Sex worker lawsuit says COVID-19 shutdown of Nevada brothels is arbitrary and harmful
A Nevada sex worker’s lawsuit says the COVID-19 shutdown of brothels is arbitrary and harmful to herself and clients.
Alice Little, a sex worker at the Moonlite Bunny Ranch in Lyon County, Nevada, and others are unable to earn an income since Gov. Steve Sisolak ordered brothels to close in March, according to the lawsuit obtained by KSNV. Other similar businesses have since reopened, the lawsuit says.
“From all appearances, Gov. Sisolak allowed similarly situated businesses, such as massage parlors, tattoo shops and hair and nail salons to reopen while forcing brothels to remain closed because he does not view legal sex work as being important or as socially acceptable as activities of the aforementioned business,” the lawsuit says.
The governor’s office declined to comment on the lawsuit.
“I believe that Nevada’s sex workers have been treated unfairly by the governor,” Little said in a statement, according to the Reno Gazette Journal. “For months, businesses that involve close physical contact, like tattoo shops and massage parlors, have been allowed to reopen while the legal brothels remain shuttered. If it’s safe for a customer to get a massage at a massage parlor, then it should be safe for a customer to visit a legal sex worker if COVID-19 precautions are taken.”
The lawsuit argues that if the state wants to close brothels, then sex workers should be allowed to “ply their legal trade at their own residences or in private locations, as long as they are sanitary and follow COVID guidelines.”
The lawsuit says most sex workers in the state have long-standing relationships with regular customers that only can be legally maintained in licensed brothers.
According to the lawsuit, these customers sometimes have experienced sexual abuse or trauma and only feel comfortable in this type of relationship.
“(Little) has even had therapists recommend their clients reach out to her for such a service,” the lawsuit says. “Thus, her services are not always merely recreational, but may be therapeutic in nature.”
Legal sex workers are independent contractors in Nevada, making it more difficult to receive benefits while without work, The Nevada Independent reported. Though aid eventually was later extended to contract workers, Little and other sex workers told the news outlet they aren’t aware of any women who’ve gotten the benefits.
In an interview with The Nevada Independent in October, Sisolak said reopening brothels is not the top priority.
“Certainly we’re going to have to look at getting kids back into schools before we look at getting folks back into brothels,” Sisolak told the news outlet “We’ll be addressing it sometime, certainly, but it’s not in the immediate future.”
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