Brothels unfairly under attack The madams of Mustang Ranch

We are the backbone of a historic industry, one run by women for women. We are the voices people are fighting to silence, citing our “best interests” with no regard to hear our story or our opinions. As the madams of the Mustang Ranch, we are fighting back and sharing our stories for the world to hear.

Some members of the public would have you believe that brothels are a stain on the community. Yet, there is little realization of the positive impact brothels have on their communities, their colleagues and their families. The women who work at Mustang Ranch are professional entrepreneurs — courtesans — with children and parents to care for, mortgages, car payments, savings and retirement plans. In our brothel, like other legal, well-regulated establishments, we provide full- and part-time jobs for more than 160 courtesans and employees, and pay them more than $5.7 million in total annual payroll. As part of that total payroll, our courtesans make more than $4.3 million a year.

Additionally, brothels such as ours have proven to be integral to the rural communities in which they reside. Our establishments pay more taxes and fees per square foot than most, if not all, other Nevada businesses, and the law dictates that all local taxes be paid in full before the renewal date of our annual business licenses. Even so, brothels are some of the largest economic drivers in their counties.

The money generated at brothels is not used to coat the pockets of pimps. Rather, much of it goes back into the community. Each year, the Mustang Ranch and its courtesans donate about $150,000 to feed residents at local senior centers and provide hundreds of backpacks filled with food for the children of Storey County from families in need. While our charitable giving and economic impact far exceeds what we’ve mentioned, it does demonstrate that we are like every other legal business in the state.

We also want to address the argument that brothels promote an institution that traffics, harms or exploits women. As we mentioned earlier, we are a business run by women, for women, and our vision is to provide a safe haven for women and customers alike.

Long before the era of #Metoo, we were strong supporters of a woman’s right to choose what she wants to do with her own body and how she wants to lead her life. Every year, our courtesans and employees must undergo a law enforcement background investigation which includes an FBI database and fingerprint check, and present valid identity documentation.

We insist on a welcoming atmosphere that allows the women who work for us a life of total freedom. They can work for periods of time at the brothel when they want, go home for time off when they want, work for other brothels, or leave the profession altogether at their whim.

They decide who they interact with and how often they work. Often, our ladies work for a week or two before taking four to eight weeks off to spend time with family and friends or to pursue other avenues in life such as higher education. This freedom, along with the professional-level annual income these women earn, allows them to further their lives in ways they might have never been previously afforded and we will fight to continue to provide them with these opportunities.

We are the madams of the Mustang Ranch, the backbone of a legal and regulated industry under attack. We are the women who provide for and fight for women, and we will continue to tell our stories for all to hear.