Brothel opponent seeks evidence

Friday, Jan. 28, 2000 | 12:03 p.m.

CARSON CITY -- John Reese says his initiative petition that would outlaw prostitution in rural Nevada may be his swan song in a 10-year effort to close brothels.

"I'm pretty burned out," Reese said Thursday.

To be successful in his petition, he says he has to prove that a prostitute or customer tested HIV-positive because of sexual activity in a brothel.

"If I don't prove that, I will scrap my effort and the petition," he said.

But Robert Nellis of the state Division of Health said none of 50,000 tests done on prostitutes since 1986 have come out positive. He said 26 women who wanted to go to work were rejected after they tested positive in pre-employment screening.

Nellis said every person who has contracted AIDS in Nevada is interviewed and none have ever suggested they got it from brothels.

Nellis said Reese has reached the point "where he has no credibility." He said he's been telling Reese since 1992 that there are no HIV cases out of the brothels.

"The things he is alleging have no basis in fact," Nellis said.

Reese, a construction worker who now delivers pizza at night, estimates he has spent $40,000 of his own money in the past 10 years to close down brothels. He said his spending has tapered off in the last three years after getting married.

He filed his initiative petition Wednesday, but he said he's going to submit a new petition. He used a petition from the Coalition for the Protection of Marriage, which is out to ban gay marriages.

He said he has apologized for using the coalition's petition form in order to put forth his agenda. He said he will submit a revised document.

His petition will need the signatures of 44,009 registered voters and 10 percent of the voters in 13 of the 17 counties. He must submit it before Nov. 14.

Reese tried a similar petition in the early 1990s but never came close to getting the required signatures.

"I need an angle," he said in order to get signatures. "I have got to prove there is HIV in these brothels."

His new effort centers on trying to track down a prostitute from 14 years ago. He claims she tested positive for HIV eight times and then passed the test on a ninth examination.

"If she is alive and well then everything is all right," he said. "If I can't prove HIV, then there's not a chance for the petition and I will close up shop," he said.

Some rural counties have legalized prostitution, but the major counties of Clark and Washoe have ordinances prohibiting prostitution.