Strip Clubs & Sex Trafficking: Right Under Our Noses
By Lynae Byler, Director of EdenMade
You know the commonly accepted idea of going to a strip club for a guys/girls night out? Many of us have experienced going to a strip club ourselves or have friends who have gone casually. The media celebrates this seemingly thriving industry by communicating that women choose to be there and it is all consensual. Some say that it is sexually liberating. I am pro-women making choices for themselves. I am pro-liberation for all. So why do I have an issue with strip clubs? Why is there an entire department in Because Justice Matters that builds pathways for women who work in the adult entertainment industry?
I have never met anyone who said that sex trafficking was okay. If fact, I have never met anyone who was even against the anti-sex trafficking movement. Yet, here is a fact I want you to memorize. 70% of female trafficking victims are trafficked into the commercial sex industry, including porn, stripping, and legal brothels (Treasures, p. 2). Society says that sex trafficking is not okay, yet a huge venue for sex trafficking is allowed to not only exist, but thrive. Lisa Sharon Harper says that, “when faced with an injustice, you can do two things: you can form a theology that allows the injustice to exist, or you can choose to fight against it every day.” In the EdenMade department, we decided to partner with God in fighting this injustice and huge gap in our society every day.
Every month (before COVID-19 pandemic came along), the EdenMade team would distribute gift bags, coffee, and food to women who work in strip clubs. We did this in true BJM fashion: building relationships. Relationships bridge a gap, build trust, and allow all people involved to mutually benefit from being in community. Our time getting to know women who work in strip clubs has been rich. These are brilliant, creative, resilient, and strong women. Many are excellent single moms who work another day job to provide for their children—talk about extreme sacrificial love! At the same time, “whether or not they were trafficked or entered [the industry] by choice, research shows that women working in the commercial sex industry experience higher rates of drug addictions, sexually transmitted disease, violent assaults, and mental health challenges than the general population” (Treasures, p. 2–4). Throughout it all, we are a community of women supporting women. Together we stand against the injustices and amplify all women voices. And we call forth and believe in the light that is in every woman.
Hang with me. Let’s go a little deeper. Racism permeates all parts of society, and the adult entertainment industry is no exception. According to a study published through the Yale Journal of Law and Feminism, women of color have unjustly been given the stereotype of being hyper-sexualized women who enjoy prostitution. This untrue narrative formed and grew during slavery and colonization, when white slave owners created this narrative to justify their deliberate mistreatment of women of color. This myth has impacted public policy and undermines efforts to identify and protect people of color from sexual exploitation (Butler, 2015, p.97–101). Women of color also experience racial disparities that result in making less money for more work (wage gaps), receiving less access to lucrative shifts/good venues, and having more exposure to violence in the workplace (Brooks, 2010, p. 1).
Okay, deep breath! I promise not to leave you hanging after throwing some hard and true realities your way. So what can you do?
Acknowledge the work you have done by simply taking the time to read this. It’s a start, but I encourage you to not just stop there.
Return to that statistic in bold above and read it 5 times. Memorize it.
Start to share with your friends and spheres of influence. Let others know that strip clubs are a venue for sex trafficking, and that supporting strip clubs is inherently also supporting sex trafficking.
Take on a spirit of Hope. May we cling tightly to God’s leadership and God’s promise in Isaiah 61:8. “For I, the Lord, love justice. I hate robbery and wrongdoing. I will faithfully reward my people for their suffering and make an everlasting covenant with them” (NLT).
Cross off the “Read & Share EdenMade Blog” square for BJM Bingo! Yay!
By doing these simple actions, you are being an agent of change in the anti-sex trafficking movement. A change in you means change in the world, because you are a part of this world.
Works Cited
Butler, C. N. (2015). A Critical Race Feminist Perspective on Prostitution & Sex Trafficking in America. Retrieved August 06, 2020, from https://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1353&context=yjlf
Brooks, S.. (2010). Unequal desires: Race and erotic capital in the stripping industry. Unequal Desires: Race and Erotic Capital in the Stripping Industry. 1–125.
Treasures, L. (2020). Sex Industry & Trafficking Stats. Retrieved August 06, 2020, from https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ec6d1c2144482661ecd1f10/t/5f03f1dcb504bf16a2821b45/1594094095409/SEX+INDUSTRY+%26+TREASURES+-+TRAFFICKING+STATS_STATISTICS+%28Download%29.pdf