Free Republic

A new bill in the Washington state Senate would allow alcohol sales in strip clubs. Dancers at a hearing on the measure seem to be all for it. “The time for a change in this industry is long overdue,” Sharla, one of the dancers who testified, said. Right now, only non-alcoholic beverages are served. Alcohol sales would bring a new source of revenue to the clubs, something the entertainers are all for. "It would take away a tool that abusive clubs use to put pressure on dancers,” Emily said. “It would make Washington clubs on par with other states where...

Arkansas senators passed legislation restricting where drag shows can be held, proposing to classify them in the same manner as strip clubs and adult theaters. The bill passed on a 26-9 party line on Tuesday, with the six senators opposing the bill being Democrats. The bill would ban drag shows from being hosted on public property. When asked if Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders supports the bill, spokeswoman Alexa Henning said that kids need to be protected, but didn’t signal if the governor would sign the bill. “Governor Sanders believes we need to be protecting and educating kids, not indoctrinating...

A California judge ordered San Diego to reopen strip clubs even as local officials crack down on churches. San Diego Superior Court judge Joel R. Wohlfeil ordered the state to end any actions that prevent the clubs from "being allowed to provide live adult entertainment," according to the decision. The owners of two strip clubs argued that their business is legally protected speech guaranteed by the First Amendment—the same argument that churches have been making about their own services. The judge's decision is not final as that in a full hearing, which will occur at the end of the month,...

A California judge ordered San Diego to reopen strip clubs even as local officials crack down on churches. San Diego Superior Court judge Joel R. Wohlfeil ordered the state to end any actions that prevent the clubs from "being allowed to provide live adult entertainment," according to the decision. The owners of two strip clubs argued that their business is legally protected speech guaranteed by the First Amendment—the same argument that churches have been making about their own services. The judge's decision is not final as that in a full hearing, which will occur at the end of the month,...

MONSON — You’ll be able to see a lot at the Magic Lantern, now that the longtime strip club on Route 20 has reopened. But you won’t see a topless dancer without a face mask on, said Christopher Brunelle, manager at the club.

A strip club in Houston will reportedly be allowed to open its doors but “solely as a restaurant without additional entertainment,” according to court documents seen by KHOU. A federal judge recently ruled that Club ONYX can reopen in the early phases of Texas' phased reopening process but it will not be allowed to feature entertainment from dancers for the time being, “even if the entertainers are fully clothed.” The ruling follows the club reportedly reopening earlier this month after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) allowed the state’s stay-at-home order to expire at the end of April and announced the...

Women could soon be allowed to bare more flesh in Chicago strip clubs that sell liquor in a loosening of the city’s nudity rules following a settlement of a federal lawsuit brought by a transgender woman. Bea Sullivan-Knoff filed the federal lawsuit in 2016 because she said it was discriminatory that she couldn’t appear topless without “pasties” covering her nipples as part of her performance art pieces. Sullivan-Knoff on Thursday said Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration had agreed to settle the suit by removing all references to gender from the statutes governing how much flesh can be shown in various Chicago...

Former Army Maj. Gen. Ronald Lewis will retire from the U.S. Army at the rank of brigadier general after allegations of using official government credit cards at strip clubs in two different countries. An Army spokesman confirmed Thursday that Lewis used government credit cards at strip clubs in Korea and Italy, had “improper interactions” with women, all while traveling on official business. Lewis served as a senior military aide to former Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter at the time of his indiscretion.

The school favored to host the George W. Bush Presidential Library, Dallas's Southern Methodist University, may encounter a snag next week in the form of a lawsuit alleging that the school has improperly seized local homes in order to secure land for the proposed library site. Amid increasing outrage among Republicans over the use of eminent domain and other coercive measures to obtain private property for public projects, a case in Dallas County's 134th Civil District Court, which is set to begin on Tuesday, will determine whether the university violated its legal obligations to local homeowners in an effort to...

TAMPA -- Strip clubs may not be the most politically correct venue for those attending the Republican National Convention, but that doesn't mean Tampa's well-known adult hot spots won't be ready for the influx of visitors. One place is bringing in a stripper who looks like former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. There are major renovations taking place. And some nude clubs have already been giving potential customers a taste of the talent online.

SPRINGFIELD — Illinois already charges so-called sin taxes on smokes, booze and casino gambling. Now state lawmakers are thinking about imposing a $5 skin tax to get into strip clubs. Club owners are in an uproar, arguing that the tax might put smaller strip joints out of business and throw dancers, bartenders, bouncers and valet attendants out of work. They worry that some customers already are fed up with admission fees, let alone taxes on top. "We wouldn't want that," said Tiffany Winkler, manager of the Chicago club Pink Monkey.

