The Journal Star has been getting a lot of letters to the editor berating Sandra Fritz and the Citizens for Community Values because they sponsored an advisory referendum asking whether nude dancing should be banned in Peoria (over 60% of voters voted in favor of a ban).
The argument generally is along the lines of “I don’t personally go to strip clubs, of course, but Fritz and her group are trying to limit other people’s freedom and she shouldn’t be telling others how to live their lives,” “no one is forcing anyone to go to a strip club,” “the first amendment guarantees the right to nude dancing,” etc., etc.
The problem is, the Supreme Court has consistently found in favor of municipalities who restrict or ban nude dancing, finding that these kinds of laws do not violate the first amendment to the Constitution (e.g., Barnes v. Glen Theatre, City of Erie v. Pap’s A.M.). It’s a legitimate right of a community to uphold moral standards and protect the community against secondary effects of sexually-oriented businesses (such as prostitution, sexual assaults, and other criminal activity). Thus, the panicky, strip-club non-attenders-yet-principled-defenders can rest easy knowing that curtailing nude dancing won’t infringe on their right to write letters to the editor.
And, I’m just curious… when are we going to hear from the strip-club supporters who actually go to strip clubs? Surely they’re not too ashamed to speak for themselves in the debate.