New Orleans exotic dancers sue state for right to legally bare all in strip clubs - TomoNews
- 8 years ago
NEW ORLEANS — Three Louisiana women say a new bill that puts a minimum age requirement on strip club dancers is both unconstitutional and biased.
The Times-Picayune reports that once the new law takes effect on Oct. 1, exotic dancers under the age of 21 will no longer be allowed to work in strip clubs.
The bill specifically defines strippers as “entertainers whose breasts or buttocks are exposed to view.” It appears to specifically targets females, since the definition provides a loophole for 18 to 21-year-old men to still be able to strip legally.
The three women, who all work as strippers in New Orleans and are known only as Jane Does 1, 2, and 3, are trying to overturn the law by filing a federal lawsuit against the state. They claim the bill discriminates against women and is unconstitutional because it denies their First Amendment rights to freedom of expression.
Senator Ronnie Johns, who authored the bill, says it’s strictly an anti-human-trafficking measure, though ironically, the strippers claim the new law is doing the opposite. Pimps are now recruiting the soon-to-be out of work dancers. And the ladies say that with no other choice, they may as well turn to prostitution.
The Times-Picayune reports that once the new law takes effect on Oct. 1, exotic dancers under the age of 21 will no longer be allowed to work in strip clubs.
The bill specifically defines strippers as “entertainers whose breasts or buttocks are exposed to view.” It appears to specifically targets females, since the definition provides a loophole for 18 to 21-year-old men to still be able to strip legally.
The three women, who all work as strippers in New Orleans and are known only as Jane Does 1, 2, and 3, are trying to overturn the law by filing a federal lawsuit against the state. They claim the bill discriminates against women and is unconstitutional because it denies their First Amendment rights to freedom of expression.
Senator Ronnie Johns, who authored the bill, says it’s strictly an anti-human-trafficking measure, though ironically, the strippers claim the new law is doing the opposite. Pimps are now recruiting the soon-to-be out of work dancers. And the ladies say that with no other choice, they may as well turn to prostitution.