being members of a PENAL COLONY, thanks to the British monarchy.

So yes, it does really beat it. It's not even close.

There's plenty of providers that will pretend to be prostitutes. Good enough for me.

Prostitution is legal in several rural counties in Nevada, but only in the form of "brothels".  Escorting outside the brothels is still illegal across the entire state of Nevada.  So one of the points that I'm making is that if a state like Nevada cannot legalize prostitution statewide, do you really believe that prostitution will ever be legalized in other parts of the good ole' USA?  Nope, I highly doubt that will ever happen!  I also believe that the Nevada brothels would be history, if those rural counties where they are legal had other source to replace the revenue that those brothels generate through taxes, licenses, and tons of other fees.

Having gotten my start in the hobby many years ago at the Nevada brothels, I've had the opportunity to see first hand how their legal system works and if by chance other states do adopt some form of legalized prostitution, heaven forbid if they use the Nevada brothel model!  The only positive aspects are that the ladies are tested regularly for STDs/HIV and you don't have to worry about your physical safety.

...but to answer the OP's hypothetical question ...I don't think the way that the providers and hobbyist conduct business will change too much if things were legal (preferably decriminalized).  Although, it would be less stressful for all, since we would not have to worry about LE and sting operations targeting our hobby.  It should also make the hobby safer for all and perhaps LE will be able to concentrate on reducing real crime.

Last night myself along with 50 close female escorts called into CNN. We also tweeted when the famous brothel madam of the two legal brothels was on last night discussing "Prostitution". It's time for this profession to become legal. First of all a legal call-girl should either be 18yrs of age or 21years. Second let her register with the local courthouse as a provider of adult services. Secondly allow a female,male or trans-sexual provider be tested monthly. If you are registered with the local courthouse then you can be issued a similar i.d card with photo. To keep that licence active on a monthly basis you must under-go a pap-smear,blood and urine screening. If the local VICE cops set up a sting to catch un-licensed call girls then so be it. Then allow them to be booked and outed as criminals. Besides you must have a driver's license to operate a motor vehicle..? Correctly similar to a doctor,lawyer and professions that is governed state wide. I personally feel that the Street walker's should work in a red-light district or a legal brothel. The down side to a brothel is standing in line and being selected. What if it's a guy your not attracted too? I am very picky myself and chemistry is vital,if not get lost. Don Lemon stated that america's morality system would be screwed up. Also again the same dreaded stereotype that we are all un-educated,sleazy,drug addicted,working with pimps and we are laden with disease. There is more risk in the porn industry even though they bash us. This topic will sure heat up and I saw bravo to Australia. It's legal there and soon it will be here in 5years.?

While I don't necessarily disagree with you, I never thought I'd see in my lifetime events such as the Berlin Wall being town down, The World Trade Towers in NYC being obliterated, and a black man being elected President of the United States by the majority of the US population (and not just an Electoral College victory).

Perhaps I will live to see the day where one can walk into a McDonalds and order a Big Mac and blonde paid escort to go.

the more we live on earth the more fked up the future generations are lol. Pretty soon incest will also be accepted, and some have even proved it right here!

I think you hit the point.  LE spends some amount of time on sting operations, and busting escorts who advertise on the internet.  We all have to do this dance to prove we are not LE.  If they simply changed to the Canadian laws, where what is said and done in private between two consenting adults is off limits and PRIVATE, that would go a long way into making it safer for everyone.  Let LE spend their time on REAL crime!

LE should bust traffickers of minors and pimps who abuse women. Those women should be able to go to LE (as the woman in Columbia was able to do) when a customer breaks an agreement, or is abusive.  Today, the illegality makes women afraid of being arrested!

Sy

This is a hobbyist's site. I don't care about the other ramifications.

BTW ... condoms prevent minivans!!!

Yes, I completely agree with you that prostitution will become more accepted not because of it being legalized, but because American sexual values will change over a LONG time. In fact, I think it's because of this SLOW changing of American sexual values that prostitution will eventually be legalized.

My point is that IN PRIVATE, the reason a person has sex with someone is irrelevant and none of the State's business.    
The State, IMHO, may regulate manner and means of solicitation/advertising and and all the other public issues such as streetwalking etc.  
Frequency?  Give me a break!  When was the last time the cops raided a Frat Party where one or more girls was taking on everybody?

If prostitution was legalized…

It would probably change nothing for Providers (“TER style”) and “Hobbyists”

Legalizing prostitution is a touchy subject for the Legislator, indeed we should look beyond the “Glamorous High Class” prostitution ( with nice websites, photos, upscale incalls, “Agencies”, bookers etc…that represents 5-10%  “top of the prostitution pyramid”,

Authorities are more concerned about the 90-95% left, those who have no educational and job options to choose from…  prone to human trafficking and exploitation...

Indeed once prostitution is legalized, pimps/gangs will become legitimate businessmen (ordinary entrepreneurs)  and the predatory purchase of another person for sex is then a legitimate business transaction.
It would be “open house” for traffickers i.e.: under age prostitution, child prostitution, violence  and all kind of coercion.

