ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the political economy of commercial sex and sex work through a look at the history and workings of Nevada’s legal brothel industry. The first part of the chapter examines how sex and sexuality are interrelated with economic systems. Today’s consumer, leisure, and service economy of gig work and emotional and body labor provides the context to understand how businesses of the sexual industry have expanded their reach into the economy. In this shift, commercial sex work has become more diverse and functions more like nonsexual businesses, while at the same time reproducing and reflecting the same inequalities we see in the economy as a whole. The chapter then turns to the development of Nevada’s legal brothels through their history in a mining and then tourist economy. Finally, I examine legal brothels today and provide some context on the politics of decriminalization.
