Washington state recently passed a law with broad-based workplace protections for adult dancers, who’ve long fought for such measures across the country.
The bill, often called the Strippers Bill of Rights, was signed into law by Governor Jay Inslee on March 25. It incorporates anti-discrimination provisions and mandatory training for club employees.
Supporters of the bill say it provides incentives for establishments to comply with the regulations since it allows them to acquire alcohol sales licenses. The state has traditionally banned places where alcohol will be sold for sexual purposes.
“It is critical that we confront the stigma surrounding adult entertainment and recognize the humanity of those involved in this industry,” said state Sen. Rebecca Saldaña of Seattle, a Democrat who sponsored the laws. in an announcement.
“Strippers are workers,” she said, “and they should be afforded the same rights and protections as any other workforce.”
Madison Zack-Wu, campaign manager for Strippers Are Workers, a dancer-led organization that supported the bill, said in an interview that “the most important part of this policy is that it was created by dancers for ourselves, in our own working conditions.”
What protections does the law cover?
Strippers face many risks on the job, including sexual harassment, harassment, violence, discrimination, and injuries resulting from the long hours of physical labor related to dancing.
Under the latest law, club or venue employees must undergo training to forestall sexual harassment, discover and report human trafficking, and learn find out how to de-escalate conflicts and supply first aid.
The law also requires adult entertainment establishments to have on-site security staff and a keypad for changing rooms, in addition to working panic buttons within sight of dancers in private rooms where they’re alone with customers. To ensure the safety of dancers, clubs must also prove that they maintain lists of banned customers.
Additionally, the law eliminates “back rent,” a debt that accrues when dancers don’t earn enough to pay the customary “stage rental fee” or lodging fee. The law also limits the amount that facilities can charge dancers.
“We believe very strongly in this policy and the changes it will bring, and we know that they are absolutely necessary to significantly reduce violence and financial scarcity,” Ms. Zack-Wu said.
Could he face legal challenges?
Beth Ross, a California attorney who filed a class-action lawsuit in 1994 against the Mitchell Brothers O’Farrell Theater, then a widely known strip club in San Francisco, said she saw no obvious legal challenges that will invalidate the latest law.
But she stressed: “The real question is how will this law be enforced?”
“Is this really a good set of ideas on paper, or is this a law that will really benefit women doing this very dangerous, legal work?” she said.
Ms Ross said the law was unlikely to be challenged on the grounds that it made it harder for strip clubs to sell alcohol.
“Being able to serve alcohol in these clubs is something that these clubs have wanted forever,” she said.
Have similar efforts been successful?
Adult dancers across the country have long fought for workplace protections, and Washington state’s latest law is a welcome step forward, advocates and experts say.
Unionization efforts have intensified in recent times. In 2023, a gaggle of strippers from the Californian club Star Garden united after an extended fight that led the dancers to picket outside the club.
Veena Dubal, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine who focuses on labor law, said the latest law is “the result of hard organizational work done by these workers in a very, very dangerous industry.”
However, she warned that that is the “halfway point” in providing the legal protection that sex employees, including strippers, need.
“I’m afraid this is absolutely not enough,” she said. “I think workers deserve so much more.”
