Markus Prostidude: Male Prostitution at the Shady Lady Ranch
A brothel club in Nevada has broken the ground for males who want to work as prostitutes. The Shady Lady Ranch hired Nevada’s first-ever legal male prostitute in the person of “Markus,” a fit and trim college dropout who briefly worked for porn movies in Los Angeles. He now holds the distinction of being the US’ first legal gigolo.
This is a result of the successful lobbying of the Shady Lady Ranch with the state and the entire US to legalize “prostidudes,” the term for Nevada’s breakthrough sex workers. Markus had a slow first week in his new job. But his first weekend is looking busy already as he rose to become the star of Nevada’s brothel industry.
Markus has also received criticism from female prostitutes for his unwillingness to service male customers. He also caused a ruckus when, in an interview with Details Magazine, he compared his role as the first prostidude to the role of civil rights activist Rosa Parks. Parks made history when she obstinately refused to give up her seat in the bus and move to a seat at the back. Markus has since been advised not to give interviews following this.
In addition to this, competitors of the Shady Lady Ranch have also expressed their disapproval of the hiring, arguing that this will open the industry to unwanted attention and scrutiny from state agencies and officials, and could potentially influence them into making prostitution illegal. There are also concerns about spreading sexually transmitted diseases, and the fact that it may not be possible to inspect female customers as thoroughly as males prior to sex.
At 25, Markus claims he is well-read college dropout from Alabama. He also said he had a stint with the U.S. Marines, before he drove to Los Angeles to make a career out of porn acting but ended up leaving after only two scenes. He failed to find another job, and found himself in a homeless shelter in Santa Monica, California.
Markus was handpicked by Shady Lady madam Bobbi Davis from 10 applicants shortlisted from hundreds of wannabes. Part of the reason why Markus was picked was because he was comfortable with heavy publicity.
In his Details interview, Markus added, “Whichever woman may walk through that door, she’s appreciated. A surrogate lover will love that woman for a whole hour, or however much we charge here, and she’ll leave feeling much more empowered and much more confident in herself.”
Jim Davis, wife of Bobbi Davis, related to The Associated Press that he and his wife realized that granting interviews with Markus could hurt the business. Bobbi himself had to beg off for an interview with the AP. The couple also declined to disclose Markus’ real name, which is typical protection for Nevada’s sex workers.
According to Davis, the Shady Lady Ranch has been getting favorable e-mails from female customers. He is positive that the male prostitute business will pick up after at least a month, considering that it took years for the 17-year-old brothel to stabilize its market for truckers, salesmen and other travelers.
He said, “This is a business—if Bobby didn’t thing she could make money she wouldn’t have done it. Why else would she start something like this? And if she knew what she was getting into, she probably wouldn’t have.”
The Shady Lady Ranch is housed in a compound painted in yellow in a 40-acre land that the Davises originally purchased for $11,000. It lies over 30 miles north of Beatty, a township along the road from Las Vegas to Reno, with a population of less than 1,200. The small brothel features a foyer that attempts to look French, with a pricing menu obviously displayed. The brothel charges $200 for 40 minutes and $300 for an hour.
Inside, there are three connected bedrooms, each decorated differently. One of the bedrooms features a heart-shaped bathtub while the other is Asian-inspired. A new addition in the compound is the detached cottage. It is more like a spacious studio, complete with a small kitchen, a bedroom with a wooden bathtub. The Davises spent $50,000 on the cottage.
This is the same cottage that Markus intends to use.
Competition can’t help but be pessimistic. Arie Mack Moore, owner of the Angel’s Ladies Brothel, located two miles north of Beatty, has augured that the move will not be successful, noting that it is impossible to have both male and female prostitutes housed in one building, or near each other.
Moore hastened to add that his business rose after Markus was hired. Feedback from customers has it that they are deliberately avoiding the Shady Lady Ranch because of Markus.
“Cuddles,” a 22-year-old female prostitute who works for Angel’s Ladies even remarked that Markus’ rejection of gay males has given the Shady Lady Ranch a sexist and discriminatory image. Angel’s Ladies’ female prostitutes also service women.
Cuddles said, “How can you just turn down services because of someone’s preferences? It comes with the territory. It comes with the business.”
To this reaction, the Davises response is that they are not looking at building a strong market among gay males. Markus has previously told Davis that he would not perform for gay males, but they are leaving him to decide if he wants to accept gay males as his customers later.
Davis also expressed his concern about gay homophobic sentiments that seem to run across the country. He calls it “horrible” that everybody is concerned about the possibility of two men having sex. “It’s happening every day in Las Vegas. Not going to happen here, but that’s all the big fear, is gay people.”
George Flint, a pioneer lobbyist working for the Nevada Brothel Owners Association, stated that legalizing male prostitution could give rise to real health concerns. In Nevada’s brothels, male clients are subjected to rigorous inspections and sanitation requirements before sexual intercourse. He can’t see how female customers can be subjected to the same standards.
In addition, there have also been concerns about the impact of the Shady Lady Range to the 24 other brothels in Nevada, six of which are in Nye County.
According to Flint, the brothel industry in Nevada currently amounts to $50 million to $75 million in terms of investment. The Davises’ move, procedures, demands and goals could potentially harm the multimillion dollar industry.
Flint added that the non-member Shady Lady Ranch could enjoy an initial influx of curious female customers, but he doesn’t see this succeeding for the long term.
Flint said Bobby Davis probably had a genuine belief that the idea could fly. “I’m wondering after four or five days and there haven’t been any takers, if she’s beginning to wonder if maybe she was wrong.” He added the move is always open to debate, but if it doesn’t bring any customers to the front door, the Davises would still not have proved anything at the end of the day.
