ALBANY, NY — The menace posed to the citizens of New York state by nude dancing is no secret and at least one Brooklyn lawmaker intends to do something about it. Democratic assemblyman and former comptroller candidate Felix Ortiz takes the threat of female nudity seriously and wants it formally addressed with a bill that he has introduced this week.
Specifically presented as a solution to the rampant destruction brought about by nude women gyrating to loud music is a “dance performer” permit and registry. If Ortiz’ bill passes muster, it would require that the Labor Department create such a registry and issue permits to exotic dancers, who would be required to provide their full legal names every three years in exchange for being granted the right to work in the adult industry.
According to the bill memo, the reason that society needs to know who is working as a nude dancer is because such activities take place “where commercial sexual exploitation occurs” and because only the government can determine whether women so exploited are of legal age, are properly documented, and are not victims of sexual trafficking.
Any performer who does not have a permit would face a $20 fine for a first offense and $50 for any further violations. Those dancers who do not have permits but are found to have been forced to perform would not be fined. Clubs that repeatedly hire “un-permitted” dancers would be forced to pay as much as $2,000 in fines.
The memo attached to the Brooklyn representative’s bill goes on to say that “Victims of sex trafficking are often found in the streets or working in establishments that offer commercial sex acts, such as strip clubs and pornographic production companies. Most trafficking victims will not volunteer information about their status because of fear and abuse they have suffered a the hands of their trafficker.”
It further states that only 0.1-percent of all sex slaves in the United States have been identified since human trafficking became a federal crime in 2000, although tens or even hundreds of thousands of such individuals are believed to exist. No information was provided about the source of these statistics or how they were reached. If passed, the bill would become effective on January 1st, 2008.
