Edinburgh strip club ban: Dancers say ban on strip clubs will force them underground and take away their safety and control

Strippers have urged the council not to ban lap dancing bars in the capital, warning it will force them ‘underground’.

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The council is set to decide whether to place a limit on the number of licensed sex entertainment venues (SEVs) or to impose a zero cap, effectively forcing the city's four existing venues to close.

But strippers say an outright ban on the venues - including the three which make up the notorious "Pubic Triangle" in the city centre - is a “moral panic” that will push them into unsafe working conditions and decimate their livelihoods.

Strippers protest the closure of lap dancing bars in capital PIC: Mina Karenina

Mum-of-three Sasha, who has been a stripper in the capital for 15 years and works at Western Bar, said: “I have never felt exploited. We are in control. If clubs close customers will hold events in Airbnbs or hotel rooms. The safety net will be gone. Clubs are more than a workspace, it's a community and people look out for you.

"I oppose the cap because dancers should have options about where they can work, new venues create healthy competition. Closing clubs will hit tourism too.

"We have no safety problem here. This is people from the outside looking in and making ill-informed assumptions.”

Vicky, 36, a dancer at Burke And Hare, added: “I started just before the pandemic to boost self employment income. It’s better than any job I’ve had. Some argue it’s exploitation. But dances are a transaction and on our terms.

"We have CCTV, bouncers and managers who have our backs. Pushing it underground makes us vulnerable.

"This is moral panic. Our safety is not in question at work. We want to see this industry treated like others.”

United Sex Workers (USW), a pro-sex work campaign run by trade union UVW, has issued an open letter to councillors asking them to make an evidence-led decision not a ‘moral’ one and protect workers’ jobs.

The Union claims a ban is ‘irresponsible’ arguing it will put women at risk by removing their right to work safely in regulated clubs in which there is CCTV and security staff.

It follows plans approved in East Lothian that could see lap dancing clubs banned by January next year, a decision council bosses claim is to ‘protect our citizens’.

Edinburgh council have yet to make a final decision – but the union has warned an outright ban will force more than 100 workers out of their jobs.

A spokesperson for the United Sex Workers union said: "It is not the council’s remit to make a moral decision on strip clubs, but instead to make an evidence-led decision on the impact of the nil cap. Currently, there is no existing evidence to prove that strip clubs have a direct impact on violence against women. In fact, reports show that crime, violence and sexual assault had increased when strip clubs were closed during the pandemic.

"The Council has a duty of care to all of their constituents, not just the ones they find palatable. It is irresponsible to remove sex workers access to safe working spaces, eradicate livelihoods and push women into poverty. It will only lead to further marginalisation and violence as the industry is driven underground.”

A Council spokesperson said: “A report on the proposed licensing of sexual entertainment venues in Edinburgh will be considered by councillors at a future committee meeting on a date to be determined.”

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