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Whoop whoop! The irony of a lesbian pole dancer’s favourite form being called hello boys is not lost on me. In fact, I think it’s rather fun.

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So...Where Are The Sapphic Strippers?

Content Warning: mentions of sexual violence, racism, fatphobia, (none described in detail), use of a homophobic slur

Suzanne Bouclin's Dancers Empowering (Some) Dancers: The Intersection of Race, Class, and Gender in Organizing Erotic Labourers (2006) speaks to the exploitative and violent displacement erotic dancers experience within the Canadian exotic dancing industry. While I am not writing with a professional experience in that industry, I do feel that I am equipped to recognize and critically analyze some of the intersections Bouclin examines. An innate part of this project requires focus on the marginalization of queer & sapphic people in the same spaces Bouclin discusses in her case study, therefore creating an immediate connection for my own work.

The case study documents the pressure on especially working-class "exotic dancers (experiencing) economic exploitation [...] to 'do more'" (Bouclin 2006, 99-100). ('More' in this context meaning lap dancing outside of exotic dancing.) The specifically intersectional lens Bouclin employs is meant to note the different vulnerabilities across different dancers as they engage with new expectations in their work; "erotic dancing should then be examined as women's work that takes place in highly gendered , classed and racialized spaces. " (Bouclin 2006, 103).

Dancers Empowering (Some) Dancers: The Intersection of Race, Class, and Gender in Organizing Erotic Labourers relates to my previous post with its detailed look at the 'in-between' nature of exotic dancing and sex work. As I've established (again, see earlier posts) the line is very easy to blur without involving oneself in the specific bar and club subculture. One of the interviewees outline the pressures of exotic dance:

"I know that some girls are really afraid because they're on schedule or maybe they don't have any education or another job or they don't have anything to fall back on, they're worried about supporting their families, they would be afraid of losing their jobs. So I think they keep lap dancing as long as the owners want it to go on." (Bouclin 2006, 108).

Throughout this project, I have been processing and working through instances of sexual assault and harassment. Reading about the stories and feelings of other dancers facing similar issues has been helpful in accepting that everyone has varied responses to such violence. However, learning about those traumas and how they operate within systems that dictate exotic dance/stripping has revealed the many ways body exploitation perpetuates further violence. Because of the broader patriarchal and domineering systems creating spaces and business for exotic dance, experiencing sexual violence is not uncommon among dancers. However, Bouclin's work demonstrates that the societal pressures create larger vulnerabilities for specific populations of dancers; "If you're too fat you'll be told to leave. They're racist. If your skin is too dark or you're too black, if you're too white, too many tattoos, your hair is too short, you look like a d*ke you will [be turned away]. The more you deviate from that ideal, the less options you have" (Bouclin 2006, 112). The social and cultural ideals of whiteness, able-bodiedness, and femininity create barriers in which dancers are forced away from businesses and are then at risk for other forms of exploitation (Bouclin 2006, 117).

Thus emerges competition amongst dancers on a completely new level. There are constructed heirarhcies, where "the "clean" / "dirty" or "entertainer" / "lapdancer" dichotomy has likely much more to do with identity management than an inherent disdain for, or discrimination against, certain women." (Bouclin 2006, 114). There is constant competition for fitting into the mainstream, where dancers are encouraged to cater aspects of themselves to problematic and hegemonic ideals; Bouclin's notes this allows her interviewees "ignore the oppression of other(ed) women." (2006, 116) because dancing is what pays their bills. These constructed hierarchies among dancers is an extension of systems that already restrict queer, BIPOC, fat and disabled bodies.

The question of "Where are The Sapphic Strippers?" is a naive and reductive question then. The "reality that some women blur their personal boundaries in order to survive" (Bouclin 2006, 120) mens that sapphic women largely cannot afford to be visibly queer within the dancing industry, unless they are privileged enough to overshadow their queerness with a proximity to a thin, white and able-bodied ideal. I look at my own privileges and relationship to exotic dance; I am not in a position where I must rely on dancing as income as a young, white, and able-bodied person. Therein lies the avenue where I can be 'loud and proud' of my abilities within pole, all the while remaining explicitly queer.

