ACLU backs brothels in lawsuit
Las Vegas Sun
ASSOCIATED PRESS
March 18, 2006
LAS VEGAS (AP) - The American Civil Liberties Union has filed
a lawsuit in U.S. District Court challenging legislation that
bars brothel owners from advertising in other counties.
Along with two newspapers and Bobbi Davis, the owner of the
Shady Lady Ranch brothel near Beatty, Nev., the group argues the
legislation violates owner's constitutional rights.
The issue first arose after Davis attempted to put an ad with
a $50 coupon in the Las Vegas weekly Citylife newspaper and was
refused.
The newspaper said it had no choice under a Nevada law
intended to keep bordellos from advertising far and wide for
customers. While prostitution is legal in several rural Nevada
counties, it is unlawful to advertise it in counties such as
Clark, where prostitution is illegal.
"We can only advertise locally," Davis told the Las
Vegas Review-Journal on Friday. "I live outside a town that
has 1,100 people in it. We don't want the locals, we want the
tourists."
The law limiting advertising to counties where prostitution
is legal is "an old state law and is
unconstitutional," said Allen Lichtenstein, general counsel
for the ACLU of Nevada. "Once a business license is issued,
that business has the same First Amendment rights as anyone
else."
CityLife and the High Desert Advocate newspaper in Wendover
joined Davis as plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed this week.
CityLife is owned by Stephens Media Group, which also owns the
Las Vegas Review-Journal.
But most of Davis' fellow brothel owners hope the regulations
that limit their advertising remain intact.
George Flint, a brothel industry lobbyist, called the
advertising limits a "life insurance policy." Flint
said owners fear angering legislators with overly sexy ads.
"Our fear is that some people in our industry will go
insane with dramatic advertising and it's going to incense
legislators and threaten our long-term survival."
CityLife Editor Steve Sebelius said other brothel owners are
being too skittish.
"They have learned to keep things under the radar and
not to make waves," he said. "They're worried there
will be more regulation and they'll go out of business. That's
just intimidation. Voters have continued to keep prostitution
legal over the years."
Sebelius said the money brothel advertising could bring to
his newspaper wasn't a consideration in joining the lawsuit.
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Information from: Las Vegas Review-Journal, http://www.lvrj.com
Original Link:
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nevada/2006/mar/18/031810604.html
