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Strip Club Argues That Lap Dancing Is Art, Wants Tax Exemption
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Dec 5, 2011
Modified Dec 5, 2011
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Dec 5, 2011
Modified Dec 5, 2011
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Are lap dances considered legitimate artistic expression? 75 year-old University of Maryland professor Judith Hanna believes so, and she testified as much in state court for Nite Moves, an Albany-area strip club that is seeking exemption from the state's sales tax that other purveyors of "dramatic or musical performances" receive on cover charges. If Patrick Henry High's Joan Henderson is reading this: Scores WAS a legitimate detour on that 10th grade field trip.
"People of gentleman's clubs aren't just there to look at nude bodies," Hanna tells Bloomberg News. "They want to read into it. It's not just the eroticism, it's the beauty of the body, and the fantasy they create." And free copies of The Economist and the n+1 printouts that most strip clubs have lying around keep patrons stimulated while Dwayne fixes the jukebox.
Nite Moves may have lost their initial plea before the Tax Appeals Bureau, but hope to secure the exemption when the New York Court of Appeals hears their case next year. In the meantime, Hanna will continue to testify before courts across the country, earning around $3,000 for her expertise. According to the CEO of a adult website and strip club chain in Texas and Minnesota, she "plays a really important role in letting people see our side." Another important factor in seeing their side? Ratt and a whole lot of blacklights.
Tagged
Albany
art
dancing
first amendment
naked people
strip clubs
strippers
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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