Source: Bouclin, Suzanne. “Dancers Empowering (Some) Dancers: The Intersection of Race, Class, and Gender in Organizing Erotic Labourers.” Race, Gender & Class 13, no. 3/4 (2006): 98–129. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41675175.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/41675175

Obviously, this work was conducted before the ‘08 recession and is certainly distanced from today’s industry. With the emergence of personalities like Jacq Frances (http://www.jacqthestripper.com) there are newer conversations around queer people in the exotic dance industry, which I look forward to exploring.

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Russian exotic I will conquer you

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Hidden Histories & Flexible Futures

An integral part of this overarching project has been researching the evolution of exotic dance/stripping/pole, from a historical perspective to better contextualize my current experience with pole. Judith Lynne Hanna's Dance and Sexuality: Many Moves (2010) has been quite the extensive resource. Notably, Hanna's definitions and identifiers of are extremely fluid. Her collection of the industry illustrates the shape-changing nature of exotic dance collectively, as the form morphed to survive the rapidly-changing entertainment landscape. Hanna writes,

"Times change: Burlesque, the forerunner of contemporary exotic dance, was popular from he 1920's to 29150's, then came a slump with the advent of television and has-been strippers performed in strip joints known as varicose alley. Carnival stripping in the 1970's was abusive and degrading for dancers [...] However, the 1980's heralded a revival, rather a reformation, with the advent of the "upscale gentleman's club." (2010, 229-230).

Hanna then goes on to describe the Western styles of modern exotic dance; where "beauty and sexuality are important currency in exotic dancer's work." (2010, 230). A concurring theme throughout Hanna's work is the role of physicality Although the discourse surrounding exotic dance often revolves around "the question of empowerment versus exploitation" (Hanna 2010, 232), the insistence of presence, of being remains constant. One cannot dance (or) strip without making their body a point of focus, which is why so many conventions around the art form rely on exaggerating movement.

While this issue very clearly presents exotic work as anything but homogenous, there are once again so many threads where I find personal similarities or connections. For example, the use of the iconic "six-to eight-inch heels" (2010, 230) serve to elongate legs and enhance height (thus commanding attention through physicality.) My own heels are seven inches while others in my pole studio prefer to use ten-inch boots and stilettos. Buying my first pair was exciting, and slightly terrifying to learn how to walk in. There is a specific ankle and calf strength required to maintain balance on the toe box platform because most forms of exotic dance do not allow the literal heel of the shoe to touch the floor. Simply put, you must tiptoe on the platform when moving around the pole!

Additionally, Hanna's collection of discourse around the in-community nuances reminded me of my own understandings of exotic dance. In her research, Hanna remarks on the relationship between the labels of exotic dance and sex work; "most dancers do not like to be on the continuum from prostitute [...] "Dancer" and "entertainer" are common self-identifiers." (2010, 231). Importantly, Hanna is not denying the validity of sex work within the realm of exotic dance. She is instead documenting the language and culture in which these coexist. To an extent, I understand these connections. I do not identify as a stripper or a professional dancer, though I completely understand and recognize that dancers/strippers created the pole I practice today. There are legitimate questions of what is and isn't recognized as exotic dance because of the societal taboos around such work, of course. But for my personal understanding, I think of the exotic dance and pole I do as a sport. A sport with an underrepresented history, and that echoes queerness in its discursive nature.

Source: Hanna, Judith Lynne. “Dance and Sexuality: Many Moves.” The Journal of Sex Research 47, no. 2/3 (2010): 212–41. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25676451.

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Fun?? Fact!

Until 2006, the arrests made during Operation Soap made it the largest mass-arrest in Canadian history. 286 people where charged under “bawdy-house” law and 20 more through managerial status.

Source: Gerald Hamon. “Taking it to the Streets” The Body Politic: Rage! Volume 71. (1981, March.) https://arquives.ca/press-room/operation-soap

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Like I said, I love to dance. A cute pose from in between a spin combo <3

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Pussy Palace, Meet Pole

As part of my project, I've been reading up and revisiting a lot of really important queer sex culture and queer night life, as that is where focus with this archival aspects come into focus. Inevitably, this has taken me into bathhouse territory, (see my previous post for some of my first thoughts on that) namely Operation Soap in Toronto. While those specific raids concerned queer men and gay/mlm bathhouses, an extremely similar raid happened less than twenty years later. Given my focus on sapphic community, I immediately wanted to learn more about The Pussy Palace.

