PAHRUMP, Nev.—Activist and licensed sex worker Alice Little, who sued Nevada to reopen brothels last year, has joined the Chicken Ranch as a featured entertainer when it reopens on May 1.
“It’s been a harrowing year for sex workers in Nevada and throughout the globe,” Little said. “The COVID-19 pandemic caused a great deal of hardship for marginalized and stigmatized laborers, and many sex workers experienced a catastrophic blow to our financial, personal and mental health. I’m elated that Nevada’s legal brothels are finally planning to reopen and I can’t wait to return to work.”
In March 2020, Nevada governor Steve Sisolak ordered all nonessential businesses in the state to shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. His order specifically named brothels among these nonessential businesses. While many nonessential high-contact businesses have received permission to resume operations, such as salons, spas and massage parlors, and dentists and hygienists, the governor had yet to give the go-ahead for Nevada’s legal houses of prostitution to reopen.
In November 2020, Little filed a highly-publicized lawsuit against Sisolak over the lengthy bordello closures, claiming that the governor was unfairly snubbing sex workers while allowing less controversial physical-contact businesses to reopen. A judge ruled in the governor’s favor and the brothels remained closed. Even though she lost in court, Little believes that it was a battle worth fighting.
“The legal action I took against the governor over the protracted brothel closures was definitely worth the time, money and effort because the lawsuit compelled the governor to recognize sex worker perspectives and listen to sex worker voices. I’m proud that we brought a conversation about the plight of Nevada’s sex workers to the forefront,” Little said.
Having previously plied her trade in Northern Nevada, Little said she is excited to work near Las Vegas and play a role in the rejuvenation of Southern Nevada’s tourist economy.
“All of the ladies at the Chicken Ranch have been tremendously welcoming and I feel sincerely blessed to join my sexy new colleagues as part of the 2021 lineup,” Little said. “The roaring 2020’s are about to begin, and I’m there for it and ready to play my part.”
As an advocate for Nevada’s sex work community, Little founded the political action group “Hookers for Healthcare” in 2017 to fight for healthcare policies that benefit sex workers. She is also a co-founder of the Nevada Brothel Association.
In 2018, anti-sex work activists sought a referendum to ban legal brothels in Lyon and Nye counties and, in 2019, a bill aiming to permanently shut them down was introduced in the Nevada Senate. But aggressive lobbying by Little and other Nevada sex workers in part led to the rejection of the brothel ban referendum in Lyon County, and the similar effort to ban brothels in Nye County failed to get enough signatures on a referendum petition. The bill to criminalize brothels statewide also fell through in the legislature.
Little has also written for Refinery29, SheKnows, and the Huffington Post, regularly speaks on sex work in the media and on the podcast circuit, and is a prolific vlogger with over 11 million views to her YouTube channel.
For more information, visit thealicelittle.com, or follow her on Instagram , OnlyFans and on YouTube.
