<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/51598e1eeab8eadc4b000022-483-362/kim-kardashian-temptation.png?maxX=400&amp;maxY=300" border="0" alt="Kim Kardashian " Temptation="" width="400" height="300" /></div>"Temptation""A degree on the wall, without labels on your back, is nothing," says <keyword id="6357837" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Kim-Kardashian">Kim Kardashian</keyword> in "Temptation."</div>Kim Kardashian's "acting" performance in Tyler Perry's latest film "Temptation" is already being talked about as a Razzie contender for 2013.
The critics are slamming the reality TV star, here are <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/confidential/critics-razz-kim-kardashian-performance-perry-movie-article-1.1304158" target="_blank">just a few of the reviews</a> about her latest role:
<ul>
<li>Alonso Duralde of The Wrap: Kardashian is “as nasal and awful an actress as you might imagine.”</li>
<li>Peter Sobczynski on rogerebert.com: “It is perhaps ironic that someone so famous for her curves could deliver her lines so flatly.”</li>
<li>Joel D. Amos of Moviefanatics.com: “Let’s just say that the question of whether the celebrity gossip maven can act is answered within 60 seconds of her cold absence of any feeling performance."</li>
</ul>
Kardashian, who plays, "an image-obsessed clotheshorse whose primary concern is snagging a rich man," delivers 50 lines throughout the film. <a href="http://www.vulture.com/2013/03/every-kim-kardashian-line-in-tyler-perrys-temptation.html" target="_blank">Vulture was kind enought to put them all together:</a>
<ul>
<li>"Good morning. Your 8 a.m. is on his way up."</li>
<li>"Ugh, look at those shoes."</li>
<li>"I wasn't talking about hers, I was talking about yours. They look like orthopedic shoes."</li>
<li>"Judith, we've been going over this for weeks. Look around this office, what do you see?"</li>
<li>"Look at me, Judith. What you should see is <keyword id="6360040" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="people">people</keyword> in this office care about what they look like. UNlike you."</li>
<li>"We have over a billion dollars walking in and out of these offices looking for love, and we have a standard to uphold. And this is not our standard!"</li>
<li>"Yes, you do."</li>
<li>"Yeah, you do."</li>
<li>"A degree?"</li>
<li>"A degree on the wall, without labels on your back, is nothing."</li>
<li>"Where are you from, new girl?"</li>
<li>"Where the hell is that?"</li>
<li>"The South. That explains it. You grew up below the Mason-Dixon."</li>
<li>"And you really need an iron to that skirt."</li>
<li>"Say no more. That … that blouse. It's telling it all."</li>
<li>"What's wrong with my dress? You don't breathe in Hervé."</li>
<li>"Oh my God."</li>
<li>"You're killing me. You don't know who that is? The third largest social media inventor since Zuckerberg? ClassMeet? What planet are you from?"</li>
<li>"She is no madam. You need to bite your tongue. She's a matchmaker, and she's very good at her job." </li>
</ul>
Read the rest of Kardashian's great lines at <a href="http://www.vulture.com/2013/03/every-kim-kardashian-line-in-tyler-perrys-temptation.html" target="_blank">Vulture &gt;</a>

Critics Are Slamming Kim Kardashian's Performance In Tyler Perry's 'Temptation'

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55098e966bb3f76048b3c3fc-1200-600/robert-durst-16.jpg" border="0" alt="robert durst ">Courtesy of HBO</img></div></div></div>"The Jinx" star Robert Durst's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-lapd-insists-that-the-durst-arrest-was-actually-not-connected-to-hbos-the-jinx-2015-3" target="_blank">recent arrest</a> is just the latest in a series of legal troubles for the 71-year-old real estate heir accused of <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/18/nyregion/robert-durst-to-face-felony-charges-at-scene-of-arrest.html?_r=0" target="_blank">murdering three people</a>.In 2003, Durst went on trial for the murder and dismemberment of his Galveston, TX., neighbor, Morris Black. While many considered the case a "slam dunk" in finally putting Durst behind bars after the murder of his best friend, Susan Berman, and <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/2015/03/robert-durst-murders-wife-susie-berman" target="_blank">"disappearance" of his wife</a> 21 years prior, Durst's high-powered defense attorney claimed self-defense and he was <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20050403214317/http://www.courttv.com/trials/durst/verdict_ctv.html" target="_blank">acquitted of murder</a>.Those who had been following the high-profile case went nuts after the verdict, which was covered on every major news outlet.Even "Saturday Night Live" mocked the shocking verdict.In a November 13, 2003 "SNL" episode, cast member Fred Armisen played Robert Durst... <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55098c3869bedde552b3c3fa-1200-600/fred-armisen-robert-durst-snl-1.png" border="0" alt="Fred Armisen Robert Durst SNL" style="color: #000000;">NBC/"Saturday Night Live"</img></div></div></div>...being interviewed by Tony Bennett, played by host Alec Baldwin. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/550993f069bedde06cb3c3fa-1200-600/alec-baldwin-tony-bennett.png" border="0" alt="Alec Baldwin tony bennett">NBC/"Saturday Night Live" via HBO's "The Jinx"</img></div></div></div>While video of the sketch is not available online, HBO's "The Jinx" plays a clip from it in episode 5.Following Durst's weekend arrest and everyone's fascination with the case following Sunday's <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/03/the-jinx-finale-a-voyeuristic-thrill-ride/387901/" target="_blank">explosive "The Jinx" finale</a>, the sketch is now more relevant than ever.Read the funny <a href="http://snltranscripts.jt.org/03/03ftony.phtml" target="_blank">transcript</a> below:Tony Bennett: I guess you're right. I'm glad you're here anyway. I'd like to bring out my first guest. He's a millionaire who chopped up his neighbor in their apartment complex. Some people seem to have a beef with that. He just won the big court case so I bet he's got some pep in his step. Please welcome, Robert Durst. [Creepy white haired dude comes in, sits] Thank you for coming, Robert. You look great. Hey, that's a real top-notch sport-coat. James Garner, I mean, eat your heart out. Robert Durst: Oh why, thank you. Tony Bennett: So how's it going? Robert Durst: Well, better now. I was a little scared there for a while. Tony Bennett: Now, uh, you chopped up your neighbor! Tell us about that. Robert Durst: Well, he raged at me. And as I was defending myself, I fell and accidentally...chopped him up. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55098bad69bedd4d53b3c3fa/robert durst snl gif.gif" border="0" alt="Robert Durst SNL GIF">NBC/"Saturday Night Live"</img></div></div></div> Tony Bennett: Man, that's outta sight. Now, I'm a pretty laid-back kind of guy. But I've had my own gripes with my neighbors over the years. You know, one summer I lived next door to Richie Sambora at Big Bear Lake. And this dude had a tropical bird the size of Chita Rivera that just wouldn't stop squawking. Robert Durst: Oh, that would wear me out. Tony Bennett: You telling me Robert. Now, what's the scoop on this first wife of yours that went missing? Did you chop her up too? Robert Durst: I had absolutely nothing to do with that... Tony Bennett: Hey, Robert. hold that thought on the chopping up your missing wife business. I gotta mention one of our sponsors. [holds a maxi-pad package] Stayfree Super Maxi-pads with 4-walls protection. Robert, do you mind? [Robert holds the maxi-pads] In my book, all ladies should look like Angie Dickinson. That's why its a shame when their monthlies keep them from wearing cream-colored pantsuits. You know, I once made love to Angie Dickinson for 7 hours! Then a security guard came in and said: "Mr. Bennett, Madame Tussuad's is closing".[throws maxi-pads away] Anyway, we're back with Robert Durst. Now, they also say that you're something of a cross-dresser. Robert Durst: Well, you know, on occasion. I have dressed in women's clothing...accidentally, yes. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55098cec69bedd4653b3c3fd-1051-525/the-jinx-robert-durst.png" border="0" alt="The Jinx Robert Durst">HBO/"The Jinx"Robert Durst's narration in "The Jinx."</img></div></div></div>Tony Bennett: Well, I think its just great when you can put on women's clothes, have a fight with a neighbor who rages at you, chop him up and then you both just say "uncle". You know, I still regret not clearing things up with Richie Sambora. Sometimes I think that's why I have trouble sleeping. In fact, I'll just call him up right now and try to get the whole thing over with. [picks up phone] Our friends at AT&amp;T will connect me. [phone rings] Richie Sambora: [over the phone] Yeah? Yeah? Tony Bennett: Is this Richie Sambora? Richie Sambora: Yeah, who is this? Tony Bennett: This is your neighbor, Tony Bennett. I got a beef with your bird. Richie Sambora: I'm sorry. Who is this? Tony Bennett: [hangs up] I heard it. He said: "I'm sorry". That's what I've been waiting for 12 years. A simple apology from Richie Sambora. Isn't it great, Robert, when it all works out in the end? Robert Durst: It's so great. It really is the best... Tony Bennett: Fat Joe, I'm gonna have to catch you on the flipside. I wanna say thanks to my guests Robert the neighbor chopper, Angie Dickinson, Richie Sambora, those maxi-pads with 4-wall protection and crazy Pat, the rooster sucker! <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/pixels-trailer-adam-sandler-donkey-kong-pac-man-video-games-movie-2015-3">Adam Sandler may finally have a hit with 'Pixels' - watch the awesome trailer</a></h3> <div> <div> <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="oycDMydDp8_hqMFg0ZJDP-lIbRCMoPvz" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> <script> if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; } RunFunctions.push(function() { var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'oycDMydDp8_hqMFg0ZJDP-lIbRCMoPvz',{ autoplay: 'false' }); }); </script> <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div> </div> <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script> </div>

