Prostitute Wins Right to Service Clients at Hotel

Today, in really unusual court cases: Prostitutes have the right to work from motel rooms in an Australian state, a court said after finding the owner's refusal to rent to a sex worker was discriminatory. The ruling in the northeastern state of Queensland has stunned hotel and motel owners, who thought they had a right to decide what sort of businesses were operating from their premises. The prostitute, identified as GK, filed her discrimination case against the 3.5-star Drovers Rest Motel after management refused to rent her a room.

The prostitute stayed at the motel 17 times in two years before the owners discovered in 2010 that she was bringing clients to her room. She was then banned from staying there. She lost her original case last year, but appealed. "They wanted me to go away, but I am a tenacious little terrier, and I would not give up," she said. The hotel's lawyer confirmed GK is seeking damages, reported to be $32,000. The tribunal's reasons for its decision have not yet been made public. But prostitution is legal in Queensland, and discrimination based on lawful sexual activity is outlawed. (More prostitution stories.)