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Leeds lap dancing outrage
SCORES of people have added their support to a campaign backed by Leeds City Council to class lap dancig clubs as 'sex encounter establishments.'
The campaign is seeking to end the licensing of lap dancing clubs as cafes.
Now local members of human rights group Object want the Government to class lap dancing clubs as 'sex encounter establishments'- in a move supported by Leeds City Council leader, Coun Richard Brett (Lib Dem, Burmantofts and Richmond Hill).
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At present, the nine lap dancing clubs in Leeds are licensed as cafes, which protesters say is a loophole allowing venues to avoid regulations applied to other parts of the sex industry, including peep shows and sex cinemas.
Leanne Sutheran and Rosie Boardman gathered 95 signatures from people in Leeds to support the campaign by Object, which aims to challenge the "normalisation" of the porn and sex industries through lap dancing clubs and lads' magazines.
Leanne said: "Buying a lap dance is not the same as buying a cappuccino.
"Yet in licensing terms it is, so we have no more say in the opening of a lap dancing club than we do for the opening of a cafe.
"One-size-fits-all licensing does not work for cafes and lap dancing clubs. They have completely different social impact and this isn't taken into account by current licensing."
The campaign has been backed by Leeds City Council, which passed a white paper motion calling for councillors to support a Ten-Minute Rule Bill in the House of Commons calling for lap dancing clubs to be classed as sex encounter establishments.
That change would enable local people and councils to have more of a say on the quantity and location of the venues.
There are nine lap dancing clubs in Leeds, with a 1m lap dancing 'superclub' set to open on City Square later this year.
Coun Brett said: "Common sense dictates that lap dancing clubs are very different to a normal bar or restaurant.
"At the moment, we have no power over the number of lap dancing clubs in Leeds or their location.
Growing public concern on this issue needs to be addressed."
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Friday 25 May 2012
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