Imperfect Paradise: Strippers Union from LAist

Radiotopia Presents

From our friends at the LAist —

In 2023, North Hollywood’s Star Garden reopened as the only unionized strip club in the U.S. LAist Producer Emma Alabaster tells us the behind-the-scenes story of the workplace conditions that pushed the dancers into action.

CONTENT WARNING: This episode includes sensitive content about sexual assault.

For sexual assault and harassment support and resources, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673, which is a service of RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network).

Here are some resources that informed our reporting:

• Working It: Sex Workers on the Work of Sex (In particular, the essay "White Supremacy in Organizing" by Domino Rey)
• Unequal Desires: Race and Erotic Capital in the Stripping Industry by Siobhan Brooks
• Tits and Sass: Service Journalism by and for Sex Workers
• LA Co-op Lab
• U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives
• 2021 Worker Cooperative State of the Sector Report
• Yes, A Stripper Podcast

For more resources

For more, visit https://LAist.com/ImperfectParadise