WA 'Stripper Bill of Rights' signed into law

‘Stripper Bill of Rights’ in Washington?

Gov. Inslee is expected to sign into law a ‘Strippers Bill of Rights’ which includes some of the most wide-reaching state-level protections for adult dancers in the country.

OLYMPIA, Wash. - More than 300 bills were passed during this legislative session in Olympia, and on Monday, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee put his stamp of approval on several of those bills.

One of those bills included SB 6105, which has informally been referred to as the "Strippers' Bill of Rights."

With Inslee's signature, the bill will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2025.

What does the "strippers' bill of rights" do?

Creates a "customer blacklist" — If someone’s being creepy or crossing boundaries, they are not coming back in. Adult entertainment venues must report allegations of customer violence and criminal behavior.

It will require clubs to install panic buttons, specifically in rooms where dancers are alone with customers. According to Zak-Wu, some clubs already have panic buttons, but they’re placed haphazardly.

SB 6105 will mandate hired security. Currently, these establishments are not required to.

It also greenlights the sale of alcohol in adult venues, and further instructs the Washington Liquor & Cannabis Board (LCB) to repeal the state's lewd conduct law.

When will booze be available in strip clubs?

Washington is the only state in the nation that bans the sale of alcohol in adult entertainment venues.

While the bill may go into effect in 2025, there is no set timeframe for the sale of alcohol in adult venues. The state Liquor and Cannabis Board will need to evaluate the next steps and what those rules would look like before you can get alcohol at strip clubs.

Right now, there are only 11 operating strip clubs in Washington.

End of WA lewd conduct law could mean strip clubs can begin serving alcohol

Following a firestorm of complaints from the LGBTQ+ community, the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board took drastic action this week.

Questions and answers with local dancer Madison Zak-Wu

Q: More booze, less risk sounds counterintuitive. How does allowing the sale of spirits in strip clubs promote safety?

A: "People are easily able to drink at a bar or in their car, which is very unsafe, and come into the club. They might even seem sober if they’re binge-drinking and then immediately coming in, so there’s really no way to account for that."

Q: If Governor Inslee signs SB 6105 into law, how long before adult entertainment venues can sell you more than a lemonade?

A: "We have a lot of rulemaking to go through. The LCB has to do rule making around what it’ll look like for strip clubs to serve alcohol. We’re probably thinking about a year once we see alcohol in strip clubs."

Q: Are strip clubs in Washington state struggling to make a profit?

A: "The industry in Washington has been bad for decades, but especially since COVID, it’s been getting so much worse. It’s really difficult here because how are strip clubs supposed to be profitable if they’re not selling food and drink."

Q: You’ve been fighting for these changes for the past six years. Did the support from the local queer community following the so-called raids at Capitol Hill bars change the game?

A: "The law that affects those queer venues is one of the same laws that affects strip clubs. It’s the lewd conduct act, and it basically says if you have an alcohol-serving venue, you can’t have sexual expression, nudity, all these things. Most dancers are queer. Sex workers are estimated 50–70% queer."