In the past and I mean for a very long time, I have defended prostitution and strip clubs as societal needs that have existed from time immemorial. I have argued in letters to the editor and in blogs that making both activities illegal will just create an illegal black market run by unsavory types that do not pay any taxes and are a danger to the participants as well as the community as a whole. I used similar arguments for the legalization of drugs.
In Detroit, topless clubs are legal but the City Council, yes the corrupt one, wanted to ban topless dancing by passing regulations that would thwart the enterprises by banning liquor sales, compelling dancers to stay on stage (no lap dancing) and making the dancers wear see- through pasties?
The driving force behind such regulations turns out to be religious pastors in the area who term the activities evil and immoral even though they are quite ok as far as the Bible is concerned. On the other hand, religious pastors have turned out to be quite the hypocrites when it comes to morality. They have as much credibility on these issues as the pedophile priests trying to talk to you about morality.
Anyway, we have just installed a new city council with younger members who hopefully are not as corrupt as the old one and a little brighter than the dimwits we had before. The president of the council is Charles Pugh, a black gay who used to be a news anchor for a local station – so he can verbalize well.
When the same pastors came before the council to demand enactment of the anti-strip club regulations, Pugh asked why are we targeting law-abiding businesses that provide a service that members of our society / community are willing to pay for and thus support business and employment in the city? Pugh even went further and characterized the attack on strip clubs as a civil rights issue and even suggested a possible red-light district similar to what Boston has / had. I COULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT I WAS READING!
We may actually be in a position that makes fighting these age old prohibitions a possibility. Being in an economic depression, which Detroit is in, makes it silly to close tax paying employers of local people. Also, I think the moral objection to topless dancing has diminished through time (in Europe both men and women go to such clubs) they call it entertainment.
My wife thinks people may get the wrong idea about me when they see me defending these positions but to me it’s the principle of the thing and the common sense and the utter stupidity of people that oppose them and yes, their so called Christian outrage.
I hope Charles Pugh prevails…
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