Adult dancers in Washington state demand strippers' rights

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SEATTLE — Andrea spent months studying for a master's degree in library science in between strip dancing in Seattle clubs. But then she was sexually assaulted at work and slapped by a client – and no one stepped in to help.

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Now, he and hundreds of other strippers in Washington state are fighting for state protections that would be the most comprehensive in the U.S., attorneys say.

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“We can't be verbally abused for doing our job and for existing,” said Andrea, who saw a DJ harass dancers at a club if they didn't tip them. If he is there, he will stay away from the club, said the 24-year-old, who would only use his first name. The Associated Press does not identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted.

The so-called “strippers' rights” proposals being considered by the Legislature would require a security guard at every club, keypad codes to enter locker rooms, sexual assault prevention training for employees and procedures in the event of customer assault. It also requires training on how to defuse conflict between dancers, staff and customers, and requires signage indicating that dancers are not required to provide advice.

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“This is a legitimate, licensed business operation in the state of Washington, so the people who work there deserve the same attention, respect and protections that every other worker in Washington receives,” said Democratic Representative Amy Whalen, who sponsored the House bill. . A similar bill is being considered in the Senate.

The bills are the culmination of six years of campaigning by Strippers Are Workers, a Washington-based organization led by dancers, in response to widening regulatory gaps for strippers at 11 clubs in the state, said its campaign manager, Madison Zak-Wu.

But these regulatory gaps go beyond Washington. In the six years that strippers have been in business, only one state has added worker protections for adults, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In 2019, Illinois began requiring adult entertainment establishments, along with other businesses, to have a written sexual harassment policy. That year, Washington added several initial regulations, including panic buttons and consumer blacklists.

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NCSL's list does not include bills targeting the minimum age or human trafficking, whose victims are often recruited to work in U.S. strip clubs, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. These bills rarely address workplace protections like the one in Washington, said Landon Jacquino, policy associate at NCSL.

Efforts have also been made at the local level, including a bar in Los Angeles and a strip club in Portland, Oregon, where the dancers voted to unionize. In 2014, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled in a ruling with statewide implications that dancers at one Las Vegas club are employees and are entitled to minimum wage and other protections.

But Zak-Wu said many strippers don't want to be full-time employees. “This job is about flexibility and trying to do it yourself,” he said. The bills in Washington apply to all strippers, regardless of employment status.

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A similar bill in Washington stalled last year after concerns about allowing alcohol in strip clubs. Bills before both chambers do not include that section, and with more than two dozen cosponsors coming together, there's a good chance it will land on the governor's desk in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

Most dancers in Washington are independent contractors and can be blacklisted if they report abuse or exploitation by managers, Zak-Wu said. Clients pay the dancers, who must pay the club fees for each shift, which can run up to $200.

The proposed House measure would cap club dues at $150 or 30% of the amount made during the shift – whichever is less – and would prohibit clubs from raising unpaid dues from previous shifts.

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According to the 28-year-old, in late 2022, Eva Bhagwandeen allegedly gave a man three laps at a club in Seattle and refused to accept his card. He was aggressive, saying that he had already paid. The manager didn't come in and there was no security guard, so he and the waitress had to escort him and his screaming friends out of the club. He never paid $140, but had to pay $200 to the club.

Then she found out that another dancer had gone through the same thing with the same men two days earlier.

“The lack of safety and training and the lack of management support for the dancers creates a culture where customers know they can come in and not pay, come in and attack the dancers. do whatever you want,” he said.

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But Zack-Wu said there are concerns that adding those protections without including revenue from alcohol sales could lead to the closure of struggling businesses in the wake of the pandemic.

“We don't want clubs to close now or in the future because that would put everyone out of work and put them in more dangerous or worse conditions,” he said.

Republican lawmakers have said they support protecting workers in the industry, but knowing the best way to regulate it is difficult.

“We also want to make sure that we're doing it right and that we're striking the right balance, not just for workers, but also for communities and neighborhoods,” said House Minority Leader Drew Stokesbury, a Republican.

Andrea, a dancer from Seattle, graduated in November and wants to work in a library while continuing to dance. But he hopes more protection will soon be available.

“It's not an easy place for us sometimes, but, you know, a lot of people persevere because they love the job,” he said. “But with all these defenses, it really helps a lot.”

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