Shady Lady Ranch
Encyclopedia
The Shady Lady Ranch is a legal brothel
in Nevada
, located on U.S. Highway 95
about 31 miles (49.9 km) north of Beatty
.
In 2006, the owner Bobbi Davis, along with two newspapers and with help from the ACLU, challenged a 1979 state law which prohibited the advertising of brothels in counties where prostitution was illegal. This effort was opposed by other brothel owners who were wary that overly explicit brothel advertisements could result in outlawing of the industry.
A federal judge overturned the law in 2007 as "overly broad"; that decision was reversed by a 3-judge panel of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in March 2010. The ACLU has appealed to the full Ninth Circuit Court.
In 2009 the owner decided to hire a male prostitute, a first in Nevada. The move was again supported by the ACLU and opposed by the Nevada Brothel Owners Association (of which the Shady Lady Ranch is not a member), fearing that it could invite unwanted scrutiny and hurt the industry. The new hire would serve female customers only. Heidi Fleiss
, who had abandoned an earlier effort to open a brothel for women in Nevada, said that she believed that prostitution services for women were not viable, though a brothel with male prostitutes serving male customers might work.
Nevada law defines legal prostitutes to be women and requires them to submit to weekly cervical exam
s; males are therefore technically not allowed to work as prostitutes. In late 2009 the Shady Lady Ranch owners challenged this provision before the Nevada State Health Division and the Nye County Licensing and Liquor Board and prevailed: male prostitutes will be required to submit weekly urethra
l specimens instead. In addition, like female prostitutes, they are required to work exclusively with condom
s and submit to monthly blood tests.
The brothel then proceeded to hire a male prostitute in January 2010, known as "Markus
". Prices were quoted as $200 for 40 minutes, $300 for an hour and $500 for two hours.
The prostitute gave interviews in which he compared himself to Rosa Parks
and Mahatma Gandhi
. One female reporter from the New York Post
described a visit to the brothel.
He quit several weeks later, after drawing fewer than 10 customers. The brothel has since hired a replacement.
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
in Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, located on U.S. Highway 95
U.S. Route 95
U.S. Route 95 is a north–south U.S. highway in the western United States. Unlike many other US highways, it has not seen deletion or replacement on most of its length by an encroaching Interstate highway corridor, due to its mostly rural course...
about 31 miles (49.9 km) north of Beatty
Beatty, Nevada
Beatty is a census-designated place along the Amargosa River in Nye County in the U.S. state of Nevada. U.S. Route 95 runs through the CDP, which lies between Tonopah, about to the north, and Las Vegas, about to the southeast. State Route 374 connects Beatty to Death Valley National Park, about ...
.
In 2006, the owner Bobbi Davis, along with two newspapers and with help from the ACLU, challenged a 1979 state law which prohibited the advertising of brothels in counties where prostitution was illegal. This effort was opposed by other brothel owners who were wary that overly explicit brothel advertisements could result in outlawing of the industry.
A federal judge overturned the law in 2007 as "overly broad"; that decision was reversed by a 3-judge panel of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in March 2010. The ACLU has appealed to the full Ninth Circuit Court.
In 2009 the owner decided to hire a male prostitute, a first in Nevada. The move was again supported by the ACLU and opposed by the Nevada Brothel Owners Association (of which the Shady Lady Ranch is not a member), fearing that it could invite unwanted scrutiny and hurt the industry. The new hire would serve female customers only. Heidi Fleiss
Heidi Fleiss
Heidi Lynne Fleiss is an American former madam, and also a columnist and television personality regularly featured in the 1990s in American media. She is often referred to as the "Hollywood Madam"....
, who had abandoned an earlier effort to open a brothel for women in Nevada, said that she believed that prostitution services for women were not viable, though a brothel with male prostitutes serving male customers might work.
Nevada law defines legal prostitutes to be women and requires them to submit to weekly cervical exam
Pap smear
The Papanicolaou test is a screening test used in to detect pre-cancerous and cancerous processes in the endocervical canal of the female reproductive system. Changes can be treated, thus preventing cervical cancer...
s; males are therefore technically not allowed to work as prostitutes. In late 2009 the Shady Lady Ranch owners challenged this provision before the Nevada State Health Division and the Nye County Licensing and Liquor Board and prevailed: male prostitutes will be required to submit weekly urethra
Urethra
In anatomy, the urethra is a tube that connects the urinary bladder to the genitals for the removal of fluids out of the body. In males, the urethra travels through the penis, and carries semen as well as urine...
l specimens instead. In addition, like female prostitutes, they are required to work exclusively with condom
Condom
A condom is a barrier device most commonly used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy and spreading sexually transmitted diseases . It is put on a man's erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner...
s and submit to monthly blood tests.
The brothel then proceeded to hire a male prostitute in January 2010, known as "Markus
Markus (prostitute)
Markus is the professional name of the first male legal prostitute in the United States of America. He worked for a few weeks at the beginning of 2010 at a legal brothel in Nevada. He was born in Lawrence County, Alabama; his real name is not known to the public...
". Prices were quoted as $200 for 40 minutes, $300 for an hour and $500 for two hours.
The prostitute gave interviews in which he compared himself to Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was an African-American civil rights activist, whom the U.S. Congress called "the first lady of civil rights", and "the mother of the freedom movement"....
and Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
. One female reporter from the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
described a visit to the brothel.
He quit several weeks later, after drawing fewer than 10 customers. The brothel has since hired a replacement.