Fred Armisen plays Robert Durst in this amazing 'SNL' sketch from 2003

Sheri's Ranch is a legal brothel outside Las Vegas that claims to be a favorite stop for people visiting the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas.<a href="http://recode.net/2015/01/08/this-is-the-unofficial-brothel-of-ces/"> Re/code reports that business at the brothel increases 70%</a> during the week that CES is held.&#xa0;
Back in 2013, Dylan Love visited Sheri's Ranch to meet the women who work there:
The world's oldest profession has been legal in parts of Nevada since 1971, but is unambiguously illegal everywhere else. I had arranged a non-participatory visit to see how this oasis of vice works, and&#xa0;<a href="http://www.sherisranch.com/">Sheri's Ranch, a legal brothel in Nevada's Nye County</a> (NSFW), sent a black Town Car to pick me up from my hotel in Las Vegas.
Getting there
<a title_source="Google Maps" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/52700f4669bedd28638e42f4-960/screenshot2013-10-29at33843pm.jpg"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/52700f4669bedd28638e42f4-925-693/screenshot2013-10-29at33843pm.jpg" border="0" alt="Screen_Shot_2013 10 29_at_3.38.43_PM" /></a>Google MapsAnyone wanting to legally exchange money for sex has to get out of Las Vegas to do so. Sheri's Ranch is in Pahrump, Nev., a rural desert community an hour outside Vegas where prostitution is legal, alive, and well. (Incidentally it's also where forgotten Apple co-founder Ron Wayne currently calls home.)
The drive from downtown Vegas to Pahrump is an exploration of big empty space, armadillos, and dead cell zones. My driver, Fabio, is a full-time employee of Sheri's Ranch. He makes the two-hour drive from Vegas to Pahrump back to Vegas a few times a day, discreetly getting customers from their downtown hotel suites to Sheri's front door and back. A placard on the seat in front of me reads "The ride is completely complimentary but a gratuity is greatly appreciated."
Were we in his other car, Fabio tells me, he has a DVD player for customers to watch short ads for each girl at the Ranch, something akin to movie trailers before the main attraction. If people start asking him questions about specific girls, he puts it on for them to watch. He's happy to answer customers' general questions, but he's not supposed to comment on specific women in case he were to recommend some over others.
Getting acquainted with Sheri's Ranch
<a title_source="Google Maps" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/52700cfb69bedd385e8e42fa-960/screenshot2013-10-29at31930pm-2.jpg"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/52700cfb69bedd385e8e42fa-1098-824/screenshot2013-10-29at31930pm-2.jpg" border="0" alt="Screen_Shot_2013 10 29_at_3.19.30_PM 2" /></a>Google MapsWith the exception of one sign on the front reading "Girls Girls Girls," Sheri's Ranch may as well be a sports bar. In fact it is a sports bar. There are literally two separate entrances to the building - door No.1 for beer and wings, door No.2 for more sensual pleasures. I started with door No.1.
The sports bar side has a low-light atmosphere for drinking, eating, socializing, and - my New York City eyes couldn't believe it - smoking indoors! It is homey, low-key, and immediately comfortable. I grab a booth and a gin and tonic to sit and talk with Dena, the madam of Sheri's Ranch.
Dena lives in Pahrump and likes to knit when she's not at work. As madam of the Ranch, she fills something of a motherly role for the girls who work here, seeing to their needs and making sure that the day-to-day operations of the Ranch are running smoothly. She facilitates the relationship between employer and employee.
<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5277c162eab8ea0d28624595-811-608/screen-shot-2013-11-04-at-104453-am.png" border="0" alt="Screen Shot 2013 11 04 at 10.44.53 AM">ScreenshotThe brothel's pool and courtyard area</img>Dena showed me around the grounds. There's the main building that houses the restaurant and the girls, but behind it is plenty more. A pool and some palm trees. Themed bungalows for some extra privacy from the main house. A "fantasy playland" for acting out more elaborate sexual encounters - a locker room, a reception area, and so on. You get the gist.
The same way that there are plenty of people who come to the sports bar just to have a meal, there are people who come just to stay in the Ranch's hotel. A full-fledged hotel sits on the property a fair distance behind the main house, and it's there for anyone needing a place to stay, whether you're just visiting Pahrump or making an extended go of things at Sheri's.
Behind the bungalows is the rest of the Ranch's 310 acres - dry, undeveloped desert that butts right up against the Nevada-California state line. On this side of the line, Sheri's Ranch operates without issue. Move just a couple miles west and it'd be a different story.
How to get a job as a prostitute
There seem to be as many stories of breaking into the prostitution business as there are women working here. Dena told me that very rarely is this business a woman's plan.
<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/527804596bb3f71f68022cdd-889-667/sheris-ranch-destini-1.jpg" border="0" alt="sheris ranch destini" width="480">Sheri's RanchDestini is married with a child</img>Women seeking work at Sheri's need to be licensed independent contractors for the state of Nevada and complete an application process with the Ranch. You can see <a href="http://www.sherisranch.com/employment.aspx">the application page here</a> (NSFW). They request nothing more than a few photos of your face and body, but it's difficult to stand out on that alone.
That's why there's a comments section of the application as well. Prospective employees are advised to demonstrate some personality. Once you get the go-ahead to come work a tour, they'll even pick you up from the airport in a limousine.
Aaron, the brothel's marketing director, told me that "there's never been a problem filling slots at Sheri's. It's only ever been a matter of who to say yes to."
I met three of the prostitutes who got a yes.
The women of Sheri's Ranch
"The No. 1 misconception about places like this is that the girls are here against their will. But that's just not true," Dena tells me.
The word "whorehouse" often inspires seedy images of broken women, scored with a Tom Waits song. At Sheri's, that's all just movie nonsense. The women here seem to do quite well for themselves, operating as independent contractors who set their own prices. They got a little evasive when I asked specific questions about money, but I left with the impression that you can expect to spend anywhere from a few hundred dollars on the basic side of things to thousands of dollars and more at the other end of the spectrum. Obviously this depends on your tastes and the girl's prices.??
