The Texas “Pole Tax” and the Myth of Secondary Effects

This past August, Texas’ Supreme Court upheld the 2007 “pole tax.” Also known as the “stripper tax,” it is a $5 per patron entry fee that is supposed to go towards low-income health insurance and assistance for victims of sexual assault. Currently there are an estimated 169 strip clubs in Texas (according to TUSCL, it’s… Continue reading The Texas “Pole Tax” and the Myth of Secondary Effects

My Body May Be a Temple But My Incall is Secular

The heat is rising in Arizona, and it’s got nothing to do with its scorching desert or immigration crackdowns.  On Wednesday, September 7, an establishment known as the Phoenix Goddess Temple was raided with SWAT force as the culmination of a six-month investigation into the suspected operation of an illegal brothel. Approximately 20 practitioners of… Continue reading My Body May Be a Temple But My Incall is Secular

Sex Work Held In Contempt Of Court

The sex worker blame game has become an increasingly popular trend as evidenced by recent news stories. In the past several weeks, we saw strip club customer Wa Ilg join numerous other customers in suing strip clubs for stunningly high bar and dance tabs for which they claimed they were not responsible because of over-intoxication. In San… Continue reading Sex Work Held In Contempt Of Court

Long Island Serial Killer Update

Here’s the deeply depressing, and depressingly unsurprisingly verdict: two of the unidentified victims found on Gilgo Beach were likely working as prostitutes. One was an Asian male whose body was found in women’s clothing. He’s the only man among the ten bodies uncovered thus far. (Edit: Dacia has pointed out that the victim may have… Continue reading Long Island Serial Killer Update

The People vs. Kimberly Kupps

Though she’s been an adult entertainer since the 1980s, Kimberly Kupps is currently best known as half of the Florida couple who were arrested for shooting porn in the privacy of their own home. Like me, Kimberly operates her own independent porn site, so it’s a case that definitely caught my attention. Some sex workers… Continue reading The People vs. Kimberly Kupps