We’re approaching the end. Of what? Exotic dancing in Ohio! In my series of articles about this trend in Ohio ‘morality’, I’ve patiently waited for this legal battle to finally conclude. Well, apparently it has. In a recent report, the Supreme Court ruled that stripping wasn’t protected under 1st amendment and strippers can no longer touch patrons. This was the last-ditch battle of strip-club owners against a well-connected church PAC based in southern Ohio. No surprise it was a loss, but still sad to see that this is what our state has come to. (more…)
Well, it happened. I suppose it was inevitable. The referendum to put issue 1, the so-called “no-touch” rule for Ohio’s exotic dancers, up for public vote, has failed miserably. The signatures needed to allow this to happen were, apparently, mostly fraudulent. The ‘CCS‘ and ‘Dancers For Democracy,’ the business organizations made of dancers and club owners, spearheaded the the attempt to defeat the new law. Hopes were high when they announced on September 4th that they had collected enough signatures for the referendum. Not so much now. My first reaction was a snide remark about strippers and math. But, I know that’s not fair. They’re not the first to have a little counting problem when it comes to votes. (more…)
Today, the Citizens for Community Standards and Dancers for Democracy filed enough signatures with the state of Ohio to send ‘Senate Bill 16′ to public vote! It will be listed as Issue 1. The saga continues….
Early this year, Ohio Senate Bill 16, as it’s now called, set strict prohibitions against strip club operations and the activity of dancers. The bill set distance rules between strippers and patrons, among other regulations, and would have doomed the entire lap-dance industry. It is set to become law in September (http://lsc.state.oh.us/coderev/sen127.nsf/Senate+Bill+Number/0016?OpenDocument).
This law was written by the same sexually repressed (but unusually well-connected) people that tried to force a gay marriage ban in Ohio, and sued to stop pay-per-view porn in American hotels. The lobbying group, Citizens for Community Values (CCV) once again is trying to protect us from ourselves (http://www.ccv.org/). I, of course, appreciate any attempt to save me from myself. This time, their focus is the ravages of strippers and their blight. So, I decided to do what any patriotic American would do, and investigated this Evil American Institution that apparently must be brought-down at all costs. The CCV? No! Strip Clubs.
The hypnotic glow wafting from the liquor bottles behind the bar belie the truth that alcohol is not what we’ve come to buy. (more…)
