When you think about nonsensical laws and particularly woke ones, few places have as many as Washington State. The latest is one ensuring a “strippers bill of rights.”
Yes, you read that correctly. And it means pretty much what it sounds like. The state is offering more rights to the adult entertainment industry in the state.
Now, to be clear, most of the bill is really all about providing a safer working environment for exotic dance club workers.
As Governor Jay Inslee said of the law, “It’s pretty simple why we are passing this bill. These are working folks – and working people deserve safety in the environment in which they work.”
According to the new bill names a number of now-required safety precautions in all clubs.
For starters, each club will be required to hire a security guard. This one may not be needed so much, as most of these establishments already employ a bouncer or two.
Additionally, each changing room for the dancers will now have to have a locked door with key code access. This makes sense, for the most part – until dancers share their codes, of course.
Rooms designated for “private dances,” which are usually locked, will also have to be outfitted with a panic button in things get a little too out of hand. Again, not a bad thing.
Another change will be that the employees themselves will have to have a number of training classes. One will be on identifying and preventing sexual harassment. Another will be on spotting and reporting human trafficking to law enforcement. Additionally, first aid training will be required.
Now, I’m not saying that the law is completely useless. Inslee is correct in saying that these people deserve safe working conditions. The bizarre part to me is that they need a law about it in the first place.
It also probably means that admission and drink costs will likely go up to cover the cost of all this new equipment and training.
Of course, Washington has a mere eleven strip clubs in the entire state. So it’s not like it will impact all that many people.
