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Stripper Safety & Security Bill
Published:2019-03-05 State
Stripper Safety & Security Bill It might very well be a first in Washington state legislative history — a bill affecting people who work at strip clubs that was actually initiated by people who work at strip clubs. Now that bill, HB 1756, has advanced to to the floor of the State House. In their own words: • Amber has been a dancer for 13 years. “We’re just doing our jobs and trying to make a living for ourselves and our families. We shouldn’t have to deal with assault on a regular basis because of insufficient security measures. Strippers are workers and we deserve the same safety and security measures that other kinds of workers enjoy.” • Amanda has been dancing in Seattle for 5 years. “A friend of mine was raped at work one day and went to the manager. Less than a month later this customer was seen back inside the club. When customers know they can get back into a club mere weeks after such a horrific incident, all of our safety as dancers is at risk. Now that customer knows he can get away with it, and what’s to stop him from doing it again? We need a system to blacklist customers that actually works, no matter who is at the door letting people in.” • Susan is a dancer at Showgirls in Seattle: “I have witnessed managers interacting with dancers, yelling, micro-managing and treating dancers like they are employees and like they ‘own’ us. It’s important for us to have health and safety be a focus inside the club — this includes having working bathrooms available, running water, and dressing rooms that are private and heated.” • Dani dances at Dreamgirls in SoDo. “When the clubs are very busy and there are many people inside the building it can become frenzied and awareness and attention to safety sometimes are overlooked. When staff is too preoccupied, private rooms especially are left very vulnerable. I think emergency buttons strategically placed in the private rooms as well around the club would be one way to deal with that issue.” • Arianna has danced at numerous clubs around the country, including Seattle. “Currently, there are some clubs in Seattle where certain customers that come are known to be physically abusive, and management knows and allows it. Rape and abuse at the workplace are unacceptable. Period. Customers that break consent boundaries or are violent at the club must be blacklisted from all clubs, because the current situation is basically clubs here condoning workplace assault.”
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