Source: ABC 13 Action News
Hustler Club hosts the Sexxy burlesque show, owned and managed by Las Vegas local Jennifer Romas.
COVID closed the production in 2020 at the Westgate.
The performers are not allowed to strip or be nude due to recent COVID restrictions.
Hustler has a Tavern License (which prevents topless entertainment).
Covid 19 State response director Caleb Cage states “the difference between strip clubs and topless shows comes down to behavior.. the physical interaction between people.”
Regulations for the adult entertainment industry are in the process of transitioning over to local control by May 1st, 2021. State Covid 19 response leaders say it will be clark county’s call on when local strip clubs and other adult entertainment can get back to normal.
So I think it’s crazy that performers have to wear clothes even though they are 25 feet or further away from the audience. Do we really think that exposing their bare skin to the air is going to increase the transmission of Covid 19? You would think there would be some common sense involved in these guidelines.
And this goes for any type of show whether it’s exotic or comedic or dramatic or a dancing production or a Cirque du Soleil show.. it doesn’t matter… all the shows in Las Vegas are suffering due to these draconian measures. If the restrictions made sense then there would be no complaining or push back but the entertainers that have given Las Vegas its “Sin City” image are the ones who suffer the most because of rules that make the least amount of sense.
Yes in a strip club you want to be careful about being too close to people and that’s why lap dances have been forbidden or limited to a certain degree. But dancers on stage are an entirely different situation. The entertainers on stage are far enough away from the audience that they should be allowed to perform without masks and they should be allowed to strip if they want to. It doesn’t make any sense that you can take your mask off in a restaurant or lounge, where you are surrounded by many people as close as 6 feet away from you, but you have to wear a mask when you are 25 feet away and 4 feet up in the air.
The entertainers at the Hustler club who only dance on stage are not giving lap dances so these restrictions again make zero sense and it just seems to me that the covid 19 officials are not putting forth the effort to come up with a good solution that makes sense. Instead they targeted these workers not only as “non-essential” but “unimportant” and have restricted them, causing them to not only lose their jobs, but their way of life.
The entertainers who defined this city’s image, who bring the tourists here and make everyone happy, are the ones who deserve to be given more focus and attention as they are the ones who make Las Vegas special in the first place.
We support Jennifer Romas and her ambition to keep her Sexxy show rocking and rolling, despite all of these severe and difficult circumstances. We support all of the topless/burlesque shows in Vegas, as well as male revues, comedy and magic shows, any show featuring any type of talent. We support them all fully.
At Wild Entertainment, we are going to produce series of videos that will highlight our entertainers stories and struggles in hopes that the people who can make a difference will stop and listen to them and make better decisions that affect the lives of everyone involved. This includes the venue, the performers, the producers and finally, the customers. These videos will be published on our free online show called “The Wild Life“.
The entertainers of Las Vegas deserve to be treated fairly in comparison to workers in other industries.
Anyways that’s just my two cents and I certainly hope that Vegas fully opens up soon and allows its citizens and visitors to be themselves and have the freedom to live their lives how they choose.
– Steve Kim
April 11th, 2021
