Prostitution in Las Vegas

[stanger]

A friend and I were discussing another friends trip recently to Las Vegas. I had always heard that prostitution was legal in certain areas of Nevada, but not in Las Vegas itself. My friend said that the “strip” was not in Las Vegas but was part of the county and that prostitution was legal there.

I am sure there are some Vegas Dopers or other knowledgable people on here that know whether prostitution is legal in Vegas or maybe certain sections of what is often refered to as Vegas. I would have thought it was banned in the whole county. What is the truth of the matter?

[postcards]

According to this site prostitution is illegal in Clark county (where Vegas is) and any Nevada county with a population over 100,000.

More here, but NSFW (tittie banner ads)

Google ‘Prostitution Las Vegas’ for more info.

[Shagnasty]

“If you are seeking legal prostitution in Nevada, you must drive at least sixty miles out of Las Vegas to find one of the state licensed brothels in Nye County. The town of Pahrump, located 62 miles east of the city along route 160, is home to the Chicken Ranch and Sherri’s Ranch, two state licensed houses of prostitution. If you drive north on route 95 you will eventually pass near the Cherry Patch Ranch, Mabel’s Ranch, the Cottontail Ranch and a few other “ranches” featuring legal prostitution. There are several dozen more “ranches” in northern Nevada near Carson City and Reno.”

http://www.usatourist.com/english/places/lasvegas/sex.html

[Gfactor]

**Shagnasty’s ** got the right answer. Here is a thread where I cite the statute: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=8034923&postcount=26

[Diceman]

I might as well be the one to say it. The fact that prostitution is not legal in Vegas doesn’t seem to stop anyone. When I was there a couple of years ago, the Strip was carpeted with adds for [del]hookers[/del] female escorts. People stood around passing out calling cards to anyone willing to take one. It was extremely blatant.

[DrDeth]

Blatant, sure. But still a bit dangerous. You could get arrested or ripped off.

[Rysdad]

Hell, there used to be lots of those newspaper-dispensor-like deals on every corner with full color photos of the “escorts.” Are those dispensors still there?

[Diceman]

@Rysdad

Hell, there used to be lots of those newspaper-dispensor-like deals on every corner with full color photos of the “escorts.” Are those dispensors still there?

Yep. Still there. But the hustlers are much more obvious. If you’re male, you can’t miss them. They won’t let you. It’s quite annoying, really.

[Kevbo]

@Rysdad

Are those dispensors still there?

Maybe there are still dispensers, but they are buried under heaps of loose handbills, along with any other object having a horizontal surface…I exaggerate slightly, but these handbills constitute an obvious litter problem.

[Honey]

Are there any male prostitutes at these legal brothels?

[Otto]

@Honey

Are there any male prostitutes at these legal brothels?

Heidi Fleiss has announced plans to open a legal male brothel, serving female clients. Mike Tyson has been signed up as one of her man-whores. I would provide links but I am at work and sorry, no, not googling Heidi Fleiss or brothel from here. At least one state legislator has objected to the plan, saying that Nevada’s prostitution laws as written allow only female prostitutes. Another has said he will insist that the brothel if opened complies with the state’s anti-discrimination laws for public accomodations, which would compel the brothel not to discriminate against male or gay clients.

[fluiddruid]

@Otto

Heidi Fleiss has announced plans to open a legal male brothel, serving female clients. Mike Tyson has been signed up as one of her man-whores.

Bogus.

[Balthisar]

@Otto

…insist that the brothel if opened complies with the state’s anti-discrimination laws for public accomodations, which would compel the brothel not to discriminate against male or gay clients.

I can assume that for normal brothels the service provider has the right to refuse service to anyone, right, i.e., the woman can refuse to provide service to women. In such a case it would be up to the brother owner to ensure that he or she staffed a sufficient quantity of gay/bi/ambivalent service providers???

[Asimovian]

@fluiddruid

Bogus.

VERY interesting article – thank you. I really knew nothing of the racial issues in boxing’s history prior to Ali.

[kurilla]

@stanger

A friend and I were discussing another friends trip recently to Las Vegas. I had always heard that prostitution was legal in certain areas of Nevada, but not in Las Vegas itself. My friend said that the “strip” was not in Las Vegas but was part of the county and that prostitution was legal there.

Just to address one point so far unaddressed – it is true that the “Strip” is located in Clark County and is not part of the City of Las Vegas.

Which is why the city mayor has very little political clout and the chairman of the Clark County Commission has tons.

[Gfactor]

@Balthisar

I can assume that for normal brothels the service provider has the right to refuse service to anyone, right, i.e., the woman can refuse to provide service to women. In such a case it would be up to the brother owner to ensure that he or she staffed a sufficient quantity of gay/bi/ambivalent service providers???

For the time being, Fleiss plans to cater to women only (shall we call the johns janes, and the cathouse a doghouse?). But she says she may target the gay market next. She could be forced to: Nevada lawmaker David Parks, who is gay, plans to ask for a legal opinion this month on whether Fleiss would be violating the state’s anti-bias law by letting only women hire her studs. “You gotta take these things one step at a time,” Fleiss says. “These things don’t happen overnight.” Well, some things do.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10313009/site/newsweek/

[Otto]

@fluiddruid

Bogus.

To clarify, the brothel portion of my post is not bogus, even if the Tyson part is.

[Steve_MB]

For the time being, Fleiss plans to cater to women only (shall we call the johns janes, and the cathouse a doghouse?). But she says she may target the gay market next. She could be forced to: Nevada lawmaker David Parks, who is gay, plans to ask for a legal opinion this month on whether Fleiss would be violating the state’s anti-bias law by letting only women hire her studs. “You gotta take these things one step at a time,” Fleiss says. “These things don’t happen overnight.” Well, some things do.

I’d be surprised if the matter of a lesbian client seeking services at one of the existing (female) brothels hasn’t come up before now. My hunch is that they do, in fact, find pros willing to render such services, and that’s why we’ve never heard of the issue from that angle.