UK Sex Sells News

Some members of the public will be given a greater say on whether table-dancing clubs are given licences under new plans unveiled by the Scottish Government.

Ministers will consult on proposals to establishnew licensing restrictions for sexual entertainment venues. The Government said the consultation also seeks specific views on whether licensing authorities should be able to totally ban such venues.

The Government is launching the consultation after similar plans were rejected in the last Parliament.

The move has the support of MSPs and gender extremists. The Women's Support Project in Glasgow said:

This move recognises that what is for sale on premises is sexual arousal and such premises should have their own specific license and no longer fall in the same category as leisure or entertainment venues.

This move also provides better consistency with the overall approach in Scotland which sees lap dancing as a form of exploitation and helps support a culture in which women are viewed in narrow and objectifying ways.

'Justice' Secretary Kenny MacAskill claimed:

This consultation seeks views on proposals that will give licensing authorities the powers to reflect local views and control the presence and operation of such venues in their areas.

These venues undoubtedly divide opinion. However, the proposed licensing regime is about ensuring the safety and protection of customers and workers while making sure the interests of local communities are protected.

The newspaper chose not to include opinions from the venues, employees or customers.

Update: Consultation Details

28th June 2013. See Consultation Details from scotland.gov.uk . Thanks to Allan

The Scottish Government have launched a consultation on the introduction of sexual entertainment licensing.

If enacted the legislation would effectively allow councils to close down strip clubs, under the guise of protecting people.

Consultation on Regulation of Sexual Entertainment Venues

A consulation on proposals to establish a dedicated licensing system for venues offering sexual entertainments such as lap dancing. A robust licensing system will allow local communities a greater say over the nature of actvities that take place in their localities.

Consultation on Regulation of Sexual Entertainment Venues [pdf]

Consultation Responses Form [doc]

Bill Martland was better known as Tyke on the London strip pub scene. He was a great fan who put a lot back into the industry via his website strip-magazine.com.

He also wrote a book about the history of London's strip pubs called In the Beginning There was Theresa.

I met him several times at various venues and he was great company. His knowledge and enthusiasm for the scene made a lasting impact. He also contributed news and information to Melon Farmers. He will be sadly missed.

In July 2012 the Leeds Council Licensing Committee formed a disgracefully one sided working group to review the policy to ensure it still met the needs [some] of the 'people of Leeds':

• Rosie Campbell, Researcher, University of Leeds
• Pauline Ellis, Equality Unit
• Rosie Robinson Boardman, OBJECT
• Arwen Strudwick, Domestic Violence Unit
• Sara Robertson, Child Friendly Officer
• Sgt Andrew Pollard, West Yorkshire Police (Child Sex Exploitation)
• Sgt Martin Mynard, West Yorkshire Police (City Centre NPT)

The working group unsurprisingly opted for new restrictions on table dancing venues, including: a ban on table dancing outside of the city centre; and a cap of 4 premises in the city centre.

In March the Licensing Committee approved the draft policy for public consultation.

The public consultation took place between 18th March and 26th April. The council received 135 responses. Each response was classified as positive, positive but would go further, negative or unclear:

• 87 (64%) responses were in support of the policy,
• 43 (32%) were not in support and
• 5 (4%) provided a response where it was unclear.

It was noted that In support of the policy, 52 (39%) respondents used the same standard letter. This response agreed that there should be no lap dancing clubs outside of the city centre, accepted a limit of 4, provided some sensitive uses, confirmed that advertising should not be sexually explicit, and transport for customers should not be provided.

The working group have now recommended that Leeds Council adopt its miserable policy:

• That Licensing Committee consider the responses to the public consultation and the recommendation from the Working Group.
• That Licensing Committee consider the draft policy and refer it to Executive Board for approval, with the policy coming into effect on 1st September 2013.

The report does not comment on how to select the 3 clubs to be closed down and how to address the fact that such closures are illegal under European Licensing law.

A High Court challenge to a decision that has allowed lap dancing at a Leamington nightclub has been dropped.

The Hindu Religious Association of Leamington and Warwick was due to be heard at a hearing at High Court in its challenge of Warwick District Council's granting of a sexual entertainment licence to Shades in High Street.

The council has agreed to contribute towards the cost of the claim.

It seems that the decision was related to funding and the high risk that they would lose their case and their money. Yash Pal Tara of the association said:

Companies such as Shades can afford specialist legal advice and representation which is beyond the reach of local people. We feel vindicated that we were granted permission for a judicial review, but on balance, there are better ways to oppose Shades and significant taxpayers' money would be spent on this case. We did not want that.

Cllr Michael Coker, responsible for policy on community protection, said:

It is appropriate that the parties should share the costs to prevent considerable amounts of public time and money being spent on a hearing in the High Court.

A poster for Spearmint Rhino gentleman's club displayed images of two women visible from the waist up. One woman wore a small bikini top. The second image showed a woman wearing long gold gloves and a low cut top with most of her chest covered by her hair. Issue

A complainant challenged whether:

1. the ad was offensive and unsuitable for public display because of the sexual imagery and the nature of the advertised product; and

2. the ad was irresponsible, because it appeared where it could be seen by children.

Spearmint Rhino said they had no issue with the ad because it was not offensive in any way, shape or form.

The publisher, Outdoor Plus said no placement restrictions were applied to the ad. They said the placement of the ad was suitable because it was not considered inappropriate.

