A group of 19-year-old strippers, including Serenity Michelle Bushey, and the strip club where they worked have filed a lawsuit against Florida’s attorney general and two local prosecutors to challenge a new state law that prohibits adult entertainment businesses from employing individuals who are under 21 years of age. They argue that this law violates their constitutional rights.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Tallahassee on behalf of Bushey, the owner of Cafe Risque, and two other adult businesses in Jacksonville. They are seeking a permanent injunction to stop the enforcement of the law, citing violations of their First Amendment right to free speech and Fourteenth Amendment right to equal protection. The performers argue that they have a legal right to engage in protected speech through their performances.
The new law was implemented to combat human trafficking, according to Florida lawmakers. However, eight other adult performers who are older than 18 but younger than 21 are unable to work at Cafe Risque due to the new law. These performers rely on their art to make a living and provide entertainment for their audiences. The lawsuit states that there are several other businesses in the area that have had similar issues with hiring young adults under the new law.
In addition to prohibiting hiring individuals between the ages of 18 and 21 for roles such as cooks, DJs, waitresses, security guards or using workers from third-party contractors for tasks like air-conditioning repairs or carpentry, the new law also imposes strict fines for non-compliance. The Office of the Attorney General plans to defend the new law once they have been formally served with the lawsuit, according to Kylie Mason, its communications director.
Bushey claims in her lawsuit that she lost her job at Cafe Risque after the new law went into effect on Monday since she is under 21 years old. She argues that this violates her constitutional rights and has caused financial hardship for her and her fellow performers.
The case is expected to go through multiple rounds of hearings before it goes before a judge for final decision.