<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5277c22c6bb3f74061022cdb-570-427/sheris-ranch-amber-lynn-1.jpg" border="0" alt="sheris ranch amber lynn">Sheri's RanchAmber Lynn trades time between Pahrump and Florida</img>Amber Lynn trades time between Florida and Pahrump - two weeks on at Sheri's Ranch, two weeks at home with her boyfriend.
Erin is new here, a former marine who started escorting independently in Louisiana before coming to Sheri's so that she could continue the work without worry of legal repercussions.
Destini is a family woman, married with a child. She disclosed that she'd had some run-ins with the law while working as an escort elsewhere, but as an employee of Sheri's Ranch there's no worry of that happening. Even though she's wearing a distracting robe and lingerie, there's a maternal glow in her face when she talks about her child, and it totally steals the scene.
I find myself especially intrigued with her story. She's a happily married mom and working prostitute. Does she ever worry about having a healthy relationship with sex?
"All it takes to have a healthy relationship with sex is to enjoy it. And I enjoy it! A lot of the guys that come through here are shy, or disabled, or just haven't had good experiences with women. I get to make them feel loved," Destini says. Her smile is so big as she speaks that I know she means it. The other girls nod in agreement.
The longer I talk to them, the more it feels like I'm talking to employees of a conventional business, a resort or hotel, maybe. I guess you could say they're in the ultimate customer service industry.
Dena asks Destini the question I would ask were I less afraid of offending her: "What's it like in the bedroom when you get home from the job?"
Destini laughs at the ceiling. "I rape my husband when I get home! I say 'Come here, baby! I missed you!'"??
<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5277c32669bedd496d624595-781-585/screen-shot-2013-11-04-at-105336-am.png" border="0" alt="Screen Shot 2013 11 04 at 10.53.36 AM">ScreenshotLooking down the hallway of girls' rooms</img>The unsexy logistics of it all 
Girls at the Ranch work one "tour" at a time, a contractual stay at the Ranch that can last five days on the short end and up to two weeks or longer. When they're on the clock, the girls work 12-hour shifts, either 5 AM to 5 PM or vice versa. While on her tour, a woman isn't allowed to approach the Ranch's hotel area or talk to its guests - to do so would be solicitation.
??The womens' rooms are situated down a long hallway. The layout is reminiscent of a college dorm, and the women live and work in their rooms full-time. Considering they each pay $46 a day in rent and sleep in the rooms nightly, they decorate to suit their tastes and personalities. Apart from the room rent, the only other financial arrangement between the brothel and the women working there is that the brothel takes 50% of what they make.
Condom use: mandatory. Placards placed throughout every room serve as a perpetual reminder to be safe and sanitary. A physician comes by once a week to give all the girls a health screening, and before any sexual activity takes place behind closed doors, males go through a quick visual screening, called a "DC," or "dick check."&#xa0;
Everyone I asked maintains that there's yet to be an instance of sexually transmitted disease tied to legalized prostitution since the industry kicked off in Nevada 42 years ago.
How to legally solicit a hooker 
Make an appointment ahead of time or just drop by at your convenience - Sheri's is open 24/7/365, so you're never going to catch them unprepared to receive you.
When you walk through the "Girls Girls Girls" door, you are treated to the "lineup," in which the girls who are on the clock come to meet you, tell you their names, vamp a little bit, and wait for you to pick one of them. (You can conduct an impromptu lineup of your own over the Internet by <a href="http://www.sherisranch.com/lineup.aspx">seeing who's currently at the Ranch</a> [NSFW]). The two of you will go to her room, chat it up, and make arrangements on what you'd like to do and how much you'd like to spend. After reaching an agreement, you pay, you partake, and you're on your way.?? Maybe get a burger on the way out.
<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/527804e8ecad04c86e022cdd-889-667/sheris-ranch-chuck-lee-1.jpg" border="0" alt="sheris ranch chuck lee" width="480">Sheri's RanchChuck Lee, owner of Sheri's. Prior to running the brothel, Chuck was a homicide detective and owned a car dealership</img>How to start a legal brothel
That all-important business cliché applies to prostitution as well: Location, location, location. If you're opening up in the U.S., you can only be located in certain counties in Nevada. Your operation, just like prostitution in any form, is illegal everywhere else in the country.
<a href="http://www.sherisranch.com/chuck-lee-owner-sheris-ranch.aspx">??Chuck Lee is the owner and operator</a> (NSFW) of Sheri's Ranch. He's a Nevada native and former homicide detective who earned a nice windfall for himself when he sold his share of an especially successful Oldsmobile dealership. He used the money to get Sheri's Ranch off the ground, and it took quite a bit of doing.
Before he could so much as put that "Girls Girls Girls" sign on the door, Chuck had to pass a background check to satisfy area officials that he was an upstanding citizen. Then he wrote several fat checks to local government and turned the crank of bureaucracy to get all the required permits to serve food, beer, liquor, and well, sex.
Chuck estimates it cost $20 million over the years to get Sheri's Ranch to where it is today. By setting the bar this high, both financially and bureaucratically, Nevada makes it very difficult for unsavory characters to get into the business. Nevada's legal brothels have to meet all the usual regulations of a local business, and then they have to adhere to stricter prostitution laws on top of that.
Rounding it up
<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5277bc0b6bb3f70a56022cdc-666-500/sheris-ranch-hallway-1.jpg" border="0" alt="sheris ranch hallway">Sheri's Ranch</img>Sheri's Ranch is a compelling demonstration that legalized and well-regulated prostitution can be safe, functional, and profitable. There are 18 other legal brothels operating throughout Nevada today.
There's an ineffable welcoming quality to Sheri's Ranch. There is no shame, no fear, no judgment to be found anywhere near the place. There's no illusion to maintain - you've arrived, hat in hand, to pay for sex. Not only do the ladies know this, but they're glad you're here. Where America's sexual culture seems far more repressed than that of other countries, Sheri's turns this paradigm on its ear and welcomes you to indulge in (mostly) whatever it is you want. Their business depends on it.
While you'll have to leave Las Vegas to get here, the slogan still applies: What happens in Pahrump stays in Pahrump, but it's because cell service is too spotty to tell anyone anything.
Because some will likely wonder, the answer is no, I did not have sex with a prostitute for this story.
This post was originally written by Dylan Love.

