Should a Progressive Conference Be Held in Las Vegas?

This weekend, the fifth annual Netroots Nation, a gathering of liberal progressive bloggers and other people involved with online advocacy, took place at the Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV. And because I'm a women's rights blogger, from the time I announced to my friends at home that I'd be headed to Vegas until the day I bid the 100-plus degree weather behind, I was frequently asked a variation on one question: What do I think about the fact that a progressive conference is being held in Las Vegas, a symbol for the sexual exploitation of women?

Las Vegas, in addition to having slot machines everywhere, millions of neon lights, and air conditioning on hyper-drive, also offered cheap hotel rooms. For bloggers and other progressives on a budget (the price tag on Netroots registration itself is already a few hundred dollars), making the conference financially accessible is a significant consideration. But progressives have to consider more than the bottom line in support of their ideology.

Some people say Las Vegas gets props for being honest: after all, exploitation exists everywhere. But Sin City isn't just more upfront about its darker side: it's a hub for sex trafficking, particularly of minors, an industry protected by the devil-may-care attitude on the sexual exploitation of women (although sex work is technically illegal within city limits). And the skimpy dress code for waitresses and certain other casino workers is a much rarer find in other cities.

I'm sex-positive, pro-sex worker's rights, and support women using and displaying their bodies in whatever manner they like. So what I care most about regarding Las Vegas is choice. Recently, at a restaurant in New York with some friends, and one guy remarked, "Could the waitress's shorts be any shorter?" I supported the waitress wearing what she pleases. But it's significant that the waitress's clothes were not part of a work uniform: she was wearing what she wanted to on a hot day. A waitress at Las Vegas has a required uniform designed to bare as much flesh as possible (in a freezing lobby). While she might to a certain extent have the "choice" to take such a job, if the status quo of employment for people without special skills or a higher education is exploitative of women's bodies, choice is undermined. Trafficking victims, of course, have no choice.

An organizer of Netroots Nation pointed out that the Rio has unionized workers and good health benefits. So, which matters more: The symbolism of women's bodies being exploited and broader concerns about trafficking, and the implicit endorsement given by a progressive conference that comes to the city without commenting on its problems, or the fact that the jobs at least put food on the table and offer unionized support and insurance? On the other hand, this is a bit of a false comparison: there are plenty of locations that have both unionized labor and less exploitation (but, of course, they were more expensive).

In addition, this year's lack of sessions devoted to women's rights issues combined with the location to make the disadvantaged position of women appear starker for some, while other considered the lack of panels on gender justice the only vital concern, opposing discussion of the nature of Vegas as a distraction.

To me, what is perhaps most important is not acting like we exist in a bubble. Usually, the netroots interacts primarily online, so when we come together in the real world, it's worthwhile to look around where we've landed and use our physical location to spark dialogue. A number of locals volunteered at the conference or attended at reduced rates; holding Netroots Nation in Las Vegas could have provided an excellent opening to talk about sex and child trafficking or women's constrained choices in the workforce, with the input of people who live and work in Vegas. Hopefully future progressive conferences will make better use of their surroundings.

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