Florida Moves To Raise Age of Strippers

A bill that would make it illegal for people younger than 21 to work in adult entertainment venues, such as strip clubs, in a bid to combat people trafficking has been moved forward by a subcommittee in Florida's legislature.

House Bill 1379, which "prohibits employment of persons younger than 21 years of age in adult entertainment establishments," was approved by the Florida House's Regulatory Reform & Economic Development Subcommittee after being added to its agenda on January 30.

The legislation was introduced by Florida state Rep. Carolina Amesty, a Republican, who said it would be "transformational for our state" in the fight against a "significant part of the sex trafficking network" and "modern-day slavery."

According to a 2015 article by online entertainment site Thrillist, which is owned by Vox Media, at the time, Florida had 243 strip clubs, more than any other state in the Union.

If passed, House Bill 1379 would make it a second-degree felony to "knowingly employ any person younger than 21 years in any adult entertainment establishment."

The bill's text states: "Florida is ranked third nationally for reported cases of human trafficking abuses, many of which involved sex trafficking."

"Adult entertainment establishments are widely recognized as being a significant part of the sex trafficking network used by traffickers to coerce and facilitate men, women, and children into performing sexual acts."

"Restricting the employment of persons younger than 21 years of age at adult entertainment establishments furthers an important state interest of protecting those vulnerable individuals from sex trafficking, drug abuse, and other harm."

The legislation went on to cite several court cases in support of its constitutionality, including the case of Jane Doe I v. Landry which was heard in November 2018 by the federal Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The court upheld a law introduced in Louisiana in the case banning venues' licenses to sell alcohol from employing "nearly nude entertainers younger than 21 years of age," to fight human trafficking and prostitution.

In advancing the legislation, the Florida House subcommittee concluded "the state has a compelling interest in safeguarding the community and children from trafficking and sexual exploitation."

According to the Florida Politics website, Amesty claimed 21 years of age is a "reasonable time frame" and "common sense" position on when people should be allowed to start working at adult entertainment venues.

However, the legislation was criticized by Miami Democrat Ashley Gantt, who noted that 18-year-olds can join the U.S. military and said she was opposed to "creating a new felony, creating a new crime."

Rep. Angie Nixon, a fellow Democrat from Jacksonville, voiced objection on the grounds of personal autonomy. Referencing performers aged 18-21, she said: "They have their own minds. These are their bodies."

The National Human Trafficking Hotline said it received 2,894 hotline calls and SMS reports from Florida in 2021, leading to the identification of 781 suspected trafficking cases. Of these, 574 were related to sex trafficking, 99 to labor trafficking, and 37 to both.