View Full Version : church group came to protest!
britneyireland
03-22-2008, 03:26 PM
Thanks for directing me to this thread, Lia. I usually don't go into the Stripping General Category Even though I'm a little late to the conversation, I'll add my 2 cents.
I support Starlight because there ARE many women in this industry who aren't what I call "SuperStrippers." There ARE many women in this industry who DO need help and DON'T have the resources to find it.
My participation in the Exotic Dancer MBA program has absolutely NO religious overtone. I am teaching two classes: one on basic sales, another on money management. For the pros like Katrine, it won't be anything she hasn't heard before. Rather, it is aimed toward SubsistenceStrippers who NEED inspiration to take control of their finances. Honest to God, I had a conversation the other night with a co-worker who thought it was a "better" financial move to NOT have a bank account or credit card. It is this mentality that keeps SubsistenceSTrippers from becoming SuperStrippers.
Susan-Va
03-22-2008, 04:52 PM
Lia,
Sign me up for April 28th! Any more info on that yet?
I must admit that after reading your post in this thread I'd really like to meet you in person. Whens the next time you're coming by Pure Pleasure?
liastarlight
03-22-2008, 09:16 PM
Thanks Cameron! Maybe some day I'll be in sunny South Florida!
Lia
RoseLeigh
03-23-2008, 01:24 AM
However, if your primary goal is to help people and not "save the strippers" maybe you ought to branch out to your local diners and hotels and help their employees too.
Now THAT would be fantastic.
britneyireland
03-23-2008, 02:38 PM
Restaurants, hotels and walmart have well defined sexual harassment clauses. A woman can easily get someone fired if she is made "uncomfortable" by the actions of male co-workers. Male patrons of restaurants and walmart make the news when they expose themselves to female workers.
This is not the case in a Strip Club. Our "Sexual Harassment" meeting was a joke. My mgr told me the other day that I had to "flash" the radio crew when I did a promo on the local radio station. If I was a McDonalds or Walmart worker I'd have a multimilliondollar lawsuit..but since I'm a "stripper" it's expected behavior.
Our Industry needs more groups like Starlight.
GingerStarlight
03-23-2008, 06:31 PM
Hey guys! My name is Ginger and I am also a part of Starlight. I am a former dancer and I was Starlight's first participant. Now I am on the board. Lia was actually my mentor and she is an AWESOME chick!!!
I was working dayshift when this group came into our club with gifts. They didn't preach at us, they just came in to tell us that we were loved. Lia and the others didn't make me quit, I quit when I was ready and then they were there to help me make the transition. I was pregnant and they were there through my pregnancy, for the birth of my child, through my divorce.. they provided moral support as I went back to school and took a paycut going to a "regular" job. Everything that Lia says is totally true. Starlight is completely nonjudgmental and completely dedicated to empowering women.
SnakeBabe
03-23-2008, 06:40 PM
...
Maria (SnakeBabe) asked if I'm willing to answer questions. Absolutely! Ask away!
...Lia
Thanks. I really like your site
On your site is says
Pray! Pray daily for the women who dance, for the people who work with them, for the women preparing to minister in the clubs, and for the customers and clientele of the clubs.
May I ask what it is you want people to pray for?
Hugs and Hissessss,
Maria
liastarlight
03-23-2008, 07:00 PM
Maria,
That's a great question. It means that I need to update that, and make it more specific. I can tell you how I pray for the women who dance, for the people who work with them, etc.
I pray for safety. Some of the clubs we visit are rough places. In one club I was met at the door by the manager/bouncer/DJ who explained to me that 3 women who worked there had died in 2 months. One from a drug overdose, and two had been killed by their boyfriends/husbands. While I understand that this doesn't happen in every club, it does happen in some clubs.
I pray that the dancers will have a financially lucrative night. I pray that the dancers are living their dreams. I pray that they are living successfully, in whatever way they define that.
I pray those same prayers for the waitresses, the bartenders, managers, bouncers, and house-moms. I pray similarly for the customers--but mostly that they find what they need in the clubs.
I believe in the power of prayer. Some people call it meditating, some call it good thoughts. I believe that it changes the pray-er more than it changes the one prayed for. If a person who is not a dancer starts to see dancers in a different way, then prayer has changed her. I like a quote from The World Famous Bob. She said, after seeing the protesters who were praying outside of the Sex Workers Art Show, "I also feel that prayer is powerful and can generate love."
I hope we are generating love.
I'm going to change the website soon and be more specific. Thank you for leading me there, Maria.
Lia
Sunshine73
03-23-2008, 11:58 PM
Lia if there is anything I have learned in life, it's that prayer is more powerful than we realize.
Thank you for praying for our safety. Too often evil surrounds us without us realizing it.