LAS VEGAS—Las Vegas strip clubs are feeling the pinch of the economy and are offering discounts and freebies to keep customers coming through the doors. Cheetah's offers two-for-one lap dances every afternoon, while Treasures provides a free buffet in the early evening, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. The Can Can Room and Crazy Horse III have both halved the price of a lap dance, which usually costs $20 for three to four minutes at an all-nude club or two minutes at a topless joint.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - A strip club in Texas that hired a 14-year-old as an exotic dancer says it was swindled and is suing the seventh-grader and her parents. The girl allegedly exposed her breasts while working at Cheetah Club in Corpus Christi, a violation of state law. Alan Yaffe, the club's attorney, said the club didn't know the girl was a minor and disputed the alleged sequence of events that led the teenager to work there in the first place. "She came (into the club) with 6-inch stiletto heels and a miniskirt and looked just like a model from...

Boys to men: Why guys aren’t growing upCareer aimlessness and beer and porn culture define ‘Guyland’ updated 10:41 a.m. ET, Wed., Aug. 27, 2008 After interviewing hundreds of 16- to 26-year-olds across the U.S., sociologist and gender studies expert Michael Kimmel found a trend of “guy” culture that is marked by the inability to have healthy relationships with women, murky career goals, and the desire not to grow up. In his new book “Guyland,” Kimmel writes about why many young men are trapped between adolescence and adulthood. An excerpt. **SNIP** Today, many of these young men, poised between adolescence and...

AUSTIN — The state's new $5 surcharge for strip club visitors will not violate the clubs' First Amendment free speech rights, state officials argued in a court brief filed in advance of a court hearing. The new fee, which was approved this year by the Texas Legislature, is set to take effect on Jan. 1. It's expected to raise about $44 million to be dispersed for sexual assault prevention programs and health care for the uninsured. A state district judge was scheduled today to consider a request made by a group of strip clubs to delay the fee. The Texas...

On the heels of a report earlier this week that Atlanta area Katrina victims were using $2,000 debit cards to purchase luxury items like Louis Vuitton handbags, Houston police yesterday discovered the cards, provided by FEMA and the Red Cross, being used at local strip clubs. The Houston Police Department just formed a task force to investigate the abuse of the cards, which were distributed to thousands of Katrina hurricane victims to provide for necessities, such as food, clothing and toiletries. On the first day, the police found the cards being used to buy beer while ogling exotic dancers.

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Oscar-winning movie star Catherine Zeta-Jones has sued a small strip club in Nevada for using her picture on its raunchy website, court documents showed. The Welsh beauty filed suit Thursday against The Spice House, billed as "Reno's Friendliest Topless Cabaret," for allegedly using her image for advertising and promotion without her permission. Zeta-Jones, the wife of Hollywood prince Michael Douglas, said her image was "prominently featured on numerous pages" of the adult club's web site, according to the lawsuit filed in the US District Court in Los Angeles. An image of Zeta-Jones appeared on some pages...

Registering voters to get rid of 'ultra-conservative' BushFearing conservatives could shut down their businesses, strip club owners are asking patrons to take a moment to fill out a voter registration and then cast their presidential ballot for Sen. John Kerry. ''It's not to say our industry loves John Kerry or anything like that,'' trade publisher Dave Manack told the Associated Press. ''But George Bush, if he's re-elected, it could be very damaging to our industry.'' Manack, associate publisher of E.D. Publications, which publishes Exotic Dancer magazine, says adult night clubs take in an estimated $15 billion annually and employ 500,000...

BELOIT, Wis. – Owners of strip clubs are putting a little bada-bing in the presidential campaign by asking patrons to turn their eyes away from the stage for a moment to fill out a voter registration form and then vote against President Bush. "It's not to say our industry loves John Kerry or anything like that," said Dave Manack, associate publisher of E.D. Publications, which publishes Exotic Dancer magazine. "But George Bush, if he's re-elected, it could be very damaging to our industry." Fearful that conservatives might turn off the colored lights for good, a trade organization for adult night...

<p>Sin City is about to show more skin. A lot of it.</p> <p>The 71,000-square-foot Sapphire Gentlemen's Club, billed as the world's largest strip club, is due to open Dec. 13 in Las Vegas.</p> <p>The latest in a growing number of upscale take-it-off emporiums in the popular destination, Sapphire boasts four stages (one an elevated glass showcase) and 13 "skyboxes" affording a bird's-eye view of the action and a setting for private lap dances. Up to 800 strippers may undulate on busy nights.</p>