Sex worker Alice Little of the Moonlite Bunny Ranch is suing Nevada for keeping brothels in lockdown during COVID-19.
Alice Little, America’s self-proclaimed “highest paid sex worker”, is taking matters into her own hands and suing the State of Nevada for keeping brothels in lockdown while other businesses, such as restaurants, bars, salons, and massage parlours, have been allowed to reopen.
Little’s lawsuit comes after the state’s governor, Steve Sisolak, excluded brothels and sex work from the “close contact” establishments allowed to return to business as a part of a phase 2 effort to reopen the city.
“The governor’s decision to keep brothels closed is just blatant discrimination against Nevada’s legal sex workers,” said Little, 30, in a press release.
The sex worker high roller, who has over 106,000 followers on Instagram, worked for the Moonlight Bunny, which was closed due to lockdowns in March. Prior to this, Little claimed she was making an upwards of $1 million a year.
“Nevada’s governor has unfairly kept the legal brothels closed while allowing other high-contact businesses, such as massage parlors, spas, and salons, to reopen,” wrote Little on a GoFundMe page aiming to raise $50,000 for the lawsuit.
In the suit that was filed on October 30, the escort claimed that the sex work industry was suffering massive financial stress under the closures in Nevada, which is currently the only state in the US in which prostitution is legal.
Not only did the state exclude brothels from reopening, they were also omitted from receiving state relief measures to help businesses financially recover from the crisis.
“Nevada’s governor has unfairly kept the legal brothels closed while allowing other high-contact businesses, such as massage parlours, spas, and salons, to reopen,” wrote Little on a GoFundMe page aiming to raise $50,000 for the lawsuit.
Alice Little: Nevada’s sex worker voices must be heardhttps://t.co/KakCJzbBjY
“As a Nevada sex worker, I do not ‘work for’ a brothel owner. … I am my own person with my own voice and views — and no brothel owner speaks for me or on behalf of any sex worker.”
— Nevada Brothel Association (@BrothelNevada) September 3, 2019
As of Tuesday morning, the campaign raised over $8,000 for the cause.
The lawsuit acts a protection for the sex industry, stating that licensed workers should have the right to “ply their legal trade” at home or in private locations.
Unfortunately, ending the ban on sex work is not a priority for Governor Sisolak.
“Certainly we’re going to have to look at getting kids back into schools before we look at getting folks back into brothels,” he told the Nevada Independent just days before Little’s lawsuit.
“We’ll be addressing it sometime, certainly, but it’s not in the immediate future.”
On Sunday, Little posted an update on the GoFundMe page, stating the case will go to court.
“For the first time since the pandemic started nine months ago, the governor will have to defend his position in a court of law,” she wrote.
“It’s time for sex workers to establish their right to work like never before — remember, this case is unprecedented.”
