The Strippers’ Bill of Rights: Every Dancer Deserves Respect

The Strippers' Bill of Rights Means Power, Poles, and Protection

Dear reader, strippers are masters of seduction, athletes of the pole, and performers serving looks, energy, and choreography, all while managing to pull off sky-high heels and even higher confidence. And yet, despite the artistry and skill involved in their work, dancers too often find their rights, labor protections, and basic humanity somewhere between ignored and blatantly violated. The Strippers’ Bill of Rights is a movement that demands better treatment for hardworking individuals within the adult entertainment industry to protect the dignity, autonomy, and livelihoods of dancers everywhere.

Sex work is work. Full stop. These performers clock in to manage everything from grueling physical routines to the challenges of navigating club politics. While the industry's allure might seem glamorous, the day-to-day can expose dancers to issues such as wage theft, unsafe working conditions, harassment, and a lack of transparency over labor policies. Would you stay at a desk job if your boss took 30-70% of your paycheck because they let you sit there? Strippers face these kinds of injustices regularly, which is why the Strippers' Bill of Rights has emerged as a rallying cry.

What’s in the Strippers’ Bill of Rights?

The Strippers’ Bill of Rights isn’t a single standardized document (yet) but a collective list of demands being shaped by strippers, unions, and grassroots organizations to improve the industry. Here’s a breakdown of some key rights they’re championing:

#1 Fair Pay and Transparent Fees

Did you know most clubs classify strippers as independent contractors, not employees? It sounds fancy and freelance-friendly, but in reality, it means dancers have to pay to perform. Some clubs charge dancers stage fees, floor fees, and even tip-outs (where dancers give a percentage of their earnings to staff like DJs or security). The Bill of Rights calls for transparent pay policies and an end to exploitative fees. After all, nobody should pay rent to dance onstage.

Strippers experience wage theft at an alarming rate, often paying club owners up to 70% of their nightly earnings, which doesn’t include the excessive charges invented by club owners, often referred to as: “rent,” “stage fees,” or “leasing fees.” In the corporate chain clubs, I’ve heard of bosses holding a performer’s earnings for weeks, only releasing a portion after skimming it with mysterious fees and fines. Some strippers even end their shift owing the club money, commonly referred to as “back rent,” creating economic hardship for dancers who show up for work already indebted to their employer.

As a stripper who has worked in four states over three decades, I’ve seen these loathsome business practices go from bad to worse, especially during economic downturns, like the recent global pandemic, when people abruptly stop spending time and cash on live entertainment, leaving strippers in the lurch. Club owners have brazenly evaded labor laws by charging dancers to pay their own wages while ignoring their workplace concerns.

It is clear to me that club owners will continue to steal more and more from workers with zero consequences as long as they keep getting away with it. And they will only stop when we, the workers, stop them. History has shown this.
-Antonia Crane

#2 Consent is Non-Negotiable

Pole work does not equal free-for-all. Strippers, like everyone else, deserve safe workspaces where their boundaries are respected. Touching without permission, harassment, and inappropriate behavior from patrons or staff must end.

@gemijhaytheg 5 Things stripclub customers do that are irritating AFFF to dancers! • here’a a rule of thumb for what you do NOT do when you go to the strip club! #stripper #strippertips #fyp #exoticdancerlife #exoticdance #exoticdancewear #skripper #skrippertok #skripperlife #babyskripper #babyskrippertips ♬ original sound - GemiJhay The Genie

#3 A Safe Work Environment

The Bill of Rights demands adequate security, proper lighting, clean dressing rooms, and a hazard-free stage. Safety isn’t just about emotional well-being; it also involves protecting dancers from physical risks, such as injuries from faulty poles or unstable footwear.

@bronwynfh ik ill get boys saying "i choose this life" like they dont choose to be creeps. but PLEASE start talking about the cons of this life. #fyp #striptok ♬ original sound - bronwynfh

#4 The Right to Unionize

In many industries, unionizing is the key to collective power and better benefits, but strippers are often excluded from labor protections and workers’ rights afforded to other industries. Unionization efforts, like those seen in clubs across North America, aim to help dancers negotiate fairer contracts and oppose unfair management practices.

#5 Protection Against Discrimination

Body inclusivity is celebrated in theory, but some club policies still enforce old-school (and often discriminatory) beauty standards. The Strippers’ Bill of Rights opposes racial, gender, body size, and age discrimination and advocates for equal opportunities for all dancers who want to work their magic onstage.

#6 Privacy is Paramount

Dancers should have control over how their identities are protected. Clubs shouldn’t coerce performers into sharing personal details with patrons or management. Imagine handing over personal info to drunk strangers. No, thank you.

The Strippers’ Bill of Rights doesn’t just exist in theory—it’s already in action. In recent years, strippers across the U.S., Canada, and beyond have begun organizing protests, forming unions, and demanding legislative changes in the fight for better workplace conditions. On Tuesday, February 27, 2024, the first-ever Strippers’ Bill of Rights passed in Washington State. “The cluster of bills refers to SB 6106 and HB 2036, two adult entertainment industry bills which share common goals: most notably, to respond to the specific workplace needs of Washington strippers. The bills add protections, autonomy, and security to their job, challenging constraints that tenuous gig workers often face while attempting to organize their workplaces.”

These movements are transforming how the public understands exotic dancing, not as a "hobby" or side hustle but as an integral part of the entertainment industry that deserves legal recognition and protection. The following images are from S.A.W., a dancer-led organization that fights to raise Washington strip club industry standards and create a dancer-focused community.

As a society, we owe a round of applause not just to strippers but also to the advocates dismantling the stigma and inequities that persist in their work. These performers are redefining sensuality, reclaiming their power, and demanding conditions that don’t leave them overworked, underpaid, or underappreciated.

So, dear reader, the next time you find yourself enjoying an impressive pole routine or a captivating floor performance, remember that behind every seductive glance and flawless heel-strut is a worker who deserves fair pay, safety, and respect. It’s time to champion the Strippers’ Bill of Rights—not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because no one should have to fight for the dignity they’re already entitled to. The stage is theirs. The rights should be, too.

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