9/2/2023 0 Comments Stripes club dance dallasThe passing of the law “caught everybody by surprise, even the managers,” Cruz said. That is until May 24, when those under 21 were forced out of their jobs, she said. As a young college graduate trying to make ends meet on a $32,000 a year salary and with large student loans, she was drawn to the club job for the money.Īt her club, which Cruz declined to name because she was not authorized to speak on its behalf, the staff was split evenly between those over 21 and those under 21. Marla Cruz, 26, has been working in a Dallas strip club for three years. Women, men, and minors may be recruited to work in strip clubs as hostesses, servers or dancers, but then are required to provide commercial sex to customers.”īut several current workers at Texas strip clubs testified against the bill, many of them saying that they never felt unsafe in their clubs and the money they made helped them afford to support their families, pay their bills and in many cases, pay for college tuition. Victor, a nonprofit based in Houston.Īccording to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, a nonprofit that acts as a resource for victims of victims and survivors of sex and labor trafficking, “Victims of sex trafficking are frequently recruited to work in strip clubs across the United States. Hamilton now advocates for victims of sex trafficking as the executive director of A Survivor's Voice St. Other testimonies including harrowing tales from victims of sexual abuse and trafficking, including Nissi Hamilton, who described in detail her experience at age 14, when a man 12 years older than her groomed and exploited and eventually made a profit from selling her for sex. “They are often exposed to drug abuse, underage drinking, prostitution and ultimately to what is called in the trade "The Life." Bush, the Texas Land Commissioner, who testified in support of the bill in the Senate Jurisprudence Committee hearing last month. “Allowing individuals under the age of 21 to work in these establishments introduces them to the idea of selling their bodies for monetary gain,” said George P. Joan Huffman, a Republican representing District 17, who authored the bill Abbott signed into law. “These changes would provide necessary mechanisms to safeguard our communities and protection for our children from sex trafficking and sexual exploitation,” said State Sen. Proponents of the bill argued that passing the law would sever the alleged link between strip clubs and sex trafficking. “The Texas Legislature just turned a complete blind eye to the welfare of hundreds and hundreds in this state who were dependent on an income and now have no ability to feed their children, no ability to make rent payments and no ability to sustain their lives,” Wallace said. The law came just days after Abbott announced that Texas would opt out of the federal unemployment assistance associated with the COVID-19 pandemic starting June 26, which included an additional $300 a week from the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program. “It has been devastating to hundreds of people who have now been thrown out of work with no notice and no preparation to be able to look for other employment in a post-pandemic era when we are trying to get everyone back to work,” said Casey Wallace of the Texas Entertainment Association, whose members include hundreds of club owners and proprietors of sexually oriented businesses across the state. Previously, clubs and other sexually oriented venues could hire employees 18 and older.Ĭlub owners, dancers and other employees in the adult entertainment industry accused Texas lawmakers of ripping away the livelihood of not just erotic dancers and strippers, but bartenders, bookkeepers, servers and car valets who are under the age of 21 and also worked at the clubs. The law came into effect the day of Abbott’s signature, meaning hundreds of Texans under the age of 21 lost their jobs immediately. Greg Abbott, on May 24, signed a law making it a criminal offense for sexually oriented businesses to hire 18-, 19- or 20-year-olds either as employees or contract workers. Opponents of the law say it put hundreds of people out of work with no warning.Proponents of the law said it will help sever the link between sex trafficking and strip clubs.A new law requires all employees and contractors at sexually oriented businesses to be 21 or older, whether they be dancers, waiters, bartenders or bookkeepers.
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