Bristol lap dancers call for equality with male strippers

Bristol City Council has proposed a city-wide ban on lap dancing that is the subject of public consultation

Lap dancers have accused a council of sexism for allowing male stripping while seeking to ban female stripping.

The all-male group Dreamboys is due to perform at Bristol's Pryzm nightclub.

Dreamboys said its show was more akin to cabaret and Bristol City Council confirmed the club could host the show in June under its existing licence.

It is considering a city-wide ban on lap-dancing clubs. One lap dancer, Chloe, said she felt like there was one rule for men and another for women.

'No beef'

The council has clarified that lap dancing venues and touring glamour performance groups operate under separate licences.

A spokesperson said: "The council's licensing committee developed a draft policy that, if implemented, could lead to the closure of existing licensed Sexual Entertainment Venues (SEVs) in Bristol.

"This is a timely review as the current SEV policy has been in place for ten years.

"The new draft policy will go to public consultation this summer."

The final decision will be made by the licensing committee.

Chloe said: "We haven't got any kind of beef between us and the Dreamboys.

"This isn't like an us versus them thing.

"It's just pointing out that the venues that the council are trying to close, they're both statistically very, very safe yet they're constantly being targeted by closure.

"One set of workers is being welcomed but another is constantly targeted.

"It does seem like it's sexism."

'Non-judgemental fun'

Police figures show Pryzm had the highest number of sexual assaults in the city prior to the pandemic.

A spokesperson for the club said: "PRYZM Bristol is by far the biggest club in Somerset and Avon, so will statistically have a higher level of incidents than any other venue in the region.

"This does not mean that the club is unsafe and we have worked tirelessly to ensure that we do everything possible to protect our customers, subsequently most recorded calls are proactive in order to safeguard our customers and people circulating in the vicinity."

Director and owner of Dreamboys Alice Woods said she supported the female strippers and sympathised with their position.

"For us the key is about consent and there is always going to be demand.

"All of our guests, most of whom are women, should be free to enjoy the male form especially in a safe space."

"It's akin to a guy going to a football match, you can release all of your emotions, and have a guaranteed good night and some non-judgemental good fun."