Authorities may be reluctant to a full legalization in the country, fearing to be overwhelmed by a “gold rush” :  “new businessmen thinking: let’s pimp those biatches!” and “new recruits thinking: cool easy money !”  and candidates would come from all over the World since there is big money here compare to the rest of the world ! Imagine American Ambassies overwhelmed by candidates applying for a Hooker-Visa! I don't even talk about illegal prostitutes coming here... Authorities would be short in staff and military resources…bring back our troops!...ok I did digress and exagerate at the end...I need a break from TER, I should resume my life asap.

A (2 cents ) point of view.


Few facts I picked up online…
. Legal prostitution in the Netherlands, Nevada, and in Australia has been connected
with organized crime. Two-thirds of the legal brothels in Amsterdam’s red light district
have been closed down because it was impossible to control organized crime, according to the authorities…

. The average age of entry into any kind of prostitution in the US is 13-14 years of
Age!

. The Amsterdam-based ChildRight organization estimates that the number of children in prostitution has increased by more than 300% between 1996 (4000children) and 2001 (15,000 children).

Legal prostitution does not decrease the rapes of women in Nevada. Quite the
opposite. Nevada’s women are raped at rates that are twice that of New York and a fourth higher than the U.S. average. Women are three times as likely to be raped in Las Vegas as compared to New York City.

Good thread by the way.

It sounds like you think there would be some universal public register where people would have to sign up and display their photos and real name on the internet (the government will call it Cityvibe .  I have a different picture and there is no such Giant Register.  In the porn industry, there is Code 2257 which requires that the agencies and purveyors have legal proof that models are of age, freely consent, and so on. The real private info is protected by the law until there is some legal action that requires disclosure or partial disclosure.  But for indies (like London), there is no disclosure at all: just pay the proper taxes on your cash income from "modeling".

When someone has a one or two year gap in their resume (applying for a corporate job), they can fill it in in the usual way.  "I was touring, I mean traveling." "I was caring for my elderly parents." If you were a full or part-time student, then "I was going to school." You don't put down "I was a LEGAL escort but I don't want to talk about it."

There would still be an illegal black market (maybe girls w/o visas?) but the guys could at least choose to go to the legal places and stay away from the others.

I say, LEGALIZE! (Or decriminalize.)

Here are my tongue-in-cheek comments to your answers. In other words, I'm joking and in no way believe what I've just written (in fact, I agree with what you've written). As the Brits like to say, I'm feeling a little "cheeky" at the moment.

1. Sure you can get tricky with regards to taxes. Just keep 2 sets of books like most restaurants do.
2. Paid escorts don't need no health care. They're superheroes who never catch STDs and come with built in female condoms.
3. Congress will establish the Consumer Sexual Protection Bureau. This federal sex watchdog will be charged with coming up with consumer sex standards (e.g. how many pops are safely allowed in an hour) and enforcing them.
4. All paid escort and client complaints are to be filed with the Consumer Sexual Protection Bureau, which will then enlist the aid of the Attorney General's office as needed.
5. The Consumer Sexual Protection Bureau's jurisdiction supersedes all state actions.
6. LE takes vice enforcement seriously. They just want to get laid by the ladies first.
7. I do see sex toys advertised in mainstream media. Slinkies, tinkertoys, and Legos are standard fare in S&M practices.
8. What married men? When prostitution is legalized, every married man will immediately file for divorce and start sampling the "goods".

...so that providers can see who the customer is and opt out; for example, if it's their father or brother, lol.

Not in the 6 or so brothels I have been to. No two-way mirror- never heard of it (not to say it doesn't exist). I have a lot of friends who have worked in the brothels. They can choose to be in a line up or opt out in some brothels, in others, lineups are mandatory.

1. Make the business a taxable entity.

Smart providers do pay taxes.  You can't go off the tax greed for years and expect it not to catch up with you.  

2. Providers can now get the proper medical care without any kind of public ridicule.

Public ridicule has nothing to do with the fact that most providers face same difficulties in obtaining medical care as every single self employed person in this country.

3. Make the provider businesses be held accountable for their practices.

Ummmm ... who is going to set up these standards?  Who is going to enforce them?

Are you seriously saying that someone will come up with a list of regulation addressing FUCKING?  Sorta like Tsxi Passenger's Bill Of Rights?  


4. Hobbyists will now have a legal way of recourse of the services and/or practices are not up to acceptable standards.

Go back to number 3.  Do you really envision small court complaint addressing bad blow jobs?


5. Provider businesses will be regulated by the state government based mainly on #1 and #4.

And the state governments are doing such splendid job regulating everything else ...

6  Law Enforcement will be able to refocus their resources on major crimes.

Who said that LE actually focuses on prostitution?  Paaaaaaaaaalease, if they really wanted to they would shut down this little shindig called on line escorting in a heart bit.

7. Provider business advertising and marketing will be found in mainstream marketing schemes, much like the dreaded attorney marketing are being done these days.

