Strip club regulations inhibit rights

Bachelor parties and 18th birthday celebrations drastically have been changed with new restrictions on adult entertainment in Missouri.

Strip clubs in Missouri now cannot show full nudity, must close by midnight and are prohibited from selling alcohol as of Aug. 28, according to stltoday.com. Business owners affected took this matter to the Missouri Court of Appeals, and after a hearing on Wednesday, the law was upheld.

Despite personal opinions of the goings-on within the walls of a strip club, it is hard to deny that this industry provides a lot of revenue and a lot of jobs for a community.  And let’s be honest, most of this profit comes late at night from drunken men ogling naked ladies.

When I first heard of this new law, I thought it was a good thing. I thought maybe all of the exotic dancers would change their lives and get a more respectable job. However, after a bit of consideration, I realized I was being the least respectful of all.

These women, just like everyone else, are using their talents to make a living, and these new regulations are going to inhibit the successfulness of their craft. Would you tell a bank teller that using a calculator on the job is unlawful? Sure, the job is still doable, but it is much harder to effectively accomplish the task at hand. In the same respect, this law will make it much more difficult for an exotic dancer in Missouri to make as much of a profit in tips without the club’s ability to let her bare it all.

This also is a matter of the first amendment. Within a private establishment, one should be able to say and do as they please, as long as no one is in danger. And in a strip club, there usually is no danger. In fact, these are places that people go to “get happy.”

In fairness to strip clubs, it only makes sense for there to be stricter regulations on the rest of the adult entertainment industry as well. And there aren’t. This law just doesn’t make sense to me. A man can see naked women on the Internet and in print for much cheaper. Yet, these are both mediums that remain largely unregulated. These also are mediums in which it is a lot easier for a minor to obtain access.  

On the Internet, a person simply has to click a box saying yes, they are at least 18 years of age to view pornography. However, little is done to verify that age is true. Why not do something about this, government? I realize the Internet is not the easiest medium to control, but something could be done. However, with a strip club, you must be at least 18 years or older to enter, and you must be able to prove it. So what is the point of this new law?

These clubs usually double as bars. And how many bars close at midnight and don’t sell alcohol? This law is a huge double standard. The older members of Congress simply do not want people delighting in the viewing of nude female dancers. So they take away other aspects of the club, like the alcohol and the late hours, that make it even more enjoyable for the patrons.    

Government, open your eyes. Watching a naked woman dance around a pole is not ruining society. Pay some attention to the thin and ill-enforced regulations on Internet and print pornography, and let the legal bachelors have their fun.   

Molly Skyles is a junior communication major from St. Louis, Mo.