AKA: Government assistance: stalker and anti-sex nutjob edition.
Here's the story.
I wonder if clowns, comedians and musicians are required to have an "entertainer's license?" What about writers, for that matter? They're entertainers. How many clowns, comedians, musicians and writers are subject to random search and photography of their tattoos?
What possible legitimate reason could there be for maintaining a database of strippers? I guess if it's legitimate to license hair braiders, horse masseuses, and costumed superheros, it's legitimate to license strippers.
I wonder if they have to pass a licensing exam? Where do I go to apply for a job as a stripper examiner? Is the exam pass-fail, or are there grades? What separates a Grade-A stripper from a Grade-B stripper? Or are the rankings more beef-like; Prime vs. Choice?
Here's the story.
The attorney involved points out the problem:Dancers and managers at a Washington state strip club are now suing to stop their county from releasing their names, photos, and other identifying information to a man who has filed a public records request for it. The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Tacoma Tuesday, says the Pierce County Auditor's Office received a request from David A. Van Vleet for copies of all adult entertainment licenses on file for Dreamgirls at Fox's. Why does this man want identifying info on current and former dancers at the Tacoma-based strip club? Nobody knows. (I reached out to Van Vleet yesterday but haven't heard back.) But because strippers in most areas of Washington must obtain an "entertainer's license", their identities are a matter of public record.
No one knows if Van Vleet is a crazy stalker, an anti-sex nutjob, a blackmailer or a 4chan-er. OTOH, it's hard to imagine a benign reason for his request. In any case, the licensing requirement and associated database threatens to bring some form of grief down on a group of otherwise-innocent women simply because of their occupation.Attorney Gilbert H. Levy acknowledged that the information was technically fair game under the state Public Records Act, but said the privacy and safety interests of strip club workers necessitates keeping their real names and identities confidential.
I wonder if clowns, comedians and musicians are required to have an "entertainer's license?" What about writers, for that matter? They're entertainers. How many clowns, comedians, musicians and writers are subject to random search and photography of their tattoos?
What possible legitimate reason could there be for maintaining a database of strippers? I guess if it's legitimate to license hair braiders, horse masseuses, and costumed superheros, it's legitimate to license strippers.
I wonder if they have to pass a licensing exam? Where do I go to apply for a job as a stripper examiner? Is the exam pass-fail, or are there grades? What separates a Grade-A stripper from a Grade-B stripper? Or are the rankings more beef-like; Prime vs. Choice?
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