Brothel: Mustang Ranch

and Its Women

Touro University Nevada
Justin Christman, Breanna Dickson, Chris Gutierrez, Kristen Kincaid, Josee Lundquist,
Megan Meengs, Brandon Roberson, & Kerielle Smith

BOOK REVIEW

Brothel: Mustang Ranch and Its Women

Alexa Albert, Harvard medical student
Public-health study on condom use amongst
prostitutes
Contacted a brothel in Nevada, Mustang Ranch
Approved to stay at the brothel and interview the
employees

Retrieved from: www.amazon.com

Brothels

Defined as A place where people of opposite sexes are allowed to resort for illicit
intercourse, whether the women are common prostitutes or not.

Prostitution is prohibited in counties with a population more than 400,000

The counties and incorporated cities which allow and regulate brothels are often
remote counties

Nevada brothels employ 1-50 legal prostitutes

28-30 brothels currently licensed in Nevada

(Crown Prosecution Service, 2014; Hausbeck, Brents, & Jackson, 2006)

BACKGROUND
INFORMATION

Sociocultural
Boyfriends/family often accept/encourage work
Many brothel workers are from out of state
Socioeconomic
Lower socioeconomic status
o Women make on average $300-$1500 a day when working at
brothel
86% of women had graduated from highschool/GED
History of homelessness, mental health issues, emotional, physical,
and sexual abuse and drug use
Why this population is considered oppressed or marginalized
Negative views/opinions from society
Strictly regulated rules placed by brothels
(Albert, 2002; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2013)

Diversity factors
Women are the dominant gender in brothels
o 2010 amendments made to allow men
o Little information is available regarding diversity
o Employs mainly white women with some black and Asian women
o Ages range from 20s to 50+
Lifestyle choices that influences why this population is considered
oppressed
Selling sex dehumanizes women, making them sexual commodities
Many women enter at a young age depriving them of educational and other
opportunities
These women enter a class of human beings who are not supposed to have feelings
or allowed to say no
(Albert, 2002; Ramos, 2012)

POPULATION

Beliefs
Prostitution is just a job, not necessarily a way of
life
Values
Customer service
Respect from their customers
Respect from co-workers
Roles

Retrieved from: www.lsa.k12.ca.edu

Balance between roles within the brothel & their

roles on the outside

Customary practices
Follow the rules of the brothel (for the most part)

HEALTH

Health insurance
Independent contractors- no health care benefits
Lifestyle
Drinking
Smoking
Drug use
Mandatory health checks (NAC 441A.800/802)
Prior to becoming licensed each time they enter a brothel to work
Weekly pap smears/rectal specimen exams & monthly blood tests for
sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)
(Brents & Hausbeck, 2005; Giang, 2011; Nevada Legislature, 2015)

Mandatory condom use (NAC 441A.805)

March 1988 State Health Department
mandated condom use for all prostitutes in all
brothels
Statistics
Self Reported STD contraction 2000-2008:
177
Nevada Brothels- no cases of HIV infection &
negligible rate of STDs

(Hansen, 2009; Miles, 2012; Nevada Legislature, 2015)

Retrieved from
http://escambia.floridahealth.gov/programs
-and-services/clinical-and-nutritionservices/std/index.html

WELL-BEING

Positive
Enjoyable and fulfilling career
o Most prostitutes do enjoy their career and view it as
enjoyable
Enough money
o Prostitutes are able to make more money in a night
than most make in a week or even month
Nutritional diet
o Cooks on staff
Regular exercise
o Varies girl to girl
Sense of purpose and meaning
o At work vs public
(Albert, 2002)

Retrieved from:
http://www.trevorloudon.com/wpcontent/uploads/2013/08/prostitution.jpg

Negative
Happy relationship with partner
o Difficult to maintain relationships due to lies
Network of close friends
o Deprived of many close friendships
Sufficient sleep
o 12 hours on/12 hours off
Satisfying hobbies
o Quarantined
Sense of belonging
o At work vs public
Living in a fair society
o Objectified
o Nevada vs rest of country
(Albert, 2002)

Retrieved from:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3463/3813630820_f8589b6ac4_
m.jpg

OCCUPATIONAL
ENGAGEMENT

Occupational deprivation
Mandatory long stays limit ability to engage in necessary or meaningful
occupations
o Roles as mother, wife, caretaker, daughter, sister, employee, volunteer
o Educational pursuits, leisure
o Unable to leave compound alone or have access to personal vehicle