Inside The Las Vegas Brothel That's A Favorite For People Attending CES

<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5277c81069bedd1d75624597-1000-500/sheris-ranch-erin-1.jpg?maxX=800" border="0" alt="sheris ranch erin" width="800" />Sheri's RanchErin is a former Marine and the newest girl at Sheri's Ranch</div></div>
The world's oldest profession has been legal in parts of <keyword id="6369096" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Nevada">Nevada</keyword> since 1971, but is unambiguously illegal everywhere else. I wanted to see how this little oasis of legal vice works. So Sheri's Ranch, a legal brothel in Nevada's Nye County, sent a black Town Car to pick me up from my hotel in Las Vegas, so I could see how their business operates.
Getting there
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Google Maps" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52700f4669bedd28638e42f4-960/screenshot2013-10-29at33843pm.jpg"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52700f4669bedd28638e42f4-925-693/screenshot2013-10-29at33843pm.jpg" border="0" alt="Screen_Shot_2013 10 29_at_3.38.43_PM" /></a>Google Maps</div></div></div>Anyone wanting to legally exchange money for sex has to get out of Las Vegas to do so. Sheri's Ranch is in Pahrump, Nevada, a rural desert community an hour outside Vegas where <keyword id="56655" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="prostitution">prostitution</keyword> is legal, alive, and well. (Incidentally it's also where forgotten Apple co-founder Ron Wayne currently calls home.)
The drive from downtown Vegas to Pahrump is an exploration of big empty space, armadillos, and dead cell zones. My driver, Fabio, is a full-time employee of Sheri's Ranch. He makes the two-hour drive from Vegas to Pahrump back to Vegas a few times a day, discreetly getting customers from their downtown hotel suites to Sheri's front door and back. A placard on the seat in front of me reads "The ride is completely complimentary but a gratuity is greatly appreciated."
Were we in his other car, Fabio tells me, he has a DVD player for customers to watch short ads for each girl at the Ranch, something akin to movie trailers before the main attraction. If people start asking him questions about specific girls, he puts it on for them to watch. He's happy to answer customers' general questions, but he's not supposed to comment on specific women in case he were to recommend some over others.
Getting acquainted with Sheri's Ranch
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Google Maps" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/52700cfb69bedd385e8e42fa-960/screenshot2013-10-29at31930pm-2.jpg"><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/52700cfb69bedd385e8e42fa-1098-824/screenshot2013-10-29at31930pm-2.jpg" border="0" alt="Screen_Shot_2013 10 29_at_3.19.30_PM 2" /></a>Google Maps</div></div></div>With the exception of one sign on the front reading "Girls Girls Girls," Sheri's Ranch may as well be a sports bar. In fact it is a sports bar. There are literally two separate entrances to the building - door No.1 for beer and wings, door No.2 for more sensual pleasures. I started with door No.1.
The sports bar side has a low-light atmosphere for drinking, eating, socializing, and - my New York City eyes couldn't believe it - smoking indoors! It is homey, low-key, and immediately comfortable. I grab a booth and a gin and tonic to sit and talk with Dena, the madam of Sheri's Ranch.
Dena lives in Pahrump and likes to knit when she's not at work. As madam of the Ranch, she fills something of a motherly role for the girls who work here, seeing to their needs and making sure that the day-to-day operations of the Ranch are running smoothly. She facilitates the relationship between employer and employee.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/5277c162eab8ea0d28624595-811-608/screen-shot-2013-11-04-at-104453-am.png" border="0" alt="Screen Shot 2013 11 04 at 10.44.53 AM" />ScreenshotThe brothel's pool and courtyard area</div></div></div>Dena showed me around the grounds. There's the main building that houses the restaurant and the girls, but behind it is plenty more. A pool and some palm trees. Themed bungalows for some extra privacy from the main house. A "fantasy playland" for acting out more elaborate sexual encounters - a locker room, a reception area, and so on. You get the gist.
The same way that there are plenty of people who come to the sports bar just to have a meal, there are people who come just to stay in the Ranch's hotel. A full-fledged hotel sits on the property a fair distance behind the main house, and it's there for anyone needing a place to stay, whether you're just visiting Pahrump or making an extended go of things at Sheri's.
Behind the bungalows is the rest of the Ranch's 310 acres - dry, undeveloped desert that butts right up against the Nevada-California state line. On this side of the line, Sheri's Ranch operates without issue. Move just a couple miles west and it'd be a different story.
How to get a job as a prostitute
There seem to be as many stories of breaking into the prostitution business as there are women working here. Dena told me that very rarely is this business a woman's plan.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_left"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/527804596bb3f71f68022cdd-889-667/sheris-ranch-destini-1.jpg" border="0" alt="sheris ranch destini" width="480" />Sheri's RanchDestini is married with a child</div></div>Women seeking work at Sheri's need to be licensed independent contractors for the state of Nevada and complete an application process with the Ranch. You can see <a href="http://www.sherisranch.com/employment.aspx">the application page here</a> (<keyword id="1605166" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Nsfw">NSFW</keyword>). They request nothing more than a few photos of your face and body, but it's difficult to stand out on that alone.
That's why there's a comments section of the application as well. Prospective employees are advised to demonstrate some personality. Once you get the go-ahead to come work a tour, they'll even pick you up from the airport in a limousine.
Aaron, the brothel's marketing director, told me that "there's never been a problem filling slots at Sheri's. It's only ever been a matter of who to say yes to."
I met three of the prostitutes who got a yes.
The women of Sheri's Ranch
"The number one misconception about places like this is that the girls are here against their will, but that's just not true," Dena tells me.
The word "whorehouse" often inspires seedy images of broken women, scored with a Tom Waits song. At Sheri's, that's all just movie nonsense. The women here seem to do quite well for themselves, operating as independent contractors who set their own prices. They got a little evasive when I asked specific questions about money, but I left with the impression that you can expect to spend anywhere from a few hundred dollars on the basic side of things to thousands of dollars and more at the other end of the spectrum. Obviously this depends on your tastes and the girl's prices.??
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/5277c22c6bb3f74061022cdb-570-427/sheris-ranch-amber-lynn-1.jpg" border="0" alt="sheris ranch amber lynn" />Sheri's RanchAmber Lynn trades time between Pahrump and Florida</div></div></div>Amber Lynn trades time between Florida and Pahrump - two weeks on at Sheri's Ranch, two weeks at home with her boyfriend.
Erin is new here, a former marine who started escorting independently in Louisiana before coming to Sheri's so that she could continue the work without worry of legal repercussions.
Destini is a family woman, married with a child. She disclosed that she'd had some run-ins with the law while working as an escort elsewhere, but as an employee of Sheri's Ranch there's no worry of that happening. Even though she's wearing a distracting robe and lingerie, there's a maternal glow in her face when she talks about her child, and it totally steals the scene.
I find myself especially intrigued with her story. She's a happily married mom and working prostitute. Does she ever worry about having a healthy relationship with sex?
"All it takes to have a healthy relationship with sex is to enjoy it. And I enjoy it! A lot of the guys that come through here are shy, or disabled, or just haven't had good experiences with women. I get to make them feel loved," Destini says. Her smile is so big as she speaks that I know she means it. The other girls nod in agreement.
The longer I talk to them, the more it feels like I'm talking to employees of a conventional business, a resort or hotel, maybe. I guess you could say they're in the ultimate customer service industry.
Dena asks Destini the question I would ask were I less afraid of offending her: "What's it like in the bedroom when you get home from the job?"
Destini laughs at the ceiling. "I rape my husband when I get home! I say 'Come here, baby! I missed you!'"??
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/5277c32669bedd496d624595-781-585/screen-shot-2013-11-04-at-105336-am.png" border="0" alt="Screen Shot 2013 11 04 at 10.53.36 AM" />ScreenshotLooking down the hallway of girls' rooms</div></div></div>The unsexy logistics of it all 
Girls at the Ranch work one "tour" at a time, a contractual stay at the Ranch that can last five days on the short end and up to two weeks or longer. When they're on the clock, the girls work 12-hour shifts, either 5 AM to 5 PM or vice versa. While on her tour, a woman isn't allowed to approach the Ranch's hotel area or talk to its guests - to do so would be solicitation.
??The womens' rooms are situated down a long hallway. The layout is reminiscent of a college dorm, and the women live and work in their rooms full-time. Considering they each pay $46 a day in rent and sleep in the rooms nightly, they decorate to suit their tastes and personalities. Apart from the room rent, the only other financial arrangement between the brothel and the women working there is that the brothel takes 50% of what they make.
Condom use: mandatory. Placards placed throughout every room serve as a perpetual reminder to be safe and sanitary. A physician comes by once a week to give all the girls a health screening, and before any sexual activity takes place behind closed doors, males go through a quick visual screening, called a "DC," or "dick check." 
Everyone I asked maintains that there's yet to be an instance of sexually transmitted disease tied to legalized prostitution since the industry kicked off in Nevada 42 years ago.
How to legally solicit a hooker 
Make an appointment ahead of time or just drop by at your convenience - Sheri's is open 24/7/365, so you're never going to catch them unprepared to receive you.
When you walk through the "Girls Girls Girls" door, you are treated to the "lineup," in which the girls who are on the clock come to meet you, tell you their names, vamp a little bit, and wait for you to pick one of them. (You can conduct an impromptu lineup of your own over the Internet by <a href="http://www.sherisranch.com/lineup.aspx">seeing who's currently at the Ranch</a> [NSFW]). The two of you will go to her room, chat it up, and make arrangements on what you'd like to do and how much you'd like to spend. After reaching an agreement, you pay, you partake, and you're on your way.?? Maybe get a burger on the way out.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_left"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/527804e8ecad04c86e022cdd-889-667/sheris-ranch-chuck-lee-1.jpg" border="0" alt="sheris ranch chuck lee" width="480" />Sheri's RanchChuck Lee, owner of Sheri's. Prior to running the brothel, Chuck was a homicide detective and owned a car dealership</div></div>How to start a legal brothel
That all-important business cliché applies to prostitution as well: Location, location, location. If you're opening up in the U.S., you can only be located in certain counties in Nevada. Your operation, just like prostitution in any form, is illegal everywhere else in the country.
<a href="http://www.sherisranch.com/chuck-lee-owner-sheris-ranch.aspx">??Chuck Lee is the owner and operator</a> (NSFW) of Sheri's Ranch. He's a Nevada native and former homicide detective who earned a nice windfall for himself when he sold his share of an especially successful Oldsmobile dealership. He used the money to get Sheri's Ranch off the ground, and it took quite a bit of doing.
Before he could so much as put that "Girls Girls Girls" sign on the door, Chuck had to pass a background check to satisfy area officials that he was an upstanding citizen. Then he wrote several fat checks to local government and turned the crank of bureaucracy to get all the required permits to serve food, beer, liquor, and well, sex.
Chuck estimates it cost $20 million over the years to get Sheri's Ranch to where it is today. By setting the bar this high, both financially and bureaucratically, Nevada makes it very difficult for unsavory characters to get into the business. Nevada's legal brothels have to meet all the usual regulations of a local business, and then they have to adhere to stricter prostitution laws on top of that.
Rounding it up
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/5277bc0b6bb3f70a56022cdc-666-500/sheris-ranch-hallway-1.jpg" border="0" alt="sheris ranch hallway" />Sheri's Ranch</div></div></div>Sheri's Ranch is a compelling demonstration that legalized and well-regulated prostitution can be safe, functional, and profitable. There are 18 other legal brothels operating throughout Nevada today.
There's an ineffable welcoming quality to Sheri's Ranch. There is no shame, no fear, no judgment to be found anywhere near the place. There's no illusion to maintain - you've arrived, hat in hand, to pay for sex. Not only do the ladies know this, but they're glad you're here. Where America's sexual culture seems far more repressed than those of other countries, Sheri's turns this paradigm on its ear and welcomes you to indulge in (mostly) whatever it is you want. Their business depends on it.
While you'll have to leave Las Vegas to get here, the slogan still applies: What happens in Pahrump stays in Pahrump, but it's because cell service is too spotty to tell anyone anything.
Because some will likely wonder, the answer is no, I did not have sex with a prostitute for this story.

