They’re putting the bro back in brothel

MOUND HOUSE - A Lyon County brothel is the latest to try its luck offering male prostitutes alongside the working women.

The owner of the Kit Kat Guest Ranch in Mound House said she has hired four men from California to work as independent contractors as the women do at her bordello just east of Carson City.

It's the first time a Nevada brothel has put men on the menu since the Shady Lady cut ties with two "prostidudes" in Nye County in 2010.

Sheila Caramella said her men will charge a minimum of $100 and negotiate prices with customers of either sex, depending on individual willingness. Like the females, the men will be tested weekly for sexually transmitted diseases.

"I'll take anybody as long as they're clean," Caramella told the Reno Gazette-Journal. "My girls are excited, my employees are excited. It's a great thing for women. When girls want to call and do a bachelorette party, it's fun. It's going to be a great thing."

Caramella said she had been thinking about hiring male sex workers for three years and decided to try it out despite protests from others in Nevada's legal brothel industry. She said the men from Los Angeles and San Francisco start work this week.

George Flint, a lobbyist for Nevada brothels, said, "She's out of her mind."

He added: "I told her two years ago it was the worst thing she could do. It could even open the door for Lyon County to take a look if they want legalized prostitution in their county."

Lyon County Commissioner Ray Fierro said he is surprised, but, he added, it doesn't violate any laws if the brothel complies with all health and licensing standards.

Flint said the male prostitution business has never caught on in Nevada.

The first male worker at the Nye County brothel, about two hours from Las Vegas, went by the stage name Markus. The ex-Marine's stint lasted two months amid international media attention and fewer than 10 clients. He was followed by another male worker in 2010 who went by the name "Y Not" and lasted about a month.

"The truth of the matter is," Flint said, "I think it's a desperation move to get some publicity and get some regular business and even turn on some women who will come out and try it. To me she's walking into a beehive of potential backlash," he said, referring to Caramella.

"We've got a theory in this business. We stay in business by keeping a low profile," he said.

Caramella said she expected there would be "haters," but added that she is doing something legal that will satisfy a demand.

"It's just that I'm doing what I want to do and it's legal and I'm going to provide a service to women that has always been provided to men," she said.