Downtown X-rated?

After reading articles in the Bangor Daily News regarding nude dancing and attending the City Council workshop on Wednesday night, I am convinced the use of the term “adult entertainment industry” is simply hiding the exploitation of young women who want to get off the welfare rolls or earn money to get through college. It is a black eye on the Bangor community that such “economic opportunities” are being promoted by some in our midst.

Exploitation is an ugly activity which not only derives unjust profit from the work of another but also uses another for one’s own selfish ends or profit. Using another individual’s body for sexual display to gain a profit and satisfy a customer’s selfish ends is exploitation, pure and simple. No matter how much a dancer earns, it can never compensate for the loss of dignity that befits a unique and precious individual.

The city seeks to improve the quality of life for all its citizens, young and old alike. By condoning the exploitation of our young women in the “adult entertainment industry” we are failing those who rely upon us for safe and healthy employment opportunities. We are sending a very destructive message to our young people.

In a Jan. 26 article in The Maine Campus, Diane Cormier, owner of Diva’s, indicated she would like to attract more young people. She is quoted as saying, “A lot of younger people haven’t been exposed to this.” Thank goodness! The exploitation of women’s bodies has not been heavily promoted among the young men of this area. We must not start now.

The Bangor City Council passed a resolution last June declaring that clothes for sale in our community should be manufactured in accordance with established international codes of corporate conduct. The council stood firm in their resolve that Bangor is a community that upholds the dignity of every human being, promotes basic human rights and supports social and economic justice.

If we, in Bangor, are able to say no to the exploitation of women and children in borders far beyond our own, surely we can and must say no to the exploitation of women within our city limits. It is my earnest hope that the city will banish any and all forms of sexual exploitation of women in businesses that purport to serve as “entertainment.” Renee U. Garrett Minister of Christian Nurture All Souls Church Bangor

The Bangor Daily News and City Solicitor Eric Stumpfel would like to save us all from the “sinners” of the exotic dance industry. Stumpfel’s most recent harassment efforts, however, should be a wake-up call to those who don’t like the idea of legislating morality or religious beliefs.

Ask any of the numerous undercover police officers and detectives who routinely spy on the two downtown strip clubs, at taxpayer expense, and they’ll tell you there is only dancing going on.

These are simply legal, taxpaying businesses operating in the downtown business district. Because the city can’t find a legitimate legal reason to run these people out of town, they have called upon Stumpfel to squeeze them out of business by using strong arm tactics. He wants to require that all employees, such as the dancers, bouncers and djs, be subject to an extensive criminal background check. He also wants to outlaw tipping at these places.

I doubt that these dancers are a threat to national security. They earn their wages from tips, just as waitresses do. To take away their tips is to take away their paychecks. This is blatant harassment.

If a city councilor or anyone else is offended by the sight of scantily clad women, then don’t watch X-rated movies, don’t go to the beach and, certainly, don’t go to a strip club.

If the city finds the outside advertising to be offensive, that is a simple fix. It would not be unreasonable to make the advertising non-explicit and to make sure the dancing cannot be seen from the outside. But to harass them into closing just because someone thinks that exotic dancing is sinful, that’s a scary thought. Kevin Amero Bangor