Enter the Toronto Women's Bathhouse, "affectionately known among queer women in Toronto as the Pussy Palace" (Gallant & Gillis 2001, 152). Pussies Bite Back: The Story of the Women's Bathhouse Raid details the experiences of queer Torontonians in 2000, amidst the post-raid chaos.

To begin their article, Gallant and Gillis remark on the role of the bathhouse, "Whether or not women attended the Pussy Palace, it existed as an option, as a possibility, as a problem for how women think of themselves as sexual beings." (2001, 153). Within the article, the authors note the inclusive nature of the space as trans men, women and "trans folk" (2001, 155) are welcome clientele. (I was ecstatic to learn this, and therefore even more disappointed in the current state of Goliaths.) Similarly to Goliaths, and bathhouses generally, the Pussy Palace is home to regular rooms, porn rooms, showers, a pool and sauna, etc. The detail that caught my particular eye was the inclusion of exotic dancers and spaces for exotic dancing.

Author Chanelle Gallant wrote about her own perspective in a way that deeply resonated with me; "I lap danced at first bathhouse [...] I walked away [...] newly aware of my femme power." (2001, 156). Exotic dance is not my strong suit, but I recognize the feeling Gallant described. Experimenting with your body, with what feels fun and good and powerful, is especially important as a queer person. The presence of sexuality and/or sensuality really doesn't matter. The point lies in the ability to do so; to exist openly and without shame or fear for ones' body or desire. It's very healing to dance with yourself and as yourself, in my own experience.

That autonomy, created through visibility is what made the Pussy Palace so important. Of course, this is also what made the raid heartbreaking; "The police raid on the Pussy Palace adds another layer to how we think about ourselves as sexual beings-- our public expressions of sexual desire have been witnessed, monitored and documented by the state." (Gallant & Gillis 2001, 154). The voyeuristic threat the authors point to here make me think of what I'm doing, in the immediate sense. Recording myself, my body and displaying my thoughts for the public to see and ingest? My experiences with the online pole community has been lovely across multiple platforms, but I know that is not true for everyone. In striving to create space for myself, and for those like me, I leave a (hypothetically) damning paper trail. And yet, I intend to continue. I love to dance, after all.

Source: Chanelle Gallant and Lorelei Gillis. "Pussies Bite Back: The Story of the Women's Bathhouse Raid" Journal of the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Studies Association Vol. 3 (2001): 152-167. http://torquere.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/torquere/article/download/36620/33268

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success!

When I get my butterfly, its over for you guys

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stronk!

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When I get my butterfly, its over for you guys

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On Binaries in Explicitly Queer Space

(the explicit is a pun! cuz sex! tee hee. ik its dumb.)

Goliath's is the only Bathhouse located in all of the city of Calgary! It's been there since 1987, and has been "serving the gay community for over 30 years." The bathhouse has been looped into conversations of The Toronto Bathhouse Raids/Operation Soap, and as a queer Albertan I think it's important to look for the kinda queer culture I'm researching in my own home city.

Despite being a mlm-focused space, I personally think Goliath's also connects to the theme of binary representation in queer bathhouses, bars, exotic dancing and sex work. For example, currently, Goliath's policy on allowing Transmen and women (note, no mention of nonbianry folks...) is " all members [...] must have M or X under gender on your identification and we ask that you be Masc presenting when you check in."

Obviously, this limits trans and genderqueer clientele significantly. Alberta has never been the most inviting to trans and queer people, at least not in my experience or the experience of people around me. However, the recent rise in transphobic legislation that aims to prevent people from gender-affirming care (medical, legal, social) makes policies like this even more exclusive. It speaks to a pervasive cisheteronormativity within gay nightlife that erases the most important aspects of queer desire, to me; that everyone can be a part of it.

The history of queer spaces, rights and liberation is rampant with trans-exclusionary discourse, unfortunately. Though I will be focusing on sapphic/ wlw experiences moving forward, I wanted to highlight the still present discrimination of trans and genderqueer people. Trans women and people are obviously a part of the sapphic and wlw communities; Goliath's in particular was just a directly relevant and personable example of dichotomous narratives in queer spaces.

Source: “Welcome to Goliaths” Goliath’s– Calgary, 2024 Goliaths, March 26 2024, https://www.goliathsyyc.ca/

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The homemade glamour of pole bumps, bruises and rough edges.