Legal Brothel Owner Applauds Historic Backpage Busts

Posted by Dennis Hof on October 7, 2016

I am thrilled to read the announcement from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton regarding yesterday’s arrest of Carl Ferrer, the CEO of Backpage.com, as a result of a joint investigation by the offices of the Texas and California attorneys general. The investigators uncovered evidence that Backpage ads significantly contributed to the forcing of adult and child sex trafficking victims into illegal prostitution.

Hopefully, this arrest will lead to a total and absolute shutdown of Backpage.com, a despicable online advertising platform that serves as a primary tool for those seeking to engage in the exploitation and trafficking of human beings for sexual purposes.

As someone who has devoted a considerable portion of my life to the fight against sex trafficking, I praise the Texas and California attorneys general for finally taking action against the owners of this insidious website. I also commend Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart for his recent efforts, which let to the dissolution of a business relationship between Backpage and major credit card companies. Additionally, I applaud the San Francisco FBI for the 2014 shutdown of myredbook.com, a similar, albeit much smaller, sex trafficking platform.

These efforts against illegal prostitution web platforms are valiant and they may have some impact, but, I’m sorry to say that these arrests and website takedowns are ultimately only a half-measure in the fight against sex trafficking. Such measures fall short of offering any kind of alternative for the millions of independent, adult sex workers that make their living as courtesans, and are exposed every day to the potential threat of coercive pimps, violence, and sexually transmitted diseases. These sex workers, the working girls who have willingly chosen to enter this age old profession, deserve the right to ply their trade in a safe, regulated, and profitable environment.

If all you do is shut down a website, it just results in the pimps and girls going to another website, or even worse, turning to dangerous street-walking hooking. Government officials have to offer an alternative path for adult sex providers to earn a living–many have families, are going to college and supporting love ones. My brothel business model puts the illegal pimps out of business, stops underage girls from working illegally, and ends sex trafficking, period!

The only rational solution is to legalize prostitution nationwide, using the Bunny Ranch brothel as the model for how regulated, safe and secure bordellos can serve the needs of working girls, and their customers alike.

As I sit here writing this statement, my thoughts are drawn to one of our courtesans, Magenta Rose. Magenta operated as a sex worker in the illegal realm for a few years, and was raped and mistreated by predatory individuals who took advantage of her situation as a criminalized and marginalized woman. Now she operates in the safety of one of my licensed brothels as a legal businessperson who contributes to her community and provides for her family. There are millions of women like Magenta in the United States who deserve the right to operate legally as sex workers if they so choose.

I can’t do it alone. I only have so much space in my seven Nevada brothels for these enterprising sex workers. It’s time to make a big change and do the right thing: Legalize prostitution across America and put Bunny Ranches in every state in the USA. The time is now!