Proposed Houston sex doll brothel opposed
HOUSTON: A socalled robot brothel a Canadian company wants to open in Texas is getting pushback from officials and community groups, and the mayor says the city is reviewing whether public safety and health issues are involved.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said he was not trying to be the ‘‘moral police’’ but this was not the type of business he wanted opening in the city.
‘‘We do need to be very mindful of what comes into our city and what our children and others may be exposed to. So I want to be very sensitive to that,’’ Turner said.
KinkySdollS announced last month on its Facebook page that it planned to open a ‘‘love dolls brothel’’ in Houston. It would be the company’s second location. The first location opened in 2017 in Toronto.
On its social media pages, KinkySdollS says its humanlike dolls, which can speak and feel warm to the touch, are available for sale or rent.
Turner said he had asked the city’s legal and health departments to review all ordinances, including those related to sexually oriented businesses, to see if any of them would cover that type of business.
The city might have to amend current ordinances or create a new one ‘‘to limit or regulate these types of businesses’’, he said. Issues Houston officials were reviewing included whether it had to be located a certain distance away from schools, daycare centres and churches — like other sexually oriented businesses — and health concerns related to any reuse and cleaning of the dolls.
‘‘I’m not trying to be the moral police or anything like that. But I am charged with the health and safety of the people within our city,’’ Turner said.
Elijah Rising, a Houstonbased nonprofit focused on ending sex trafficking, has started a Change.org petition asking that the business be kept out of the city.
‘‘We have seen the progression as sex buyers go from pornography to strip clubs to purchasing sexrobot brothels will ultimately harm men, their understanding of healthy sexuality and increase the demand for the prostitution and sexual exploitation of women and children,’’ the petition says.