​Give your view on ‘appropriate’ number of lap dancing clubs for city - Susan Dalgety

A legal challenge means the council has to consult more widely about its decision to reduce the number of SEV licences in the city to zero

SEVs, if you didn’t know – and why would you – stands for sexual entertainment venues. Lap dancing clubs. Places were women strip off to entertain mostly drunken blokes. None is my short answer. It doesn’t matter how you dress them up, sexual entertainment venues are exploitative of women, reducing us to nothing more than living sex dolls for the titillation of pathetic men.

Last year, the council took the courageous – and right – decision to reduce the number of SEV licences in the city to zero, effectively closing this legal aspect of the sex trade. But a successful legal challenge means they have to consult more widely about the decision, which is why they want to hear from the public.

I am assuming that council leader Cammy Day, like me, believes the appropriate number of sex clubs is a big fat zero. After all, only a few months ago he signed up to be an ambassador for the White Ribbon campaign which involves men in tackling violence against women.

“I think it is really important that men in particular and stand up and speak out about violence against women. By joining up to the White Ribbon campaign I want to encourage as many people as possible to think about these issues…” he said at the time.

Fine words indeed. And I am sure Councillor Day also knows that the Scottish Government’s strategy to tackle violence against women and girls classifies lap dancing and stripping as the commercial sexual exploitation of women, alongside pornography and human trafficking. So, I am convinced that Councillor Day, in his role as a White Ribbon Ambassador, will stand up and speak out against the provision of sexual entertainment venues in our city.

There are those who argue that sex work is like any other job, be it a hairdresser or even a city councillor. But they are wrong. The sexual exploitation of women should not be tolerated in any civilised society and definitely not in our city.

The consultation, which closes on Wednesday 3 October can be found at consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/sfc/licensing-of-sexual-entertainment-venues-june-2023