November 10, 2002 01:27pm
LVDA Call to Re-open Lap Dance Debate
Source: LVDA
by: Company Press Release
(LAS VEGAS, NV) -- The Las Vegas Dancers Alliance, an organization of adult entertainers formed in July 2002 in response to Clark County's Lap Dance Ordinance, called on the Clark County Commissioners Office today to reopen the lap dance debate at their upcoming Nov. 19th meeting and give those Commissioners with a desire to change their vote the opportunity to do so.
Following the nearly-unanimous passage of the regulations in July, LVDA began a series of television, radio, and newspaper spots-including USA Today and the O'Reilly Factor-designed to raise public awareness on the origins of the ordinance and uncover the driving forces behind them. Shortly thereafter, two Commissioners expressed a desire to change their votes, joining with Commissioners Dario Herrera and Erin Kenny in opposition to the regulations. LVDA also held a widely-covered rally in September, registered five hundred dancers to vote in October, and distributed over a thousand voter guides in the weeks leading up to the election. Many of the candidates we supported were elected, including the District Attorney and Sheriff. LVDA is presently working with the Las Vegas club owners to ensure that all dancers are registered to vote at they time they're hired. In this way we hope to be better situated to thwart any future assaults to our industry that might be contemplated in the future.
The reasons we stand opposed to the lap dance ordinance are many. First of all, the ordinance criminalizes touching a customer's feet (which no one understands), it criminalizes putting dollar bills in a dancer's G-string (which is akin to outlawing beads at Mardi Gras), it gives far-reaching discretionary powers to a police department already emboldened by the state's lack of entrapment laws, and it makes it a crime for anyone under the age of 21 years old to work in an alcohol (topless) club. This particular aspect of the ordinance is, perhaps, the most troubling as it has the effect of driving underage women from the relatively tame topless clubs into the nude clubs or escort services. It also stands in direct contrast with the stated purpose of the new law: to address the (perceived) problem of prostitution.
The county also passed this ordinance before securing an agreement from the City of Las Vegas' to act in kind. As a result, when the city declined, we were left with two sets of regulations pertaining to two different parts of the same valley.
LVDA sees this ordinance is nothing more than bureaucratic meddling and feels this cumbersome scenario can best be resolved by adopting those regulations that are already on the books in the City of Las Vegas. In the absence of that, our organization stands ready to begin an initiative drive to override the ordinance.
The wonderful thing about democracy is that we have a perfect solution for those who find adult entertainment offensive - don't go to the clubs!
For more information contact:
Andrea Hackett
President: Las Vegas Dancers Alliance
Hm: (702)312-2833
Email: Colette@LVCM.com
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