Occupational imbalance
Work dominates the womens occupations
Occupational alienation

Despite being required to work long shifts, some brothel workers may only see
5-10 clients a week, therefore large amounts of downtime

Only able to perform occupations available at brothel or in immediate vicinity

(Albert, 2002)

Occupational apartheid
May not be allowed in establishments unless through the backdoor
with a client
May not be allowed to settle in certain countries because previously
registered as a sex worker
Limited entrepreneurship ability, unable to legally work independently
o Required to register as independent contractors, yet required to
pay 50% of profit to brothel owners
o Do not have access to benefits like health insurance, sick leave,
disability and workers compensation

(Albert, 2002)

Occupational marginalization

Stigma surrounding brothel workers and other sex workers

o

No morals

Unfit to be a mother

Dirty/diseased
Mandatory, reported STD testing, despite condom use
STD testing not required of other professionals

Uneducated/ stupid

Victim

May be unable to participate in desired occupations due to internalized shame, oppressed

volition, or societal pressure

Parent Teacher Association (PTA), church, volunteer with children, hold government office

Future employment opportunities

Acceptance by family, friends, and romantic partners

(Albert, 2002)

PRESS ARTICLES

Harry Reid calls Nevada lawmakers cowards for not

banning prostitution
Hindered economic
development in the
state, and called on
lawmakers to ban it in
2011
The legislature, theyre
all a bunch of cowards

Illegal in four counties

o Clark County
o Washoe County

o Lincoln County
o Douglas County

Legal in 12 rural Nevada

counties
o Not every county
where its legal has
a brothel

Retrieved from:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/w
p/2014/08/25/harry-reid-calls-nevada-lawmakerscowards-for-not-banning-prostitution/
(Schwartz, 2014)

Nevada brothel owner rides to victory in county race

Against
o Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid
Adult conversation about Nevadas
legal sex trade
o it should think about the worlds
newest ideas and newest careers - not
about its oldest profession
[prostitution].

(Griffin, 2012)

Retrieved from:
http://s2.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20101103&t=2&i=2406
14012&w=580&fh=&fw=&ll=&pl=&r=2010-1103T132637Z_01_BTRE6A20Y0U00_RTROPTP_0_USA-ELECTIONSNEVADA-SENATE

Nevada brothel owner rides to victory in county race

For
o To 99% of the voters, they view it as just a business. Its a
prosperous business thats helped the county.

o The industry is so much more about providing care and

human nurturing than anything else.
o It goes back to a longstanding libertarian tradition, and
laws reflect that. Its different in urban Nevada
Retrieved from:
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/nevbrothel-owner-rides-victorycounty-race

(Griffin, 2012)

Nevadas legal brothels make workers feel safer

About 500 women work as legal independent contractors in just under 30
brothels
o Feel safe, are free to come and go, and are bound only by their contract
o 84% surveyed-felt safe largely because the police, employers and coworkers were there to protect them
Came to legal brothels from a wide variety of situations
o Low paying service jobs, escaping the danger of illegal sex work, and
supplementing erotic dancing or film careers

(Brents, 2014)

Nevadas legal brothels make workers feel safer

Room for improvement
o Enforcing differences between independent contractors and employees
o Workers with more education and resources were better able to protect
their rights
Sex trafficking
o No evidence of trafficking in the legal brothels
o Nevadas model is worth considering, but there are plenty of models of
legal prostitution throughout the world to draw from and lots of research
on these systems.
o Matter of good public policy: pay attention to evidence and rethink this
age-old profession.
(Brents, 2014)

I sell sex like McDonalds sells burgers

Dennis Hof
o Owner of Love Ranch, Moonlight Bunny Ranch & star of
HBO series Cathouse
o Businessman not pimp because he has a license to do it
o Pocket half of womens earnings, along with fees and tips
o Selling womens bodies compared to selling hamburgers
Illegal brothels on rise in Nevada, already 9x greater than legal
brothels
Women interviewed for radiocast expressed same sentiments
o They enjoy it, it pays well, they are treated with respect
o Hof likes to be called Daddy

(Bindel, 2011)

Retreived from:
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/life/relationsh
ips/article3224259.ece

I sell sex like McDonalds sells burgers

PR surrounding legal prostitution in Nevada would have you believe
that it is free range and organic, it is closer to battery farming
o Not allowed out unless given permission and accompanied
o Many not allowed their own cars
o Many required to work 14-hour shifts, 15 days in a row
Legal brothel owners given a license to take in the most disenfranchised
women in society and institutionalise them into an industry that will cause
them further harm.

