Prostitution is the practice or occupation of engaging in sexual activity with someone for payment. People prostitute themselves when they give sexual favors to others in exchange for money, gifts, or other forms of payment. In the dictionary (which dictionary?), the word prostitute means a person, typically a woman, who engages in sexual activity for payment. Prostitutes may be of either sex, but throughout history many of them have been women who have usually entered prostitution because of economic stress or because they have been forced. Many people are against prostitution because of the health risks that are attached to this profession. Others are concerned because it can cause damage to families, financial situations and even to the “buyer’s” image. It also seems very degrading for a human to sell their body (opinion?). Even though these things are true, I feel that it is a good thing that prostitution has become legal in Nevada.
Prostitution is one of the oldest professions in the world and in the United States it is only legal in Nevada. Brothels have been allowed in Nevada since the middle of the 19th century and one brothel in Elko has been open since 1902. These brothels are only able to be open in the rural areas of Nevada, not in the areas with high population, like Las Vegas and Reno (why?). As of August 2013, there are 19 brothels in Nevada. (Wikipedia)
Brothels have existed in Nevada since the old mining days of the 1800s and were first licensed in 1971. Back in 1859, the gold prospectors discovered high grade silver in the hills of what we now know as Virginia City. Miners came and lived in tents, dens, caves and dugouts. By 1...
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...to Male Prostitutes." Lasvegassun.com.18 June 2011. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.
Cuckman. "Jockstrip: The World as We Know It." United Press Intnl. 5 June 2003: Print.
Goldman, Marion S. "Violence against Prostitues." Gold Diggers and Silver Miners: Prostitution and Social Life on the Comstock Lode. 1986. 114. Print.
Hausbeck, Kathryn. "The State of Sex: Tourism, Sex and Sin in the New American Heartland." : Web.
Hegne, Barbara. Harlots, Hurdies and Spirited Women of Virginia City, Nevada. ., 2001. Print.
James, Susan. "Queen of Tarts." The Historical Nevada. 1998. 47-51. Print.
Noruesis, Daina. "Reflections, Ramblings, Randomness." (2009)Web.
"Prostitution in Nevada." Wikipedia.com. 3 Feb. 2011. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.
Seagraves, Anne. "The Hanging of John Millian." Soiled Doves: Prostitution in the Early West. 1994. 66-67. Print.
Worthy, Sarah. Personal interview. 22 Nov. 2013.
The book, City of Eros: New York City, Prostitution, and the Commercialization of Sex 1790-1920, written by Timothy J. Gilfoyle, explains the sexual transformation New York and its inhabitants experienced. Gilfoyle emphasizes the idea that sex had not been commercialized prior to this time. This new sex industry expanded all throughout New York City. Gilfoyle states that the public saw prostitution in a numerous ways; there were citizens who viewed it as a necessary urban evil and others as a moral disease. Many people thought that prostitution consisted of wretched women, who chose to sell themselves for the thrill of it, a common misconception. A handful of prostitutes became successful madams, acquiring mass amounts of wealth and power. With the increase in commercialized sex, there also was a dramatic increase in violence against women, leading to the creation of the pimp. Gilfoyle also writes about the transition that the male sexual psyche underwent in the 1900s, referred to as the “sporting man” culture. Prostitution’s prevalence in New York City extended from the brothels to other public spaces, such as museums. For some individuals, this sexual freedom resulted in the creation of guidebooks and pornographic literature. During the 1900s, prostitution also became heavily intertwined with law enforcement and its politics. With the visibility of sex exponentially increasing, some citizens resorted to vigilantism to combat it. The ideology of taking matters into one’s own hands led the social Reverend Charles Henry Parkhurst’s successful reform of prostitution.
Goldman, Marion. 1981. Gold Diggers and Silver Miners.. Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press.
