The Ohio Stripper Hunt - Strippers Defend Their Jobs
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In some states, strippers are quite a draw. But in Ohio there are groups at work who are looking to make strippers a thing of the past. And they’re very close to getting the job done at the state level. The organization behind pushing legislative change is known as Citizens for Community Values, an organization which espouses the following goal:
Mission: Citizens for Community Values (CCV) exists to promote Judeo-Christian moral values, and to reduce destructive behaviors contrary to those values, through education, active community partnership, and individual empowerment at the local, state and national levels.
Part of that is actually changing the laws in Ohio as they relate to strip clubs. The biggest problem with the proposed legislation is the effect it would have on people employed by strip clubs. The affect would be largely negative, especially on the personal finances of employees.
The Lantern thinks the group is misrepresenting the bill in order to make sure it passes. Forcing clubs to close during hours that seem to be among the busiest and keeping dancers away from patrons might do serious damage to the clubs and their employees. It appears the bill is simply an attempt at closing the clubs entirely, for reasons of personal morality. Some might remember the 2004 marriage amendment and its overly restrictive wording that banned not only gay marriage but also civil unions and other relationships that would be recognized under the law. The ban had little to do with protecting the sanctity of marriage and was actually a veiled attack on the gay community. This current bill does much the same thing with adult entertainment.”
This issue will effect Northeast Ohio, in particular, where half of the state’s strip clubs are located. The strippers themselves have taken to the courts to defeat the measure.
Even a worker for the Cleveland Visitor’s Bureau knows that strippers are entertainment for out of town visitors. Dennis Roche, head of Cleveland’s Convention and Visitors Bureau, thinks the debate over the law is a distraction and passing it would be a mistake. Roche says that the clubs by themselves are not crucial to Cleveland’s convention business. But many out of town visitors do frequent the establishments.
Do you think a narrow interest group like CCV should be changing the laws and costing people jobs?
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18 Responses to “The Ohio Stripper Hunt - Strippers Defend Their Jobs”
hahaha
By danielle on May 8, 2007
One more nail in the coffin for “progressive Ohio.” While the business bureaus try to encourage the world to come to Ohio to create jobs and industry, the spirit of Puritanism lives on in the hearts and febrile minds of “concerned individuals” who are little more than religious bigots trying, as ever, to dictate how things should be. It appears that up until midnight, nudity is OK, but then between 12:01 and 5:59 am, strippers must wear something. I hate to state the obvious, but you go to strip clubs to see naked women and if the women are not naked, you don’t go. Which, of course, is precisely the aim of the Citizens for Community Values group.
I hope the CCV will now be big enough to reimburse ALL Ohio strippers for their lost earnings. My guess is that (a) they won’t and (b) they don’t care, because “caring” is something religious bigots are not good at. And by the way, perhaps the CCV might want to consider that their sense of “community values” are as skewed and biased as any other special interest group’s values.
Middle Ages, here we come!
By Russell on May 16, 2007
good. it’s about time. strippers complain that they have no other jobs. Be a bartender or a waitress at an expensive restaurant…you will make almost as much in tips and won’t be homewreckers!
By AP on May 16, 2007
Strippers need to go and get a real job anyway! I am a single mom too but I would rather have a little self respect then dance around half naked on random guys laps. I guess it’s just a difference of opinion, but I would rather work for what I have instead of taking the easy way out.
By krysta on May 16, 2007
Way to go Ohio, your making Utah look Better and better
By eric on May 17, 2007
Give me back the days of the old Berry Goldwater Republicans were all you cared about was being left along and making money. As a Independent voter I believe that morality should not be legislated. If you do not enjoy strippers, simple spend your time and money somewhere else. If you do not believe gays should be married, do not marry one. If you are not for guns, do not buy one. What I do is between me and my God, not your believes and your values.
By Charles on May 17, 2007
First off I am a Dancer, I became a dancer when I found I could leave the office manager job I had putting up with baby sitting an office of people not willing to work and do something I enjoy and make twice the money doing it.
I enjoy music and dancing. You find out in the first week or too just how in-shape you really are and will have to say I am in better shape now at age 31 than I was at age 19. So the exercise is worth it alone. There are alot of bad things that happens with the passage of this law. First off my hours and pay is cut in half. That is if I have a job at all. I can forget paying the mortgage on my house and will have to either seel or face forclosure at a time when the forclosure rate is going through the roof. This is one of those forgotten things. The law does not effect the majority of ohioans so no one cares. Many Dancers work to pay bills just like anyone else. A dancer friend swore she was no longer going to dance after getting married, but now her husban lost his job do to mismanagement and now she is Dancing again so they have food to eat and a roof. and if this law is pushed through she will no longer be able to do that.
