Sex Work Is Work: The Stripper's Bill of Rights Is a Labor Victory for the Exotic Dancers of Washington State

by Laura LeMoon

"Sex work is work" is a common rallying cry among sex workers' rights activists that might finally be growing teeth now that the Strippers' Bill of Rights was signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee on March 25.

As reported by In These Times, the bill not only caps house fees (fees paid by the dancer to the club) at 30% of a dancer's income per shift, but also requires employee sexual harassment training, training on how to identify and report human trafficking, first aid training, and even training for de-escalation and conflict resolution. Clubs must provide dancers with panic buttons in each private room. The new bill also allows the sale of alcohol at strip clubs.

The Strippers' Bill of Rights, which is a first-of-its-kind bill in the whole history of the country, is a powerful landmark in the fight for sex work to be acknowledged as legitimate work.

The bill may seem like it came out of the blue, but sex workers' rights activists have been laying the groundwork for this for years in Washington State and beyond. You may have already heard of the recent strippers unions formed at clubs in Los Angeles and in Portland, Oregon, in 2023. Angelique of Seattle-based activist group Strippers Are Workers (SAW) said, "Getting to this point was a long journey that started in 2015 when I started the Seattle Strips website to create a safe space for my colleagues and I to strategize on how to improve our working conditions. I started by sounding out local attorneys for help. Everyone was sympathetic, but ultimately the solution was political, and we needed to do something dancers really did not tend to do back then: unite."

Because stripping is a highly stigmatized form of labor, working conditions in strip clubs across the country often leave much to be desired, and because of the stigma of sex work, it can be very difficult for dancers to demand certain rights.

Dancers are essentially independent contractors who have to pay the club house fees for the ability to work there every shift. Sexual harassment often goes unchecked or dismissed, and basic dancer safety is frequently disregarded, as the bottom line is what's often most important to club management. Many of these clubs are also multinational conglomerates. Many clubs have moved away from small private ownership to being owned by larger companies looking to acquire investments or clubs that become franchises. These are the larger, more commercial nationwide clubs, like Hustlers, Spearmint Rhino, and Deja Vu, to name a few. House fees can often lead dancers to not only make no surplus money, but also to start their shifts in debt to the club. Since the Strippers' Bill of Rights allows alcohol sales, clubs will now be able to lean on that for more revenue instead of leaning on workers. Aaliyah, co-founder of SAW, said, "Due to this bill, the clubs will be able to focus on sales from alcohol rather than taxing the girls for rent."

The bill brings amazing advancements in protecting a job that has historically been very dangerous and never had to be. When asked how the bill will impact safety, Shira of SAW said, "By destigmatizing a regulated industry, you are drawing people out of the black market. Any industry pushed into the black market, sex work or not, is risky for both buyers and sellers. It's not uncommon for buyers and sellers to be the victims of violence in an unregulated environment."

The more that legal sex work, like exotic dancing, is pushed into the margins, the higher the likelihood that violence and exploitation will occur. This can be seen at the far end of illicit sex work. Criminalized prostitution, for example, is one of the biggest contributors to violence (concomitant with stigma) and economic alienation among full-service sex workers. These new laws, besides the changes they bring in how strip clubs can operate, also help validate sex work through the law in a way that pulls it closer to accountability and regulation, and farther away from the dark worlds of violence, danger, and exploitation.

By bolstering labor rights for all people in sex work, including exotic dancers, we can help protect sex workers and prevent sex trafficking.

Working as a dancer at a club is ideal for many people, especially since the work is low-barrier, accessible, and generally a faster way to make income than waiting two to four weeks for your first paycheck, something many people can't afford to do. Having safe, low-barrier forms of employment is a key way to protect people, especially the most marginalized, from sex and labor trafficking. SAW co-founder Shira said, "This industry is a vital optional survival tool for women and nonbinary people of all ages to escape homelessness, poverty and domestic violence — and even get ahead in life by purchasing a home, starting a business, or going to school."

Aubrey, another co-founder of SAW, added, "This is exciting not just for dancers, but for all who want to express themselves freely and work in a safe environment."

Indeed, workers rights for one is a win for the workers rights of all, and this bill is a powerful step forward to keeping dancers safe in Washington State.

Featured image via Nora_n_0_ra/Shutterstock.com.