I Walked Into A Nevada Brothel And My Expectations Were Shattered

40. The Marlboro Woman

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/47653984.cms" />

	Let's start with God. The answers are always easier that way. Someone I am most fond of once told me, "I pity atheists you know. Because they can't ever blame God. They don't have the privilege to ask 'why God, why did you do this to me'." 
 

	When the greater religions put a gun to our head and threatened us to jump in its well, we jumped. Who knew at the bottom of that well, we would find our superhero who went by the name Evolution? 
 

	Dismissing the need for any probation, evolution soon became the king of the jungle. When it roared, the jungle went into submission. But as we all know, no jungle worth its salt ever came without its poachers. The poachers came in the avatars of kings, queens, ministers, presidents, governors, and most importantly, our parents and communities. They drew the lines. The ones we were strictly told not to cross. 
 

	But, the thing is, our DNA came with an eraser, pencil, canvas, and a grave full of imagination. So even when we were put to rest, we dreamt. Our dreams made love to our mother earth, who politely went ahead and conceived the future of tomorrow. 
 When the tomorrow came, a man was born. He was named <keyword id="2898267" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="William-Bruce-Jenner">William Bruce Jenner</keyword>. Six and a half decades later, in June 2015, he stood on top of the world and announced that he had changed his name to Caitlyn. <keyword id="2879531" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Caitlyn-Jenner">Caitlyn Jenner</keyword>. The world stood back in the stands and cheered him from all corners. Before the announcement, William had made all the required configurations in his physical geometry to align his chemistry to the integrity his new name would demand. "I am so happy after such a long struggle to be living my true self. Welcome to the world Caitlyn. Can't wait for you to get to know her/me." Caitlyn posted on her <keyword id="6354616" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Twitter">twitter</keyword> handle @Caitlyn_Jenner, which, along with the first tweet of her <keyword id="5962" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Vanity-Fair">Vanity Fair</keyword> cover went on to get a record-setting 1 million fans in less than 4 hours and 3 minutes straight. Whereas the most powerful man on earth, <keyword id="15962" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Barack-Obama">Barack Obama</keyword> had taken 5 hours to pull the hanky 1 million in his Presidential twitter followers basket, last month. 

	Wish Dora was here now to shower under the petals from the high gardens of Twitter. Dora, born as Rudolph R, was the first person to have gone under the knife in the first-ever recorded sex reassignment surgery (SRS) in 1931. 
 

	Long before Dora or Caitlyn, the mythologies blow mighty trumpets of accounts concerning legends who were both man and woman in one form. There was the blind prophet, Tiresias, who constantly interchanged in his genders and said to have compelling wisdom for this very reason. Then we have the famous Cupid, the God who is responsible to make or break our hearts with our better halves, apparently, is a unisex God. Born to high-profile parents Hermes and Aphrodite, Cupid's father, Hermes, is the inspiration for the term 'hermaphrodite' - used to describe a being with both male and female sexual characteristics and organs. 
 

	Even though the hand holding the umbrella for transgenders is the same, all five fingers of that hand are not. The race to attaining transgender nirvana has been chalked with 5 different tracks. The tracks are identified as transexual, transvestite, genderqueer, androgene, and bigender. 
 

	Writing about transgenders is hard. Being them is even harder. A left-hand car comes straight from the factory and claims that it feels very much right-handed. And without a steering or permit, the car just drives along pretending the car is indeed right-handed. Then, there is the car that feels that it is neither right-handed nor left-handed, but centre-handed. It's complicated. The transgenders don't have it easy. 
 

	Harry Benjamin, the famous German-American sexologist and chief medical advisor to Christine Jorgenson (the ex G.I. who, before Caitlyn Jenner, 60 years ago, became the pioneer in America for stealing all shows concerning her sex reassignment surgery), said, "Our genetic and endocrine equipment constitutes either an unresponsive/fertile soil on which the wrong conditioning and a psychological trauma can grow and develop into such a basic conflict that subsequently a deviation like transsexualism can result." 
 

	Let me give you an example. When androgen receptors (a nuclear receptor that regulates gene expression) is said to have a firm handshake with testosterone or dihydrotestosterone (sex steroid), it will lead to the formulation of primary and secondary male sex characteristics. Whereas, instead of a handshake, if the androgen receptors and testosterone have a face-off with each other, their alliance will be broken. Meaning, a person who is assigned as 'male' at birth will come to feel and identify that he belongs to the opposite sex. 
 

	Again, it will be a blasphemy to summarise the identity of one's gender purely by a single theory alone. There are potent men with healthy-sized penis who feel that they should be women, just as there are women who are attractive, wear feminine clothes, and are perfectly capable of conceiving, yet feel the urge to be in a man's shoe. 
 

	Going by the biological complexity and psychological curiosity, it is evident that Agent X and Agent Y from the Sperm Maker Inc., when it comes to adjudicating the gender of a person, are futile as a burp in a storm. 
 

	Oppression, degradation, prejudice - a staple diet in the menu of transgenders, have been pricked with brutal attacks for holding a balloon called 'me'. 
 

	In 1513, when the Spanish conquistador - Vasco Nunez de Balbao, found that a village in Panama had men who dressed as women, and ordered 40 of them to be "torn to pieces by dogs". 
 

	In 2008, Larry King was shot twice in the head by a fellow student at his school in Oxnard, California. Larry had come out as gay. He was 15 when he was killed. The guy who shot him was 14 years old. 
 

	Last week, Stephanie McCarthy, a transgender musician, who was just about to play her gig, was assaulted by five men at the Newtown Town Hall Hotel in Sydney. 
 

