The Show-Me State Asks Strippers to Show Less

July 16, 2010 — -- As she slips on her clear heels and steps onto the stage, "Sally" is a fantasy in the flesh.

But off the pole, she's a Missouri mother of four whose life is a constant hustle.

"My daughters model, dance, you know, soccer," Sally said. "And then my boys -- football you know, if I worked a regular job, there's no way I could do those things. ... A lot of the [strippers] are, that's what's funny, a lot of the girls are moms and they live a normal life."

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A normal life for now -- but that could soon change. Strippers in the Show-Me State are about to show a lot less, thanks to a law to go into effect Aug. 28 that puts the toughest regulations on adult businesses in the country.

State Sen. Matthew Bartle has spent the past eight years, crusading against what he calls smut shops, places he says spawn prostitution, drugs and other crime. He said that in his perfect world, all the establishments would be out of business.

Bartle's law bans full nudity and alcohol sales. It forces clubs to close at midnight, keeps customers at least 6 feet from the stage and bans touching between the dancers and the customers.

"I think [the clubs] are places that deepen stereotypes about women and are degrading to women," Bartle said. "I know there are many that disagree with me, I've heard all the arguments, it's art and this, that and the other. That's the choice I make. The lawmaking was focused on, what are the ripple effects from having these businesses in our communities?"

Dick Bryant represents a group of club owners, preparing to sue the state. He says Bartle's "ripple effects" are a myth.

"This is no role for government," Bryant said. "Regardless of whether you like it or not, it's not the role for government to be saying what's moral, what's immoral.

"This is a legislator imposing his will on the citizens of the state. No one is being required to come into adult entertainment facilities. People aren't forced in off the street, they're not dragged into these places. The businesses blend into the community. Kansas City was studied a few years ago, and ... they couldn't demonstrate one place where there was a decreased value, increased crime or a problem caused by the presence of the business."