Washington state recently enacted legislation that includes broad workplace protections for adult dancers, who have been fighting for similar measures across the country for years.
The law, known as the “Stripper Bill of Rights,” was signed by Gov. Jay Inslee on March 25. The law includes anti-discrimination provisions and training requirements for club employees.
Supporters of the law argue that it includes incentives for liquor stores to comply by paving the way to obtaining a liquor license. The state has traditionally banned venues that allow sexual performances to sell alcohol.
“It is critical that we confront the stigma surrounding adult entertainment and recognize the humanity of those in the industry,” Democratic state Sen. Rebecca Saldaña of Seattle, who sponsored the bill, said in a statement.
“Strippers are workers and should be afforded the same rights and protections as the rest of the workforce,” she said.
“The most important part of this policy is that it's going to be done by dancers, by our It was created for his own work.” conditions. “
What protections does the law include?
Strippers face many risks in the workplace, including sexual harassment, abuse, violence, discrimination, and injuries from the physical labor of dancing for hours.
Under the new law, employees at clubs and facilities must undergo training to prevent sexual harassment, identify and report human trafficking, and learn how to de-escalate conflicts and provide first aid.
The law also requires adult entertainment establishments to have security guards on duty, keypad codes for locker rooms, and activate panic buttons within reach of dancers in private rooms where they are alone with a guest. It is mandatory to do so. Clubs must also certify that they keep a list of customers who have been banned to protect dancers' safety.
Additionally, the law eliminates “back rents,” which are debts that accumulate when dancers fail to earn enough money to pay customary “stage rental fees” or overnight housing costs. The law also limits the amount that facilities can charge dancers.
“We believe deeply in this policy, we believe in the change it will bring, and we know that it is absolutely necessary to significantly reduce violence and underfunding,” Zak Oo said. Ta.
Could it face legal challenges?
Beth Ross, a California lawyer who filed a class action lawsuit in 1994 against the Mitchell Brothers O'Farrell Theater, then a famous strip club in San Francisco, said she saw no clear legal challenge to invalidating the new law. Stated. .
However, she stressed that “the real question is how this law will be enforced.”
“Is this really a great idea on paper, or is it useful legislation that will truly benefit women in this very dangerous legal profession?” she asked. Told.
Ross said she believes the law is unlikely to be challenged because it would create an avenue for strip clubs to sell alcohol.
“Being able to serve alcohol in these clubs is something these clubs have wanted forever,” she said.
Have similar efforts been successful?
Adult dancers across the country have been fighting for workplace protections for years, but advocates and experts say Washington state's new law is a good step forward.
In recent years, efforts to form labor unions have become more active. In 2023, a group of strippers at a California club called Star Garden formed a union after a long fight that led to dancers picketing the club.
Veena Duvall, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine who specializes in labor law, said the new law is “the result of a hard organizing effort by workers in a very dangerous industry.”
But she warned that this was a “middle ground” in the legal protections needed for sex workers, including strippers.
“I'm concerned that it's not going far enough at all,” she said. “I think workers deserve better.”