	Then again, we have come nowhere as close as today, when it comes to fighting for transgender rights. With Poland's Anna Grodzka, becoming the first transexual MP in Europe to Donald Trump changing the rules in Miss Universe pageant that allowed Kylan Arianna Wenzel, the first transgender to participate in a Miss Universe competition to Madame Tussauds, San Francisco, recently announcing that it will feature a wax figure of Laverne Cox on June 26 during the Pride Week, the world of transgenders is on a progressive track. Laverne became the first ever transgender to star in the prestigious museum. 
 

	From the Indian wave, we have Manobi Bandopadhyay, who became India's first transgender college principal when she took charge of Krishna Women's College in West Bengal earlier this month. In 2014, the Supreme Court of India validated 'transgender' as the third sex. 
 

	With Caitlyn Jenner's announcement, the transgender community in America and around the world are positive that going forward, they will be able to see better days. 
 

	Obama, the first African-American to hold the office, was the first chief executive to inculcate the word 'transgender' in a speech, also openly prohibited job bias against transgender government workers, replied to Caitlyn's second-ever tweet when she expressed her joy about finally being able to come out, "It takes courage to share your story." 
 

	History is an ambitious gold digger eager to marry the most sought-after bachelor 'first-ever'. This century, we have had the privilege to see the changes the yesteryears had been begging and crying and hopelessly getting whipped, just so they could be somewhere around the aroma of this day. Now we are finally here. 
 

	Just as Mr Obama praised Caitlyn, yes, while it takes courage to share the story, it takes more courage to live the story, and it takes greater courage for us to let them live their story. 
 

	Whether it is through God, or evolution, when you let them be, they let us be. Because we need to be. 
 

	So a transgender - Warden of all the Nations and saluted by Air Force One? I don't see why not. 
 
 
(image credits: Alberto Frank- Flickr)

Caitlyn Jenner Is Proving That Trans Is Indeed Trance. So You Think We Could Ever Have A Transgender As The Next U.S. President?

Nobody seems to know how many people watch TV shows these days - and that should terrify the ad business

<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/528138cf6da811a61c29b8ce-1200-800/prostitute-3.jpg?maxX=500" border="0" alt="Prostitute" width="500" />AP Photo/Jae C. HongGeisha, a prostitute working at the Chicken Ranch brothel, rests in her bed in Pahrump, Nev.</div></div>Business Insider's Dylan Love had his expectations shattered when he reported on a Nevada brothel and observed that legalized, well-regulated <keyword id="56655" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="prostitution">prostitution</keyword> can be both <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/inside-a-nevada-brothel-2013-10">safe and profitable</a>.
Nevada only allows prostitution in licensed brothels that test workers routinely for <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/prostitution-legal-nevada-prostitutes-brothels-sex-2011-12#in-1937-a-law-was-enacted-to-require-weekly-health-checks-of-all-prostitutes-mandatory-testing-didnt-begin-until-1986-2">sexually transmitted infections</a>. While Love is not the first to observe legal <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/04/19/is-legalized-prostitution-safer/labor-laws-not-criminal-laws-are-the-solution-to-prostitution">prostitution can be relatively safe</a>, Nevada's rural counties are the only place in America where the world's oldest profession is officially allowed.
Here are seven solid arguments for why the rest of the United States should let people sell sex in a well-regulated capacity, as they do <a href="http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/faq-prostitution-netherlands">in the Netherlands</a>, <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/safer-prostitution-zurich-drive-in-sex-boxes-hit-article-1.1494135">Switzerland</a>, and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/galactic-zone-shows-why-we-should-legalize-prostitution-2013-10">parts of Mexico</a>, among <a href="http://prostitution.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000772">other countries</a>.
<h2>It Would Reduce Violence Against Women </h2>
Prostitutes in America (mostly women) are vulnerable to violence from customers and pimps.
A study of San Francisco prostitutes found that <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9698636">82% had been assaulted</a> and 68% had been raped while working as prostitutes. Another study of prostitutes in Colorado Springs found they were <a href="http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/159/8/778.full">18 times more likely to be murdered</a> than non-prostitutes their age and race.
Prostitutes who experience violence may be reluctant to call the cops since what they're doing is illegal. Sex workers in licensed brothels, on the other hand, <a href="http://esplerp.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Violence-and-Legalized-Brothel-Prostitution-in-Nevada.pdf">can have somebody to back them up</a>, according to a paper by Barbara Brents and Kathryn Hausbeck of the University of Nevada. Brents and Hausbeck interviewed brothel owners and made these observations:
Brothel owners have a clear interest in maintaining their image as law-abiding, trouble-free businesses to keep their licenses and maintain good relations within their communities. The owners we interviewed ensure this by making it policy to call the police at the slightest hint of trouble to send a message that they don't tolerate bad behavior. "The whole name of the game is control. But that control also makes us get along pretty well with the sheriff's office," one owner told the researchers. "There are two reasons for doing it, one, the sheriff's office, but also the girls' personal safety."
The study concluded that "brothels offer the safest environment available for women to sell consensual sex acts for money."
<h2>Legalization Would Make Sex Workers Healthier</h2>
Illegal street prostitutes might face pressure from pimps and Johns to forgo condoms. But states that legalize prostitution can require sex workers to use condoms and get tested for sexually transmitted diseases.
Sex workers in Nevada have to get <a href="http://leg.state.nv.us/NAC/NAC-441A.html#NAC441ASec800">monthly tests for syphilis and HIV</a> and weekly tests for gonorrhea and chlamydia. Nevada also <a href="http://brothelangelsladies.com/faq.html">requires condoms</a> for all sex in brothels. This <keyword id="6355470" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Law">law</keyword> is posted on the outside of the state's brothels, according to the paper by <a href="http://esplerp.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Violence-and-Legalized-Brothel-Prostitution-in-Nevada.pdf">Barbara Brents and Kathryn Hausbeck of the University of Nevada</a>. <div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/52828a88ecad04b4639f9e91-1200-800/nevada%20brothel.jpg" border="0" alt="Nevada Brothel" width="500" />Reuters/Adam TannerSusan Austin, the madam at the Wild Horse Adult Resort &amp; Spa outside Reno, poses outside the World Famous Brothel in Nevada.</div></div>
"All of the women we interviewed were passionate about expressing their support for these law. For example, they insisted that they always use condoms, whether the client prefers to or not," the report stated.
Making sex work a crime can drive prostitutes underground and make them less likely to practice safe sex and get tested for sexually transmitted disease.
An April 2012 study by the Urban Justice Center found that New York City cops were actually <a href="http://sexworkersproject.org/downloads/2012/20120417-public-health-crisis.pdf">using condoms found on women as evidence</a> in criminal prostitution cases against them. It's easy to imagine how this practice might deter sex workers from carrying protection.
The United Nations Development Programme <a href="http://www.snap-undp.org/elibrary/Publication.aspx?ID=699">published a report</a> last year on illegal sex work in Asia and the Pacific that highlighted just how damaging the criminalization of sex work can be to women's health. Here's what it said:
Criminalization increases vulnerability to HIV by fueling stigma and discrimination, limiting access to HIV and sexual health services, condoms and harm reduction services, and adversely affecting the self-esteem of sex workers and their ability to make informed choices about their health.
<h2>Prostitution Is Arguably A Victimless Crime</h2>
While some advocates argue that <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/12/opinion/12farley.html?_r=0">prostitutes are victims of Johns and pimps</a>, sex work can be a victimless crime if women sell their bodies of their own volition. (Moreover, it doesn't make sense to arrest sex workers if they are their own "victims.")
As Cornell <a href="http://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/faculty/bio.cfm?id=327">law professor Sherry Colb</a> has written, "Prostitution should not be a crime. Prostitutes are not committing an inherently harmful act. While the spread of disease and other detriments are possible in the practice of prostitution, criminalization is a sure way of exacerbating rather than addressing such effects."
<h2>Legal Prostitution Can Be A Source Of Tax Revenue</h2>
While brothels in Nevada pay no state taxes, they pay "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/world/americas/26iht-brothel.1.19671349.html?pagewanted=all">significant amounts of tax</a>" to the rural counties where they do business, according to The New York Times. (Nevada Republicans <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nevada-brothel-tax-2011-5">blocked a plan</a> a couple of years ago to subject brothels to state taxes, as they didn't want schools and other state services funded by sex work.)<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nevada-brothel-tax-2011-5"> </a>
Illegal prostitution businesses in America, of course, pay no taxes. If those brothels were legalized, then state and county governments could gain significant revenue.
"<a href="http://www.msnbc.com/hardball/why-we-should-legalize-prostitution">Let government share in the revenue</a>, but otherwise stay out of the affairs of consenting adults," MSNBC political analyst Michael Smerconish has written.
<h2>Legalization Could Save Precious Law Enforcement Resources</h2>
The investigation into notorious John, and former New York governor, Eliot Spitzer is a perfect example of how costly it can be to probe sophisticated prostitution rings. <div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/528288e269beddd61960db2c-1200-2000/ashley%20dupre.jpg" border="0" alt="Ashley Alexandra Dupre" width="500" />Reuters/Carlo Allegri Ashley Alexandra Dupre, pictured here, was a high-priced prostitute who had Eliot Spitzer for a client.</div></div>
"In this case, they wiretapped 5,000 phone conversations, intercepted 6,000 emails, used surveillance and undercover tactics that are more appropriate for trapping terrorists than entrapping Johns," famed Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz <a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB120536943121332151">wrote in the Wall Street Journal</a>.
Dershowitz has also told MSNBC's Michael Smerconish, "Every hour spent going after prostitution <a href="http://www.msnbc.com/hardball/why-we-should-legalize-prostitution">is an hour that could have been spent going after terrorists </a>and going after people who victimize."
<h2>Legal Prostitutes Could Get Labor Rights</h2>
Legally employed people in America get rights <a href="http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/posters/flsa.htm">like a minimum wage</a>, <a href="http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/qanda.html">freedom from discrimination</a>, and <a href="https://www.osha.gov/">a safe work environment</a>. Since prostitutes don't work legally, they don't get any of those rights.
The United Nations Development Programme's report on sex work in Asia and the Pacific highlighted why it's problematic <a href="http://www.snap-undp.org/elibrary/Publication.aspx?ID=699">when sex workers don't have legal rights</a>.
Sex workers in all countries of the region except New Zealand and the state of New South Wales (Australia) lack the labour rights afforded to other workers, including the legal right to a safe and healthy workplace and to reasonable terms and conditions of employment ... Labour laws and social security laws that do not recognize sex work as legitimate work contribute to stigma and marginalization of sex workers.
<h2>Prostitution Isn't Going Away Anytime Soon</h2>
There will always be lonely or kinky men in America who will pay for sex, and there will always be women willing to rent out their bodies. As the anthropologist Patty Kelly has written in the Los Angeles Times, prostitution has become a "<a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2008/mar/13/opinion/oe-kelly13">part of our culture</a>" in the United States.
It's high time to legalize and regulate this part of American life, even if a lot of people have ethical problems with it.
We legalize and regulate a ton of commerce that's morally controversial - like gambling, alcohol, tobacco, lap-dancing, and pornography. Yes, women can be coerced into prostituting themselves. But we're not helping them by making consenting sex work a crime.

