Hey folks,
This post is especially relevant for dancers in NJ or Texas.
I am a retired dancer, etc. I currently have a regular job running a rape crisis program in NJ. I also serve on some state level committees/ boards/ whatevers that effect policy, victim services, and sexual violence prevention efforts in our state.
Currently, we are considering legislation to tax some part of the "adult entertainment industry" to fund our rape crisis programs. The idea has morphed from taxing porn (1st ammendment failure considerations) to taxing adult novelty items (I liked this one the best as it was the most sex positive) to taxing strip clubs.
The strip club tax idea is gaining momentum. Texas, last year, imposed a $5/ head tax on customers, but the clubs are responsible for paying it, not the customers. They have raised over $50 million dollars in one year doing this. The money pays for victim services, police training, additional incarceration and treatment facilities for sex offenders, sexual assault examinations, and a bunch of other stuff related to sexual violence. This has made the strip club tax idea very popular here.
Currently, our programs are very poorly funded. We are understaffed and underresourced. This year, for example, our program in our county almost closed due to a loss of funding. Our domestic violence programs in our state are partially funded through a fee which is attached to every marriage license, and this has provided those programs with very stable income, which our sexual assault programs have never had.
Now, I know that most sex workers are inherently feminists, although they don't necessarily call themselves that, and most sex workers/ dancers would support additional funding for rape crisis/ counseling and prevention programs.
What I keep bringing up at these meetings is the need for dancer input. To my knowledge, I am the only former sex worker at these things, and I am not even "out" about my career history. Still, i keep bringing this up.
Unfortunately, I have not luck getting input from dancers in NJ about this, nor have I been able to get any input from dancers in Texas about the impact of this tax on their work.
So please, please please, please reply to this post, expecially if you are from NJ or TX.
Thanks a bunch!


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