City, Topless Clubs Reach Agreement
San Antonio's topless dancers will still need to wear those 'stinkin' badges,' but the information on them will be limited to a photograph and a number, under a settlement of a lawsuit filed by three topless clubs and two exotic dancers against the city's tough new sexually oriented business laws announced today.
"The girls who are entertainers will be required to wear a tag, but it will only have on it their photograph and a number," DeeGear said, adding that access to the personal information about the dancers will be restricted to one single police officer per shift who will be operating a specific computer at the police station.
He says even police vice officers in the field will not have access to that information, and will be required to radio back to police headquarters.
That had been a key concern of the dancers, who were afraid that a stalker would be able to get ahold of the information they are required to give to the city and threaten them and their families.
DeeGear says he and city attorneys also reached agreement on the other provision of the law that angered dancers. It would have required that all dancers maintain a three foot distance between themselves and their customers, effectively eliminating the 'lap dances' and 'table dances' which dancers say provide them with more than 90% of their income.
"It will only be when they are topless that they can not come within that three foot zone, so that will not restrict table dancing or lap dancing."
He says compromises were also reached on other minor issues in the law.
He says this may turn into a model piece of legislature for other cities also looking to regulate topless clubs.
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