7 Reasons Why America Should Legalize Prostitution

<a title_source="Netflix" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53aaad47eab8ead31708427e-960/netflix-41.jpg"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53aaad47eab8ead31708427e-1200-590/netflix-41.jpg" border="0" alt="house of cards" /></a>NetflixWith so many new shows premiering in 2015, it's hard to remember when all of your favorites, like "House of Cards" and "The Walking Dead," are returning.
Below is a list of when the popular shows will be back from hiatus or will kick off their midseason premieres.&#xa0;&#xa0; 
Thurs., Jan. 1 "A to Z," first of remaining four episodes, 9:30 p.m., NBC "Bad Judge," midseason return, 9 p.m., NBC "Lucas Bros. Moving Co.," season 2 premiere, midnight, FXX
Fri., Jan. 2 "Blue Bloods," midseason return, 10 p.m., CBS "Hawaii Five-0," midseason return, 9 p.m., CBS "Say Yes To The Dress: Atlanta," season 8 premiere, 10 p.m, TLC "Undercover Boss," season 6 premiere, 8 p.m., CBS
Sun., Jan. 4 "The Simpsons," midseason return, 8 p.m., Fox "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," midseason return, 8:30 p.m., Fox "Family Guy," midseason return, 9 p.m., Fox "Bob's Burgers," midseason return, 9:30 p.m., Fox "Celebrity Apprentice," season seven premiere, 9 p.m., NBC "CSI," midseason return, 10 p.m., CBS "Downton Abbey," season give premiere, 9 p.m, PBS "The Good Wife," midseason return, 9 p.m., CBS "Madam Secretary," midseason return, 8 p.m., CBS "The Mentalist," midseason return, 9 p.m., CBS "Resurrection," midseason return, 9 p.m., NBC "Revenge," midseason return, 10 p.m., ABC "Sister Wives," season six premiere, 9 p.m., TLC
Mon., Jan. 5 "2 Broke Girls," midseason return, 8 p.m., CBS "Mike &amp; Molly," midseason return, 8:30 p.m., CBS "Scorpion," midseason return, 9 p.m., CBS "NCIS: LA," midseason return, 10 p.m., CBS "Gotham," midseason return, 8 p.m., Fox "Sleepy Hollow," midseason return, 9 p.m., Fox "The Bachelor," season 19 premiere, 8 p.m., ABC "State of Affairs," midseason return, 10 p.m., NBC
Tues., Jan. 6 "Pretty Little Liars," season 6 premiere, 8 p.m., ABC Family "Switched At Birth," season 4 premiere, 9 p.m., ABC Family "MasterChef Junior," season 3 premiere, 8 p.m., Fox "New Girl," midseason return, 9 p.m., Fox "The Mindy Project," midseason return, 9:30 p.m., Fox "Cougar Town," season 6 premiere, 10 p.m., TBS "Marry Me," midseason return, 9 p.m., NBC "About A Boy," midseason return, 9:30 p.m., NBC "Switched at Birth," season 4 premiere, 10 p.m., NBC "Chicago Fire," midseason return, 10 p.m., NBC "Forever," midseason return, 10 p.m., ABC "NCIS," midseason return, 8 p.m., CBS "NCIS: New Orleans," midseason return, 9 p.m., CBS "Person Of Interest," midseason return, 10 p.m., CBS
<a title_source="Michele K. Short/FX" title_caption="Dandy will return on " American="" Horror="" Story="" along="" with="" Neil="" Patrick="" Harris="" Jan.="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54aaa892ecad04c95e342009-960/american-horror-story-dandy-1.jpg"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54aaa892ecad04c95e342009-1200-600/american-horror-story-dandy-1.jpg" border="0" alt="american horror story dandy" /></a>Michele K. Short/FXDandy will return on "American Horror Story" along with Neil Patrick Harris Jan. 7. 
Wed., Jan. 7 "American Idol," season 14 premiere, 8 p.m., Fox "American Horror Story," midseason return, 10 p.m., FX "The Mysteries of Laura," midseason return, 8 pm., &#xa0;NBC "Law &amp; Order: SVU," midseason return, 9 p.m., NBC "Chicago PD," season 3 premiere, 10 p.m., NBC&#xa0; "The Middle," midseason return 8 p.m., CBS "The Goldbergs," midseason return, 8:30 p.m., ABC "Modern Family," midseason return, 9 p.m., ABC "Black-ish," midseason return, 9:30 p.m., ABC "Duck Dynasty," midseason return, 9:30 p.m., A&amp;E "Wahlburgers," season 3 premiere, 10 p.m., A&amp;E
Thursday, Jan.&#xa0;8 "Big Bang Theory," midseason return, 8 p.m., CBS "Mom," midseason return, 8:30 p.m., CBS "Two And A Half Men," midseason return, 9 p.m., CBS "The McCarthys," midseason return, 10 p.m., CBS "Elementary," midseason return, 10 p.m., CBS "Portlandia," season 5 premiere, 10 p.m., IFC "Archer," season 6 premiere, 10 p.m.,&#xa0; "Parenthood," midseason return, 10 p.m, NBC
Friday, Jan. 9 "Glee," season 6 premiere, 8 p.m., Fox "Last Man Standing," midseason return, ABC "Cristela," midseason return, 8:30 p.m., ABC "Shark Tank," midseason return, 9 p.m., ABC "Hart of Dixie," season 4 premiere, 9 p.m., The CW "Banshee," season 3 premiere, 10 p.m., Cinemax "Cold Justice," season 3 premiere, 8 p.m., TNT "Real Time With Bill Maher," season 10 premiere, 10 p.m., HBO "Comedy Bang! Bang!" season 4 premiere, 11 p.m., IFC
<div>
<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/50eef9bc6bb3f75a6100000a-900-450/girls-show-hbo-comedy-.jpg" border="0" alt="Girls Show HBO-Comedy-"><a href="http://www.hbo.com/girls/index.html">Jojo Whilden/ HBO</a>Lena Dunham's hit show is coming back for a fourth season.</img>Sun., Jan. 11 "Girls," season 4 premiere, 9 p.m., HBO "Shameless," season 5 premiere, 9 p.m., Showtime "House of Lies,"season 4 premiere, 10 p.m., Showtime "Looking," season 2 premiere, 10 p.m., HBO "Episodes," season 4 premiere, 10 p.m., Showtime&#xa0;
Mon., Jan. 12 "Castle," 10 p.m., ABC
Tues., Jan. 13 "Parks and Recreation," season 7 premiere, 8 p.m., NBC "Kroll Show," midseason return, 10:30 p.m., Comedy Central