Do you see sex toys advertised in main stream media?

8. Married men will have additional options in regards to finding providers.

As opposed to all the options available to them now?

The problem with mandatory testing is that it is a false sense of security and a test is not a prophylactic. Some STIs take up to three months to register on a test, while the person can be spreading it during those three months. Then there are false positives and false negatives. It's just a feel-good measure to make people think they're actually doing something productive. It's meaningless. Unless you test all of the sexually active people in a community, you're just discriminating against providers. Why not test clients too? Why not test sexually active civilian young people ages 18-25 (where most diseases are being traded)? Just not good logic. And the licensing thing is not good public policy- if you're doing it to eliminate the problems associated with the illegal status of the work, you're not really doing anything but further exacerbating those problems. You chase people further in the shadows.

Dennis Hof, the owner of the BunnyRanch is also scheduled to speak at Oxford University this month (see link below for the RGJ article).  Considering his image as the PT Barnum of the brothel industry, I hope he sticks to the issues on the benefits of legalized prostitution and doesn't turn this opportunity into a publicity stunt for promoting his brothels.

Personally, I believe both legal brothels and legal escorting can coexist and it's good that brothel owners like Madam Susan Austin, Lance Gilman, and Dennis Hof are speaking out on the benefits of legalizing prostitution.  HOWEVER, Nevada brothel owners are often against legalizing escorting or decriminalizing prostitution in general, since escorts/indies are the brothels biggest competitors.

lets do marijuana next ..simply a pipe dream in this society..try amsterdam..they have got it nailed..

No, "legal" does NOT imply new laws surrounding a previously illegal activity or substance. Just because a law is passed regulating a specific action does NOT mean that the action in question was illegal to begin with. Laws can and often are passed to provide CLARIFICATION on an action where there was none before.

Also, we were comparing legalization to repealing a law, NOT decriminalization (which is a different concept altogether).

If that's what you believe, then go down to your local LE office and tell them about your last encounter in private with a paid escort. Let's see if they agree that it's none of the state's business, since your encounter happened IN PRIVATE.

Your example about frequency makes no sense at all.

It may happen one day in the distant future, but not within our lifetimes.  

In the meantime, enjoy the hobby if you wish to play.  It isn't going away anytime soon...

Repealing the law would decriminalize it making it an unregulated activity like being a clown at a birthday party in most states, no licence required. Think Canada from what I understand. Legalizing it would make it legal but only if some certain conditions are met, like to be a tow truck driver you need a DOT heath card, drivers licence and be able to pass a basic background check for the little card that is required. Think Nevada brothels or how it works in Australia where ladies need heath cards and to register. There is a huge difference.

they past new laws making it legal yet not decriminalized like just repealing the laws would do. Legalized does not mean decriminalized. Not even close.

That's exactly what I've been trying to explain to Sarah.

There is no difference between legalizing something and repealing laws (which had made an act illegal).

Then she brought decriminalization into the mix, which is a completely different concept altogether  from legalization or repealing a law.

Wrong. There is a difference between repealing a law and decriminalization.

There is NO difference between repealing a law and legalization.

I beg to differ, MSHSEX. In Rhode Island until recently, prostitution was defacto decriminalized. That was accomplished by repealing all the prostitution laws. Prostitution was never legalized in Rhode Island.

Sorry, MSHSEX, I think you're wrong here. But that's ok. I will look into this and accept it if I am wrong.

Good point. What we would like left alone is the transactions between consenting adults. Prostitution means the lwoman is selling out her principles and maybe her preferences and better judgment as well. Maybe legal prostitution woul dmean a woman being denied welfare for refusing "suitable work" when that really means subjecting her body to nasty smelly unhygenic conditions. If the laws could be set by the sex workers' lobbies there might be no problem, but if flat-out ned of prohibition means that a civilized tryst could metamorphose into something out of an episode of "Nature" then I see the argument against it.

We need a precedent case where the ruling is that money was not exchanged for the consent to the sexual activity, but for the time and money spent by the woman. (room, atmosphere, preparation, wardrobe, disease control).

Market prices only affect those who have to play by the market rules because they either can't travel or don't have another source of income. New entrants would not be in competition with them because their rates would be in line wth the national average unless, they have one of the above I mentioned. Typical supply and demand laws only apply to those who are a victim of their market.

IF I were to do that, short of signing a Sworn Statement AFTER being read my rights, they would shrug and tell me to have a nice day.

When the local cops engage in local stings they always  seem to want to humilliate calls girls. Especially if it's done at a local hotel. Can you imagine the shame the girls feel when hotel guests start to videotape hooker's being walked thru a hotel lobby? Legalize it and stop with the pain staking court fines,probation officer's,HIV testing and classes. For a girl to be on probation for 18 months is b.s. is more inclined for a dude that commits "domestic battery".

Based on your reviews, it looks like you're in Las Vegas. Maybe the police really don't care there.

So try doing it in New York City instead and let me know how much bail is.