Posted on by Amanda Brooks

is Las Vegas degrading to women?

Caution: I actually use a little naughty language in here.

When I went to Vegas for the first time in 2000, by myself, it took me all of 24 hours to figure out the city is made for money and women. If you have one or are the other, Vegas is your playground. To me, the secret of the city is that it’s a living monument to avarice and lust. I’ll go even further and say that pussy built Vegas and is its raison d’être. Aristotle Onassis understood that without women, money means nothing.

I spent two weeks there dancing. I never felt degraded in Vegas. I was constantly harassed by panhandlers, but that was it (I think I was a target because I looked harmless and was a single woman). I planned to go back the next fall, 2001, but those plans were curtailed. I’ve been back several times for vacations and I still feel the same vibe, although Vegas got whupped a little bit after 9/11 and lost some exuberance. I’m fully against it being a “family place.” That’s not why it lives and breathes.

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Posted on by Amanda Brooks

medicinal sex (work)

I’ve become addicted to the show Weeds. In one episode the main character visits a medicinal-marijuana dispensary. It was quite amazing. I haven’t even seen a place like this in Amsterdam. Out of curiosity, I looked online for more info. Turns out these places are quite real and very legal in California (legal in the state – not impervious to federal investigation and arrest).

Almost immediately, I could see where sex work activists are getting it wrong. Forget trying to legalize or decriminalize sex work on a broad scale. Instead, they should be trying to get sex work the same medical dispensation as marijuana.

Why?

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Posted on by Amanda Brooks

glamour magazine and HIV/AIDS

There is a chilling article in the December 2006 issue of Glamour magazine. It’s worth picking up off a newsstand and flipping to page 168.

The article is a profile of three women who are ‘living’ with AIDS. I found their stories very interesting, especially in light of the conversation I had with Bob on this prostitution post.

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Posted on by Amanda Brooks

The Way of the Courtesan

I’ve participated on a particular public discussion forum way more than has been necessary. It’s called the HDH (High Dollor Hotties) forum and concerns courtesans, paid companions, and those who simply charge higher-than-normal rates for their time. Scrolling through the forum one will read page after page of what defines a “courtesan”, which nearly everyone seems to feel is the pinnacle of the “provider” spectrum.

When I worked, I aspired to be as courtesan-like as possible, using my own definitions, biases and prejudices. I know I didn’t hit the mark all the time. If I did, I would’ve achieved my goal. Every escort uses her own definition of what a courtesan is, whether self-proclaimed or simply jumping into a discussion. And then we have to contend with the long history of courtesans, which vary from country to country and century to century. The word “courtesan” has been used to describe everything from a modern-day Nevada brothel employee to a handful of rarified newsmakers and trendsetters in 19th century France and England. With such a wide range of concepts to choose from; what really is a courtesan?

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