- Information courtesy of the ACE National newsletter and ACE Executive Director, Angelina Spencer-Crisp
Certainly, no politician in Oklahoma will admit that two new bills (spearheaded by Republican House Representative Stan May) are specifically designed to end exotic dancing in the state. But when you look at what these bills will require of entertainers, it seems obvious what the outcome might be.
Two measures at the Oklahoma Capitol—HB 3832 and SB 1284—would create a statewide licensing requirement for adult entertainers and raise the minimum performer age from 18 to 21. Both bills are positioned by their sponsors as “anti-sex-trafficking” tools built around “stronger identity verification and enforcement leverage.”
If enacted, both proposals require adult entertainers to obtain an annual “exotic entertainer” license, background checks, and fingerprinting. This would be administered by ABLE before any dancer could perform in a sexually oriented business. The bills also make 21 the minimum age, require government photo ID, and require lawful work status (citizenship or lawful authorization).
So let’s take a step back and analyze what these bills would do. Think about it: How many young women in the state of Oklahoma will agree to pay $300 annually to obtain a “license” (which is now public record), then submit themselves to fingerprinting and a background check? Additionally, if they made any mistakes on this paperwork, they’d be potentially subject to criminal prosecution. And oh yeah, one last thing: they’d have to wait until they were at least 21 years old to dance at a club in the state.
Many adult entertainers rely on the anonymous nature of their profession. Hence, that’s why they don’t typically use their real names (so they can’t be stalked by customers, or have their family members or friends knowing “what they do,” or be discriminated against by those in their community such as landlords, a local bank, etc.). Not only will they be relinquishing their privacy, they’d be subject to criminal prosecution for a variety of “offenses” also outlined in the bills (see the video below).
The legislation also requires clubs to verify the validity of licenses and maintain encrypted copies of licenses and other records for at least 12 months, available for inspection by ABLE/law enforcement, while keeping records confidential from public disclosure.
While Oklahoma’s bills make records confidential, this doesn’t necessarily equate to “secure.” The state must maintain ongoing retention of identifying information by businesses.
Previous media reports in other states note worker concerns about licensing databases being accessed by bad actors. Additionally, the legislation will cost taxpayers a seven-figure sum — meaning, the MILLIONS — to implement. And here’s the final kicker: the legislation appears to criminalize owners and dancers for paperwork violations.
As ACE Executive Director Angelina Spencer-Crisp points out, the legislation, if passed, is expected to cost taxpayers almost $300 per entertainer, based on preliminary estimates, along with taking law enforcement resources away from fighting crime and the administrative, legal and IT time. Office expenses were not yet included in the estimate.