Why is it that we as dancers who do our jobs with pride and classy are always referred to as Strippers with a demeaning tone? We are not trash that is tosed on the sidewalk we are classy people too.
By Pamela on May 17, 2007
What is happening to the constitution? Freedom to do what you want as long as it does not hurt anyone else? If you do not want to visit a strip club, then don’t! Why push your moral agenda on those living their lives differently from yours?
By matthew on May 21, 2007
Because someone needs a paycheck, I reckon. The guy that heads this organization reportedly makes around $150,000 a year.
He wants to rain on peoples parade for no reason. He isn’t saving anyone by trying to get this legislated.
I’m beginning to think Ohio is one of the most retarded places in America to live. Full of pollution and busy bodies that should mind their own business!
By Shawna on May 21, 2007
They don’t want the dance clubs anymore ?? This is going to force most of thse dancers into prostitution, you’re taking them out of a safe controlled environment, and putting them out on the streets and as customers in all of the bars to sell their bodies to make ends meet. It is creating a much, much worse problem.
“LET YE WHO IS WITHOUT SIN CAST THE FIRST STONE” The words of Jesus himself. These people are hypocrites that passed this. They should be retaliated against in any form possible. I also think they should be exposed for the hypocrites that they are, perhaps we should do a little research on just who makes up this group and pick their little hypocritical lives to shreds.
By What is the stupidest thing... on May 27, 2007
Friday, February 10, 2006
The Chronicle Telegram
Elyria, Ohio
ELECTION BOARD DISMISSES COMPLAINT OVER ANTI-PORN-LOBBYING ALLEGATIONS
Columbes- The state election board on Thursday dismissed a complaint alleging that a group that fights pornography improperly threatened to target Republican lawmakers if they didn’t support a bill restricting strip clubs.
The Ohio Elections Commission voted 6-0 in favor f Cincinnati based Citezens For Community Values and against a group of Ohio Strip Club Owners that filed the complaint.
The commission also rejected a request by the citezens group that the club owners be fined for filing the complaint.
The Buckeye association for Club Executives alleged that Phil Burress , President of Citezens For Community Values improperly tried to influence an election before creating a political action committee.
The owners based their complaint on an email Burress sent to his group’s supporters saying there should be Republican Primary chalenges to any GOP lawmaker who stood in the bills way…….
By spike-heeled on May 29, 2007
I think this is all BS. if you dont like that enviroment or idea of strip clubs, just dont go there! I dont understand what has been with ohio and taking away ppls rights!!!!! WHATS NEXT?!
By pissed off on Jun 12, 2007
ok. this whole thing has got out of hand. these people in office are just pissed off we make more money than they do and pissed because all the upstanding guys want to spend their money on a hot chick and not donate to office. i have been a dancer for 9 years and have never had a problem. im not a hooker and i dont do drugs. hell i dont even drink. but i love my job. they have to understand we are entertainers. it is a job. they want to take that from us. most dancers are respectable people and are just trying to support their family. why take that from us? why try to tell us where we can work and how to do our jobs? now clubs will open earlier and find ways to get around this stupid law. these men and women too come in to see naked women dancin around and having fun. its an escape from the hum drum of their crappy lives. its all in fun and we make money? i swear these facisist bastards have no idea what they are doing. dancers have been around forever. and because ohio wants everyone to be the same and do the same things we loose out on the things we enjoy. so now we cant smoke anywhere and we cant keep our jobs. im cuttin the strings right now. ohio will not controll how i live my life. eventually ohio will be a very empty place cause everyone will move where we have freedom. ha ha. then what you idiots in office will have nothing to control and no money to speak of. im a dancer and im standing up for my rights!!!
By mindless idiots on Jun 29, 2007
I have to say from experience that dancing for tips is not all that it is cracked up to be. The money was great and it was hard to quite once you realize how much money you can make by literally doing nothing.
There are many types of clubs and women you will come across. I worked in an upscale entertainment bar. No one could touch the ladies and we got respect! Of course you have your whore’s, and home wreckers, but guess what if your husband doesn’t find them out and about then they will end up ***** your best friend at home.
I hate when people argue about banning strip clubs. I don’t think this will ever happen. The government helps support it believe it or not!! I could go on and on…I just wanted to blow off some steam.