(Bindel, 2011)

SCHOLARLY ARTICLES

Sex industry and sex workers in Nevada

Negative impact- stereotyping and
stigmatization
o

The growth of the sex industry or pornoculture

in the Silver State has a negative impact where it
condones exploitation, oppression, crime, and
continued stereotyping and stigmatization of
women.
Retrieved from: www.realitycheck.org
(Hausbeck, Brents, & Jackson, 2006)

Sex industry and sex workers in Nevada

Positive impact- safety
o

When sex workers have a range of viable

economic options, when they are not forced
into commercial sex against their will, and
when Nevadas tourism-based economy
cultivates arenas of safe sexual expression
and enjoyment.
Minimize risk and exploitation and
maximize safety and empowerment.

Retrieved from: www.pdxswoc.org

(Hausbeck,Brents, & Jackson, 2006)

The job satisfaction of female sex workers working

in licensed brothels in Victoria, Australia
Results: scale of 1-10
o Level of job satisfaction- 7
o Total pay- 7
o Job security 6
Sex workers significantly more likely to not
be able to pay utilities/rent on time
Retrieved from www.utne.com

(Bilardi et al., 2011)

Prostitution, trafficking, and cultural amnesia:

What we must not know in order to keep the
business of sexual exploitation running smoothly
Many governments protect commercial sex businesses because of the huge
profits
When prostitution is tolerated or legalized by the state, sexual predation
becomes normalized
Many women report dissociating when turning tricks
o Dissociation necessary to survive rape, battering, and prostitution in
adulthood is the same as that used to survive familial sexual assault

(Farley, 2006)

Prostitution, trafficking, and cultural amnesia:

What we must not know in order to keep the
business of sexual exploitation running smoothly
South Africa, had significantly more physical violence in street as
compared to brothel prostitution
o No difference in the womens emotional distress
Legalization is ineffective in removing the stigma of prostitution and fails
to protect women from violence
o Focuses on its outward appearance
o Governments are more concerned with public order and health vs.
abuse and violence
(Farley, 2006)

Condom use among female commercial sex

workers in Nevadas legal brothels
41 licensed prostitutes in three brothels
Used condoms collected to verify breaks
Condoms used for all vaginal intercourse-353
No broken condoms/none fell off during intercourse
Slippage
12 times during intercourse
15 during withdrawal
Regular condom use may lead to condom mastery
Techniques to reduce likelihood of breakage and
slippage
(Albert et al., 1995)

Retrieved from:
http://www.fotosearch.com/ill
ustration/condom.html

INTERVIEW

Who and why?

The Cupcake Girls

o Facilitates connections between various community resources and individuals
involved in the sex industry
o Offer support, help during a crisis, or find an important resource connection
True ID

Faith-based organization serving the Las Vegas Valley

Offers mentorship experience

Embraces, educates and empowers at-risk youth and women who are currently
in the adult entertainment/sex industry

Hookers for Jesus

o

Non-profit organization

Raises awareness of the harmful effects of prostitution, sex trafficking, and

sexual exploitation linked to pornography and the sex industry

Questions
1.

Do you currently, or have you in the past, had an intimate relationship outside of your professional
career? If so how did your career choice affect your personal/professional lifestyle?
2. Have you ever personally felt victimized during your profession? If so, how did you react?
3. If you could go back and change your profession, would you? Why or why not?
4. Do you feel that the brothel work environment helps to minimize the risk of violence or drug use
associated with unregulated prostitution?
5. If you could tell the general public one thing about prostitution in hopes to change their view on the
profession, what would it be?
6. Do you advocate for your profession? If so, how?
7. If you could change one aspect of your profession what would it be?
8. How difficult is it to maintain non-romantic relationships outside of work?
9. Do you feel that the percentage of your commission shared with the brothel owners is fair?
10. Do you disclose your profession to healthcare providers? Why or why not?

