*Strippers in Louisiana are suing the state, claiming a recently passed law that requires exotic dancers to be over the age of 21 violates freedom of expression.
The new state law comes into force next week, and the women behind the lawsuit say the it breaches the First Amendment. They also say the legislation violates an equal protection cause in the constitution by targeting women only, BBC reports. The law refers specifically to “entertainers whose breasts or buttocks are exposed to view,” and “does not prohibit the same conduct by men” who are between the ages of 18 and 21.
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All the women in the lawsuit filed on Thursday in Louisiana, and are under the age of 21. Jane Does I, II and III are described in court documents as an exotic dancer, 20, a Louisiana State University student, 18, and a single mom, 19.
The Times-Picayune newspaper reports that one of the three dancers says she has witnessed pimps and prostitutes use the threat of the new law to try to “recruit entertainers who are now lawfully employed, but who will lose their jobs as a result of the Act”.
Senator Ronnie John, who wrote the bill, said the move would prevent human trafficking and ensure the safety of women. He is reportedly quoted in the lawsuit as saying the bill is “strictly an anti-human trafficking bill.” But the three young ladies suing the state believe the new law will have the opposite result, as one of the dancers claims to have had been told by colleagues under the age of 21 that they plan to turn to prostitution once they lost their jobs.
State Rep. Kenneth Harvard proposed an amendment that would make it against the law for strippers to be older than 28 and weigh more than 160 pounds. After receiving criticism over the comment, he later withdrew the amendment, saying it was a joke.
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