CARSON CITY, NV—The nation’s most successful licensed sex worker has a new mission: She wants to help Vermont legislators push forward a recently introduced bill to decriminalize sex work in the Green Mountain State. Alice Little, the Moonlite Bunny Ranch's highest-earning sex worker, is offering to fly to Vermont and meet with lawmakers and citizens in order to provide a first-hand perspective on sex work from a woman that has been safely and successfully operating as a legal prostitute in a non-criminalized environment for four years.
“Congratulations, Vermont, for proposing a bill that would decriminalize sex work,” Little said in a YouTube video posted on February 14.
“I want to show my support by offering to fly out and communicate with senators and legislators and inform them a little bit more about sex work,” Little said in the video. “As someone that’s been in this industry for the past four years, I want to help shape the future of sex work in America and ensure that we have a system that values everyone involved.”
Nevada legalized prostitution in the early 1970s in the form of regulated brothels located in several rural counties throughout the state. Sex workers operating as independent contractors in Nevada’s legal brothels must undergo an FBI background check to obtain their license and must test weekly for sexually transmitted diseases in order to be cleared to provide sexual services. All brothel owners also undergo a highly extensive personal and financial review before being granted a license, ensuring that these business owners are aboveboard and are not connected to criminal activities, including sex trafficking.
Little strongly believes in the merits of repealing the criminalization of prostitution between consenting adults, and she has successfully fought against a recent movement to outlaw legal brothels in Nevada. In 2018, an anti-prostitution group managed to get an advisory question on the ballot in Lyon County, Nevada in order to persuade commissioners to rescind the county’s brothel ordinance. Little and other Nevada sex workers organized a series of town hall meetings to educate the county’s voters about sex work, specifically focusing on how stigma surrounding the profession fuels misinformation and harms sex workers. Little’s campaign was tremendously successful, resulting in 80% of residents voting in favor of keeping prostitution legal in Lyon County.
Little went on to co-found the Nevada Brothel Association, a political lobbying group that provides a voice for brothel owners and sex workers in the Silver State.
Little now wants to leverage her experience for Vermont, and assist Vermonters in combating the stigma of sex work. In her video, she thanks Rep. Selene Colburn, the bill's lead sponsor, for getting the ball rolling.
“Selene Colburn, thank you for proposing the bill and taking the first step forward in making American history,” Little said. “I want to do everything in my power to enable your success.”
Little’s video can be viewed here. Little’s tweet to Rep. Colburn is here.
