The LA Times, with the news we need right now: 

Co-founded by Gabrielle, Reagan, Coco Ono (real name Kayla Tange) and Kitty, the Stripperina (real name Kelly Vittetoe), the show has given the strippers a new sense of agency and empowerment in an industry that is notorious for taking advantage of women. Although they emphasized that Jumbo’s is a supportive environment run by women, other strip clubs can be exploitative.

I’ve never been germophobic. It’s hard to be and ride public transportation, or really live in a city at all. You just … come to terms with a certain amount of filth. But during this pandemic I keep thinking of places that seem like TERRIBLE ideas now that I wouldn’t have thought about twice before. Like that bin full of random LEGOs at the store that you and every child on earth can stick their hands in and pull stuff out of. Who said to themselves, sure, children are generally clean and never lick their fingers for funsies, why not do this?

Gas station bathrooms, these days, too. I’d truly rather die. I’ve changed a baby on the floor of some really seedy shitholes because sometimes you just don’t know what kind of place you’re in until you’re in there, and ports in storms, plus it used to be good for babies to get filthy to build up their immune systems. Now I’ve taught Kick to say quietly to herself, as she enters any sort of public lavatory, “Everything in here is on fire.”

Strip clubs, though, always seemed like places you shouldn’t touch anything with your bare hands. The performers, of course, but also like the tables, and any kind of food at all. I trust the performers to have their own best interests at heart. The customers, not so much. Every guy there on a Tuesday afternoon is also likely to be the one going on the internets and telling all of Facebook that he doesn’t think it’s necessary to wipe his ass.

So good for these women to come up with a way to make money that also keeps them and their customers safe.

A.