Vancouver strip club dancers battle stigma, misinformation amid COVID-19 fears

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Vancouver’s strip clubs are cleaner than your average restaurant, according to two of women who work in the industry — one of whom performs at Brandi’s show lounge.

The club reopened late Wednesday night after patrons were possibly exposed to COVID-19 in late June, shutting the business down.

A stripper, podcaster, and sex work advocate who goes by the stage name Danica Darling, says the stigma against strippers and sex workers is only being fuelled by misinformation.

Dancers say Brandi’s has a plan in place for its reopening that goes above and beyond VCH guidelines, contrary to what some reports have suggested.

They add they were disappointed to see media reports and comments online assuming it was a stripper who was ill when it was a patron who brought the disease to the club.

“Another thing, too, is strip clubs are adamant about screening people when they come in, they swipe I.D., right? So at any given time, the strip club should be able to report exactly who came through the doors that day,” Darling, who sometimes dances at No5 Organe, explains.

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“And that’s more than you’re going to see in any other establishments that I know of. You know, when I’m going out to nail salons, they’re not checking I.D. the minute you walk in the door. And even at the restaurants, it’s voluntary if you want to provide your name and your phone number. So that’s another way, I think, that the strip clubs are really, kind of, one-up on other establishments right now.”

Her colleague and regular podcast guest, Riley Devine, works at Brandi’s and says she’s been disheartened by people’s reactions.

“A lot of the comments from some of the articles are saying that all sex workers are trafficked or forced into this, that we don’t choose to do it, that we don’t enjoy our job, that we have a pimp, or being groomed into this from a young age,” she says while trafficking is a serious concern, most women chose this work because it’s lucrative and enjoyable.

“Following the VCH guidelines, we’re in exactly the same amount of risk as any other place of work, right?” Devine says.

“Strip clubs, at least in my experience, are more adamant about following guidelines because they know that they’re very ostracized,” she adds. “I think, definitely, they know that people are always watching for them to slip up.”

Brandi’s reopening came as another strip club in Vancouver, the No5 Orange, remains closed after a second COVID-19 warning was issued there.

We hear from two strippers as Brandi's Show Room re-opens and we learn about a second notice regarding COVID-19 exposure at No5 Orange https://t.co/to3XUR9ZUM

— Ash Kelly she/her (settler) (@AshDKelly) July 9, 2020

Devine and Darling say they and other women feel safe on stage and in the clubs thanks to strict rules and restrictions but add their income is suffering and access to CERB and CEWS programs is incredibly difficult for people in the industry.

“I know both Brandi’s and the five (No5 Orange), have put in safety protocols that were established by VCH and there’s plexiglass, we’ve removed seating so that there can be social distancing,” Devine says. “I know that some people are wearing masks, there’s hand sanitizer, things are being sanitized properly.”

She adds there’s also plexiglass in the dance rooms, marks on the stage to keep dancers away from patriots, and there’s also a limit on the number of people who are allowed to work the floor at one time, as well as a cap on the number of customers Brandi’s allows in.

Dancers rent floor time, work as independent contractors, and are paid in tips. With heavily reduced capacity, they’re asking non-paying customers to stay out of the club for now.

“If you don’t have any intention of buying a dance or tipping girls on-stage, you’re not contributing to the dancers’ income,” Darling says, “Then maybe just stay home and let a paying customer come in.”