principles, from religious dedication to personal liberty. Some fought against prostitution as a moral or social injustice while others charged prostitution as an injustice against women. Beginning in the colonies and continuing even up to present day America, this research will present the philosophies and management behind
Although, that conclusion didn’t come about immediately. In fact, a legal battle manifested a few years later and it involved a less flashy brothel owner who also wanted to set up his business just outside of Las Vegas. A former truck driver, Walter Plankinton, sued the county for the right to operate his brothel, “the Chicken Ranch,” after the local authorities of Nye County shut it down as a “public nuisance.” If that name sounds familiar, “the Chicken Ranch,” it is in reference to the actual brothel that inspired the film and musical “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.” Nevertheless, this case dragged on for years, but it eventually culminated in a Nevada Supreme Court ruling that established the legal precedent for the licensed brothels that currently operate throughout the
Horowitz Leftowitz, Helen. “Voices in the Sexual Conversation in Antebellum America,” Attitudes toward Sex in Antebellum America (Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007), 1-31. [Beachboard]
The term legalized prostitution implies that the state, in our case Nevada, is permitting the act of selling and buying women to provide sexual services in return of money. However, the government regularise prostitution with laws, therefore brothels, prostitutes have to fulfil/ accomplish different criteria. Among other requirements, they have to apply for licence and pay fees like business licence fee, to reach the legal status. By contrast, decriminalization of prostitutions connotes that the state is not intervene with laws and regulations to any prostitution-related performances (DeLaCruz, 2015).
The perception most Romans had regarding prostitution seems to be incredibly contradictory. On one hand prostitution was seen a necessary part of society that was extremely valuable to the preservation of marriage (Laurence, 71). On the other hand Roman laws and social customs put prostitution at the bottom rung of society (Flemming, 56).
Bletzer, Keith V. “Tricking and Tripping: Prostitution in the Era of AIDS review.” American Anthropologist 103, no. 1. New Series (March 1, 2001): 261-262.
Many people are so quick to judge a person by their actions and life style, but don't know the history. It is one of the worlds oldest professions and still stands strong in our country today. Prostitution has been around since the Sumerian times dating all the way back to 2400 B.C. Prostitution was first introduced to America in the 16th century during the Colonial times when the British invaded America. During the 1700s, prostitutes started to invade the cities of Boston and New York. On July 5, 1870, The Board of Health gained power through an act called The Social Evil Ordinance that allows and "requires registration" for prostitutes to be ...
By legalizing and regulating the act of prostitution, the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s) will decrease. Opponents of legalization believe that STD’s will increase substantially. However, licensed brothels will be required to enforce testing for STD’s. Implementing weekly sexually transmitted disease testing for all licensed workers will reduce the likeliness of spreading diseases to multiple partners. Also, having laws in place to enforce condom use by stating that anyone (worker or customer) caught not using protection will be arrested, fined, and will lose their license to work, will ensure the reduction of the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Brothels are legal in ten of the seventeen counties in the state of Nevada. Those counties are, Churchill, Esmeralda, Pershing, Storey, Lander, Lyon, Humboldt, Elko, White Pine, Mineral, and Nye Counties., “In those ten counties combined, there are fewer reported cases of STD’s than the other seven counties in the state” (Nevada State Health Division STD Program 2013). The Nevada State Health Department collects data concerning sexually transmitted diseases from every d...
Barry, Kathleen. The Prostitution of Sexuality: The Global Exploitation of Women. New York: New York University Press, 1996. Print.
Catherine Smith is a single 42 year old woman with two children. Her job as a secretary is no longer sufficient enough to cover her bills. She does not have a college degree and her job will not cover any part of tuition if she does decide to attend college. One night, while coming home late from work, she noticed women walking around on the street counting their earnings for the night. That is when she acquired the idea to become a prostitute. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines prostitution as the act or practice of engaging in promiscuous sexual relations in exchange for money. These type of situations occur on a daily basis. Some women really enjoy having sex, so why wouldn’t they want payment for it as well. Prostitution should be legalized in the United States.
Smith, Claude J., Jr. "Bodies and Minds for Sale:Prostitution in Pretty Woman and Indecent Proposal." Studies in Popular Culture (1998): 91-99. Web.
What is one of the oldest professions in the world and racks in 186 billion dollars a year worldwide? Prostitution. Prostitution has been legal in Nevada since the 1800s but in 1937 NV decided to regulate it and have weekly health checks. Later, in 1986 they made a law where they must use condoms during sexual activity.
Prostitution is known as the oldest profession in the world, however, many states in the U.S. outlaw it. The textbook definition of prostitution is the "act or practice of engaging in sexual acts for money" ("Prostitution," Macmillan 805). Nevada is the first in the United States to legalize prostitution. Although the long term effects of legalized prostitution is uncertain, the short term effects have been economically beneficial. Prostitution should be legalized because not only could it financially benefit the country, but it could also reduce crime.