State officials in Nevada have recently approved a method to test men for sexually transmitted diseases. As a result, brothels will be able to hire the state's first legal male prostitutes. Until this latest development, men could not be prostitutes because the state required cervical testing for STDs for prostitutes.
The STD testing protocol is crucial in the prostitution business. It has been largely effective - no licensed female prostitute has contracted HIV in the last 25 years. Prostitution has been legal in a couple of Nevada counties since 1971. These counties must abide by strict state health board regulations. However, contrary to popular belief, prostitution is not legal in Las Vegas or Reno.
Shady Lady Ranch owner Bobbi Davis said she may hire on the first male prostitutes in the next month or so. Davis believes that in these modern times, it is becoming more acceptable for women to legally buy sex. She predicts that being the first to offer male prostitutes may be a boon to her business in this economy (see full story here).
Regardless of whether one believes prostitution is a moral or appropriate choice, it is indisputable that the criminalization of it has caused more harm than good. Criminalizing it has not eradicated it, but has merely made it a more dangerous enterprise.
People will always get prostitutes, but when prostitution is illegal, women who are robbed or raped do not go to the police for fear of incarceration. STDs spread far more quickly, since there are no industry standards or quality control initiatives.
For all the government's talk of "creating" jobs, it sure has done a great job of preventing consenting adults from engaging in all kinds of voluntary employment. People who want to grow and sell marijuana to paying customers cannot. People who want to work as licensed, clean prostitutes cannot (except in a few select counties). The FDA has recently put tons of small-time tobacco companies out of business with its new, unjustified and completely corrupt ban on flavored cigarettes, in favor of cementing the power and presence of large companies like Phillip Morris.
There are many professions that are not particularly well-regarded. Most people do not long for the day that their child takes up the profession of janitorial work or garbage collecting. Most people think lawyers are despicable. Yet, none of these professions are banned.
Criminalization does not eradicate prostitution, it only makes it more dangerous. Thus, people who are opposed to prostitution essentially believe that the punishment for prostitution should be murder, rape or robbery. Like with drugs, people seem to have an attitude that if something is bad, it should be illegal - without any regard as to the real and devastating consequences of passing that law, many of which are worse than the harm caused by alleged crime itself.
For instance, in a world where prostitution is legal, one prostitute may bring some amount of moral degradation to society with her employment (if one subscribes to that kind of nonsense). But in a world where prostitution is illegal, not only are the prostitutes still there, murder, rape and robbery come along with it. This makes absolutely no sense.
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RE: "There are many professions that are not particularly well-regarded. Most people do not long for the day that their child takes up the profession of janitorial work or garbage collecting. Most people think lawyers are despicable. Yet, none of these professions are banned."
What nonesense to compare being a janitor or garbage collector with prostitution and to imply that it is only an inconsistency and perhaps hypocritical that those professions are not banned. I can't think of any moral [if that is your concern], dangerous or negative social issue associated with cleaning buildings and streets so we can live in a clean environment. And what a sweeping statement to suggest that "most" people think that lawyers are despicable! "Most" people will depend on the services of a lawyer in their lifetime - they just don't like to see "criminals" get away with something that they think they should not and they hold lawyers responsible.
I agree, prostitution is fairly victimless compared to other crimes, its just some people want to project their values on society. It's nice when you don't have to worry about money, because you can decide a lot easier what is morally right or wrong. Sure you can argue there are victims or as incredulous put it "negative issues" associated with it. People could be cheating on a spouse or contracting an STD or a hooker could be using the money for drugs, but then these things happen in all areas of society already. Not like it just happens with prostitutes or johns... I wish our laws were more like the Netherlands. Right now we waste valuable resources on stuff like this.
It's not up to you, incredulous, to judge it anyway. Doesn't really matter what you *think* most people *feel,* it's not unreasonable to compare any two legal professions no matter their "moral" connotation. Unless, of course, you're God, then you can judge. And Jeff, it's not victimless. A lot of the girls who work illegally are not in control of their own lives or situations. If prostitution was legal, women would not have to work under the abusive system in place in the black market.
My experience in this area is quite limited. In 1991 a friend and I were attending the Fall Comdex in Vegas and drove up to the Chicken Ranch for a laugh. It was really quite depressing. The brothels weren't how HollyWeird portrayed them at the time. It was just a few mobile homes on a dirt lot. The women weren't that attractive and wanted something like $600 each. We bought a couple of t-shirts and left. The same year I was in Amsterdam. They didn't have brothels but they did have a red light district right next to the central train station (which the BBC reports is being closed down). It was kind of a curious experience. The women stood around in windows wearing underwear which showed less skin than one would see at the beach. Also, one couldn't walk a block without a drug dealer trying to sell you drugs or an addict asking for money. Both would have made excellent episodes of Monty Python.
Charles - hahaha. Sounds like fun times.
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