Most of the Women that are upset over this are overweight, nasty and unwilling to try to look better. It’s not our fault that your man hands me your money!
By Retired dancer on Jun 29, 2007
We have a disgusting tendency in our culture to hold men and women to different standards of conduct. Notice how a female who sleeps around is labeled a “slut” — a decidedly pejorative term — while a male who does the same thing is often considered a “player,” a term with either positive or mostly benign connotations. While I have no doubt that some strippers are “homewreckers,” one is inclined to ask questions about the men who patronize these establishments in the first place. Are they “homewreckers,” rather than the dancers simply doing their jobs?
I suppose the concept of self-respect is rather subjective as well. As someone who worked three years in the food-service industry in high school — at a country club, no less, where the customers were and are snootier and more condescending than your average layman — I can testify that being a waiter/waitress/busboy can oftentimes be quite demeaning. What would we say to someone who found both stripping and waitressing “demeaning”? What about retail sales? Where does the slope end? The cut-off line seems arbitrary at best.
By AudeSapere on Jul 18, 2007
I have been an exotic dancer for seven years now.I love my job, I always have. I’m a single mom with 4 children. I do NOT live off the system, I pay taxes, my children are kept clean and are healthy! I’m not an Addict, An alcoholic, or a Prostitute. I goe to work each day that I’m supposed to and come home. At home I do laundry, wash dishes, do homework with my school agers, and clean house. I grow a garden, plant flowers, and cut my grass. So tell me, what makes me anymore different than say the woman across the street who works nine to five 5 days a week. Let me tell you NOTHING!!! I live a normal life with the exception of the hours I work. I have a very fullfilling life enriched with day to day experiences. Now I have the CCV telling me that I have to completely change my life and my childrens lifestyle to appease a few overwrought Ohioans. If you don’t like strip clubs then don’t go in them. Would you have the state bann brussel sprouts because a few people don’t like them? Of course not that would be ridiculous and we know it. People(mainly women) say that strippers are homewreckers. Well let me ask you this, IF a married couple was happy can you wreck their marriage? NO. Marriages get wrecked because both parties have screwed up. If you keep both partners happy then there is no possibility of a marriage ending in divorce. Pinning the blame on strippers is ridiculous, pointless, and stupidity in itself. The adult entertainment industry has many dancers that are just like me. Personally, I think many Ohioans need to grow up and pin the blame for why things are happening in their lives on themselves. Stop trying to make strippers their DOGS for why everything has gone bad.
By fed up on Aug 21, 2007
WOW, WHAT IS HAPPEN TO THE PEOPLE? STRIP CLUB ARE KNOWING FOR HIRING TEENAGES AND LETTING THEM WORK UNDER AGE IN AN UNSAFE PLACE,WHERE OLD MEM TIP THEM WITH DOLLARS SO THOSES LITTLE GIRL, TELL THE MEN TO HOLLA. YOUR CHILD MY CHILD. I CAN’T BELEIVE THAT WITHOUT STRIPPERS THE WORLD WOULD COME TO AND END. OH BY THE WAY, MOST MEN THAT DOES GO TO STRIP CLUB ARE MARRIED. BUT NOT ALL THEIR WIVES ARE FAT AND OUT OF SHAPE.MARRIED MEN IN STRIP CLUBS IS JUST AS MUCH AS A WHORE IS THE STRIPPERS. AND WHEN THE STRIPPERS THINKING THAT THE MEN WIVES ARE FAT AND UGLY. THINK AGAIN WE ARE BEAUTIFUL. FOR ME NOT WORRY. WORKOUT EVERYDAY. SOMEONE ASK ME TO DANCE AT ONE OF THE CLUB HERE, HE WERE THE OWNER. CLOSE ALL OF THEM. ALL OVER. NOT JUST OHIO. IT MAKE WOMAN LOOK LIKE STANKS AND BRAINLESS. ME MYSELF WORK IN THE HEALTH FEILD,I SEE SO MANY HIV STRIPPERS. THINK ABOUT THAT. AND DRUG ADDITTS. ITS YOUR LIFE. I SEE WHAT THE LAST STAGES OF AIDS LOOK LIKE WE SEE EVERYHING IN MY LINE OF WORK, AIDS HAS NO NAME. ALL KINDS OF STD IS OUT THERE.SOME CONDOM DON’T PROTECT YOU. GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU.
BROWN, SOUTH CAROLINA.
By Liu on Apr 5, 2008