The New Orleans City Council is looking again at how old exotic dancers should be.
Jim Kelly, 25-years-ago, stood before the New Orleans City Council and argued that 18 to 20-year-old women shouldn’t be allowed to be exotic dancers. Kelly explains: “The logic was, if you have to be 21 to drink, you have to be 21 to drink and take your clothes off.” Kelly is the director at Covenant House New Orleans, a shelter for homeless and at-risk youth ages 16 to 22. That ordinance was approved by the City Council. Recently the murder of a 19-year-old dancer caused Kelly to see that the ordinance was not being enforced. He now has returned to find ways to enforce the existing ordinance, and the council has agreed to study its enforcement and penalties. Discussion begins on October 20th. However, local dancers do not believe the ordinance should even exist.
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