Interview Summary
Positive
Feeling safe
Condom use
Pay
Companionship among other
brothel employees

Negative
Sharing life with family and
friends
Prolong time away from
families
Lack of choice
Inability to carry true intimate
relationships outside of
brothel life
Uncomfortable clothing
Unusual sexual request

Video

Retrieved from : www.yelp.com

References
Albert, A. (2002). Brothel: Mustang Ranch and its women. New York: Random House LLC.
Albert, A.E., Warner, D.L., Hatcher, R.A., Trussell, J., & Bennett, C. (1995). Condome use among female commercial sex
workers in Nevadas legal brothels. Americal Journal of Public Health, 85(11), 1514-1520.
Bilardi, J., Miller, A., Hocking, J., Koegh, L., Cummings, R., Chen, M., Bradshaw, C., Fairly, C. (2011). The job
satisfaction of female sex workers working in licensed brothels in Victoria, Australia. The Journal of Sexual Medicine,
8, 116-122. doi: 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2010.01967x
Bindel, J. (2011, November 14). I sell sex like McDonalds sells burgers. The Times. Retrieved from
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/life/relationships/article3224259.ece
Brents, B. (2014, January 23). Nevadas legal brothels make workers feel safe. New York Times. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/04/19/is-legalized-prostitution-safer/nevadas-legal-brothels-makeworkers-feel-safer

References
Brents, B. & Hausbeck, K. (2001). State-sanctioned sex: Negotiating formal and informal regulatory practices in Nevada
brothels. Sociological Perspectives, 44(3), 307-332.
Brents, B. & Hausbeck, K. (2005). Violence and legalized brothel prostitution in Nevada. Journal of Interpersonal Violence,
20(3),270-295.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]. (2013). HIV risk among adult sex workers in the United States. Retrieved
from http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/ri
Crown Prosecution Service. (2014). Prostitution and exploitation of prostitution. Retrieved from
http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/p_to_r/prostitution_and_exploitation_of_prostitution/
Farley, M. (2006). Prostitution, trafficking, and cultural amnesia: What we must not know in order to keep the business of
sexualexploitation running smoothly. Yale Journal of Law & Feminism, 18, 109.
Giang, V. (2011, December). Everything you ever wanted to know about prostitution in Nevada. Business Insider. Retrieved
from http://www.businessinsider.com/prostitution-legal-nevada-prostitutes-brothels-sex-2011-12?op=1

References
Griffith, M. (2012). Nevada brothel owner rides to victory in county race. Retrieved from
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/nev-brothel-owner-rides-victory-county-race
Hansen, A. (2009). Top 20 STD behavioral trends by type of self-reported behavior and year of report. Office of Health
Statistics and Surveillance Zone, 1(1), 4. Retrieved from http://www.health.nv.gov/childcare/documents/OHSS_319-09.pdf
Hausbeck, K., Brents, B. G., & Jackson, C. (2006). Sex industry and sex workers in Nevada. The Social Health of Nevada:
Leading Indicators and Quality of Life in the Silver State,1-17.
Leggett, T. (2014, April 15). What is it really like to work in a brothel? BuzzFeed. Retrieved from
http://www.buzzfeed.com/tabathaleggett/what-is-it-really-like-to-work-in-a-brothel#.bbvGOj0Yv
Lydia. (2014, October). A prostitute tells all: Inside the bedrooms of a U.S. brothel. Mens Health. Retrieved February 21,
2015, from http://www.menshealth.com/best-life/diary-prostitute?fullpage=true

References
Miles, K. (2012, November 1). LA porn stars have more STDs than Nevada prostitutes, study says. Huffington Post. Retrieved
from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/01/la-porn-stars-stds-nevada-prostitutes-studyvideo_n_2058406.html

Nevada Legislature. (2015). NAC: CHAPTER 441A - Infectious diseases; Toxic agents. Retrieved from
http://www.leg.state.nv.us/NAC/NAC-441A.html
Ramos, N. (2012, April 19). Legal prostitution can never be safe. New York Times. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/04/19/is-legalized-prostitution-safer/legal-prostitution-can-neverbe-safe
Schwarz, H. (2014, August 25). Harry Reid calls Nevada lawmakers cowards for not banning prostitution. Washington Post.
Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/08/25/harry-reid-calls-nevadalawmakers-cowards-for-not-banning-prostitution/