<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5494558becad04170246e3cd-847-423/screen-shot-2013-07-18-at-25341-pm.png" border="0" alt="Screen Shot 2013 07 18 at 2.53.41 PM"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ish8NBunrQU">YouTube Screencap</a>Amy Poehler will return for the final season of "Parks and Rec."</img>
Wed., Jan. 14 "Melissa &amp; Joey," midseason return, 8 p.m., ABC Family&#xa0; "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," season 10 premiere, 10:00 p.m., FXX "Workaholics," season 5 premiere, 10 p.m., Comedy Central "Broad City," season 2 premiere, 10:30 p.m., Comedy Central "Criminal Minds," midseason return, 9 p.m., CBS "Stalker," midseason return, 10 p.m., CBS "Web Therapy," season 4 premiere, 11 p.m., Showtime
Fri., Jan. 16 "Constantine," 8 p.m., NBC "Grimm," 9 p.m., midseason return, NBC "The Fall," season &#xa0;2 premiere, Netflix "Helix," season 2 premiere, 10 p.m., Syfy
Sat., Jan. 17 "Saturday Night Live," midseason return, 11:30 p.m., NBC
Mon. Jan. 19 "The Fosters," midseason return 8 p.m., ABC Family "Chasing Life," midseason return, 9 p.m., ABC Family "Jane the Virgin," midseason return, 9 p.m., CW
Tues. Jan. 20 "The Flash," midseason return, 8 p.m., CW "Supernatural," midseason return, 9 p.m., "Justified," season 6 premiere, 10 p.m., FX
<a title_source="Prashant Gupta/FX" title_caption="Timothy Olyphant returns for the final season of " Justified.="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/548b5df9ecad04a0053e47fd-960/justified-timothy-olyphant-2.jpg"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/548b5df9ecad04a0053e47fd-1200-600/justified-timothy-olyphant-2.jpg" border="0" alt="justified timothy olyphant " /></a>Prashant Gupta/FXTimothy Olyphant returns for the final season of "Justified." 
Wed., Jan. 21 "Arrow," midseason return, 8 p.m., The CW
Thurs., Jan 22 "The Vampire Diaries," midseason return, 8 p.m., CW
Wed., Jan. 28 "Suits," season 5 premiere, 9 p.m., USA&#xa0; "The Americans," season 3 premiere, 10 p.m., FX
Thurs., Jan. 29 "Grey's Anatomy," midseason return, 8 p.m., ABC "Scandal," midseason return, 9 p.m., ABC "How to Get Away With Murder," midseason return, 10 p.m. ABC
TBA Jan.&#xa0; "Community," some time in January (fingers crossed) on Yahoo stream. According to A.V. Club, creator Dan Harmon recently <a href="http://www.avclub.com/article/dan-harmon-offers-tentative-date-communitys-return-210068">said on a Nerdist podcast the series may return Jan. 27</a>.
<a title_source="Vivian Zink/NBC" title_caption="Six seasons ... and a movie? We're one step closer thanks to Yahoo Stream reviving " Community.="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/548b43faeab8ea8c4227d6fc-960/community-10.jpg"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/548b43faeab8ea8c4227d6fc-900-450/community-10.jpg" border="0" alt="community" /></a>Vivian Zink/NBCSix seasons ... and a movie? We're one step closer thanks to Yahoo Stream reviving "Community." 
Sun., Feb. 1 "The Blacklist," midseason premiere, post-Superbowl, NBC (will star airing Thursdays at 10 p.m. on February 5)&#xa0;
Sun., Feb. 8 "Last Week Tonight With John Oliver," season 2 premiere, 11 p.m., HBO "The Walking Dead," midseason return, 9 p.m., AMC<a title_source="Gene Page/AMC" title_caption="Rick and the gang will regroup and figure out a new place to travel to in the second half of season 5." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/547c9ec6ecad047253b2c11c-960/rick-daryl-the-walking-dead-2.jpg"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/547c9ec6ecad047253b2c11c-1200-600/rick-daryl-the-walking-dead-2.jpg" border="0" alt="rick daryl the walking dead" /></a>Gene Page/AMCRick and the gang will regroup and figure out a new place to travel to in the second half of season 5.
Thurs., February 19 "Vikings," season 3 premiere, 10 p.m., NBC
Mon., February 23 "The Voice," season 8 premiere, 8 p.m.,&#xa0;NBC "The Night Shift," midseason return, 10 p.m., NBC
Wed., Feb. 25 "Survivor," season 30 premiere, 8 p.m., CBS "The Amazing Race," season 26 premiere, 9:30 p.m., CBS
Fri., Feb. 27 "House of Cards," season 3 premiere, all 13 episodes at 12:01 a.m., Netflix
<a title_source="Netflix" title_caption="You can catch 13 new episodes of Kevin Spacey in " House="" of="" Cards="" February="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53fc92266bb3f7623a374464-960/house-of-cards-43.png"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53fc92266bb3f7623a374464-1200-600/house-of-cards-43.png" border="0" alt="House of Cards" /></a>NetflixYou can catch 13 new episodes of Kevin Spacey in "House of Cards" February 
Sun., Mar. 1 "Once Upon A Time," midseason return, 8 p.m., ABC
Mon., Mar.2 "The Following," season 3 premiere, 8:00 p.m., Fox
Tues., Mar. 3 "Hell' Kitchen," midseason return, 8 p.m., Fox "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," midseason return, 9 p.m., ABC
Tues., Mar. 17 "Undateable," season 2 premiere, 9 p.m., NBC
Tues., Mar. 31 "Bones," midseason return, 8 p.m., Fox
Sat., Apr.4 "Outlander," second half of season 1, 9 pm. Starz
Sat., Apr. 18 "Orphan Black," season 3 premiere, 9 p.m., BBC America 
TBA, Apr. "Game of Thrones," season 5 premiere, HBO
</div>
<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/539e5a1d69bedd740b176a9f-1200-600/daenarys-game-of-thrones-emilia-clarke.jpg" border="0" alt="daenarys game of thrones emilia clarke">Helen Sloan/courtesy of HBO</img>
A version of this post originally ran Dec. 19, 2014. It has been updated with additional return dates.

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