An Edinburgh dancer has warned that the City Council’s ban on strip clubs in the capital will force the business into hiding, putting women’s safety at risk.
Alexis Anderson, who has been dancing at adult entertainment club The Western in Edinburgh’s West Harbor for 13 years, told STV News how she could be forced to work in underground establishments or provide strip services private teasers at airbnbs without the security of a bouncer.
She said: “My real safety is at stake.
“Here we have a no-touching policy and the men know the rules, it’s much harder to enforce those rules if you walk into an airbnb. They push us into precarious work situations.
“Here we actually have the power. I can go to the bouncer and get anyone fired.
“I have the power and that’s why I want to keep places like this open because we have a safe place to work here.”
It is not just workers who, according to Alexis, will be negatively affected by the ban; she also thinks the removal of strip clubs could have a negative impact on local businesses.
She added: “Our club is full of stag parties and they come here because they want to spend one or two hours in the club, but they book the full weekend.
“So the hotels are going to lose two or three nights of maybe 20 to 30 guys – and all the bars and restaurants, so it’s not just us that will be affected.”
Edinburgh City Council’s Regulatory Committee voted to ban lap dancing clubs on Friday, by a five-to-four majority.
During the meeting, the city council proposed a plan to limit the number of sex entertainment clubs to four, which is the current number of establishments in the city, or to zero, which would effectively be a ban.
Now the union representing performers working in adult entertainment venues says it will fight to overturn the ruling in court.
Danielle Worden, legal assistant for United Voices of the World, said: ‘The union is extremely disappointed that the council has chosen to disregard its legal obligations and relevant evidence by adopting a policy that discriminates against women. .
“Not only does this breach the Equality Act 2010, it is an act of cruelty to take away the livelihoods of hundreds of workers as we enter the worst economic crisis since the 1970s.”
Edinburgh council says the ban is to come into effect from April 1, 2023.
A spokesperson said: ‘It is important to note that SEVs (sex venues) can still apply for a license and the committee would consider them to be contrary to the policy agreed today.’
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