The Life and Loathing of Dennis Hof
From a pimp to a politician, his life certainly was a strange one
As soon as someone utters the word “prostitution,” images of a blinged out pimp standing over a sobbing woman in tattered fishnets and scenes of trafficked teenagers, held against their will in a sex dungeon out of Law and Order: SVU spring to life. For the most part, prostitution is illegal, so simply by engaging in it you are not only contributing to the downfall of the helpless damsel in distress, but you are also a morally bankrupt, law-breaking criminal. Of course, the truth is, while this may be one angle of prostitution, it is just that, only one angle: not all women in the field of commercial sex work (CSW) are being forced to do so.
Over the course of the last two-and-a-half decades, at least one man had been enjoying the legal status of commercial sex work in certain counties of Nevada: Dennis Hof. After purchasing his first brothel in 1992 (the famous Moonlite Bunny Ranch), Hof continued to build his entertainment empire by purchasing at least four more brothels throughout the state. One of the many regulations on brothels denies them the ability to advertise. So it was that Hof polished his showmanship, larger than life personality and effectively pushed commercial sex work into the national spotlight giving talks at prestigious universities overseas, making the talk show circuit stateside, appearing in films about pimps, and finally getting the HBO series — Cathouse — focused on the Moonlight Bunny Ranch.
While Hof was certainly not a true Libertarian, and he may have made some transgressions in his past, there is no doubt he was a curious character that challenged many in their ideas of the legitimacy of commercial sex work.
It almost goes hand-in-hand that someone advocating for the legalization of victimless crimes would also be a Libertarian and so it was that in 2008, through the prodding of Tucker Carlson, Hof attended a Ron Paul speech and became further aware of the ideas of self-ownership, state’s rights, and the messages of liberty. This was the start of Hof’s political career. In 2016, Hof ran as the Libertarian candidate for Nevada State Assembly in district 36. Being entrenched in commercial sex work, Hof was privy to the problems that arise when prohibition creates a black market, pointing out the disparity between the levels of STD rates, and HIV infection among illegal prostitutes and that of those working legally who received weekly tests. This was a central theme in his 2016 campaign alongside the repeal of the Commerce Tax.
Hof would go on to lose this race, but switched political affiliation and let his pro-Trump side shine when he ran in the Republican primaries for the same seat in the 2018 election. Despite gaining little traction with the establishment GOP, he received enough votes to defeat the incumbent and get his name on the ballot for 2018. Despite his untimely death, Hof’s name will remain on the ballot in 2018.
It would be remiss to not recall some of the controversy surrounding Hof. Throughout his time as a brothel owner, he was accused on multiple occasions of sexual assault, typically forcing himself on the newer workers, though he was never actually charged with anything. And of course, in true Libertarian fashion, he had no problem pointing out the corruption involved in local politics, going so far as to say: “Nye County is one of the most corrupt counties in America. Run for office and you’ll find out.”
While Hof was certainly not a true Libertarian, and he may have made some transgressions in his past, there is no doubt he was a curious character that challenged many in their ideas of the legitimacy of commercial sex work. We may not all agree with the morality of prostitution, but Hof was able to provide a safe and clean work environment for his employees, he was able to capitalize on basic human desire, he was able to build himself up from a newspaper route to an empire of brothels, he unabashedly challenged the concept of victimless crime, and for that, we cannot fault him.
More of Ben’s writing can be found at the Liberty Minded Agrarian where he examines self-sufficient lifestyles and the liberties they afford, and on Steemit, as well. Ben is a homeschooling father intent on bringing Liberty to his children and the microcosm around him. You can find the Liberty Minded Agrarian on Facebook and follow him on Twitter @LMApod.