ASA Assessment: Complaint not upheld

1. Not upheld

The ASA noted one model's pose was sultry but not excessively sexual and her hair covered most of her chest area. We noted the other model wore a small bikini, her pose revealed one side of her breast and her posture drew attention to her breasts. However, we considered the pose was unlikely to be regarded by most members of the public as anything more than mildly sexual in nature. Although we considered that some members of the public would find the image, and indeed the product it advertised, distasteful, we did not consider that the ad was likely to cause serious or widespread offence.

We investigated the ad under CAP Code rule 4.1 (Harm and offence) but did not find it in breach.

2. Not upheld

We noted the ad was not given a placement restriction and considered because the ad was sexually suggestive, rather than overtly sexual it was inappropriate for children to see and therefore it warranted a placement restriction to prevent it from being displayed within 100 m of schools. Because the ad was placed away from schools or business that provided children-based services, albeit unintentionally, we concluded the ad was not irresponsible.

We investigated the ad under CAP Code rule 1.3 (Responsible advertising) but did not find it in breach.

ATVOD's chief censor says he's in discussions with processors about blocking payments to non-U.K. websites that offer hardcore porn.

Peter Johnson, who leads the British Video On Demand censor, claimed that websites that offer hardcore porn outside of restricted sections, without rigorous age-verification barriers, could be violation of the U.K.'s Obscene Publications Act and be operating illegally in the country.

However it seems entirely ludicrous that viewing depictions of such a commonplace and normal activity as sex could 'deprave and corrupt' children. They are well prepared for sex via sex education, endless discussions in the media, not to mention sex being a top topic of conversation in just about every classroom in the country.

The ongoing debate has featured the subject in great detail lately, and most commentators seem concerned by the more realistic worries that multi partner sex, and particularly rough sex featured in some material, are not great sex education lessons for kids. But few are suggesting that such harms go as far as to 'deprave and corrupt' children as required to breach the Obscene Publications Act.

And of course if the kids were being depraved and corrupted, then we would realise by now, because apparently most of the kids have already seen it anyway. Crime rates are falling in Britain, hardly evidence of this supposed mass corruption.

Johnson claimed at last week's Westminster forum debate, presumably addressing foreign businesses:

If you're offering [hardcore porn] in your shop window, you're breaking U.K. law. Even if you're not in the U.K., you're breaking U.K. law because our children can access it.

Therefore your shop is trading illegally. Therefore funds should not be flowing from the U.K. to your shop, because your shop is fundamentally operating in an unlawful capacity.

According to Wired, Johnson mentioned one porn site as a target, Manwin's PornHub.com. Johnson said that this site offers hardcore pornographic content freely without age-verification barriers, including credit card, passport or driving license checks. The free stuff is the shop window, he said, referring to PornHub's opening web page.

I can't imagine the payment companies are very impressed by being asked to police internet porn, especially on such a flimsy legal case. Every nutter in the world would clamour for them to ban payments to their pet hates.

In what is thought to be the first challenge of its kind, an appeal by a sexual entertainment venue operator conditions imposed by a licensing authority has failed.

The Secrets table dancing chain challenged conditions:

• preventing visibility into the premises, beyond that of keeping strippers out of sight
• preventing distribution of literature
• restricting performers from lightly touching themselves

Secrets that such activities had not caused problems in the past so could safely be permitted.

Hoeever the judge found that there was good reason for all of the conditions and could not find the decisions to have been wrong. He therefore dismissed the appeals and awarded costs of £ 22,000 to the Council.

Comment: The usual nonsense from Gail Dines

17th June 2013. From Alan

Interesting piece by Carole Cadwalladr. In many respects, it's fair-minded and makes some effort at balance, even if she does seem a bit naive in being shocked that a Google search for rape porn turned up, err, rape porn. I quite like Cadwalladr, who seems a much more grounded writer that some of the scribblers at the Graun and Obs who identify themselves as feminists.

To what extent the anti-porn writers on the Graun titles really are feminists I'm not sure. To my mind, there doesn't seem to be much feminism about a mindset which insists upon seeing women as permanent little girls who need protecting . The blinkers seem to stay on even when they encounter, say, Dr Brooke Magnanti or the feisty ladies in the Max Mosley hanky-spanky case. Mr Justice Eady's order notwithstanding, the names by which they are known on the BDSM scene are pretty widely known. Woman D , for instance, has completed her doctoral thesis but continues to work as a professional submissive (now also branching out as a dom) and as one of the big names in spanking erotica. Presumably she finds it a better earner than organic chemistry. Maybe a progressive newspaper might take more interest in wages in the research sector so crap that a Ph.D. prefers to turn a copper having her arse spanked.

Dines' predictable whinge takes your breath away. One of the editorial board has actually worked in porn. Shock! Horror!!! Pass the smelling salts!!!!!! In my own field of expertise, industrial relations, it's not unknown for journals to be edited by, and publish articles by, academics who have been, or are still, engaged practically as HR managers or trade union officials. The British Medical Journal does from time to time publish articles by people who have dispensed a pill or removed an appendix. Some academic articles on the Dangerous Pictures Act in academic legal journals are written by lawyers who have prosecuted or defended such cases. If I wished to find out more about spanking porn, I think I would learn more from Woman D, with Ph.D. in chemistry but plenty of experience, than from Prof. Dines with her apparently more relevant academic qualifications.

Licensees are warned following the conviction of Tony Bowman for knowingly allowing hands-on lap dancing to take place in breach of miserable licensing conditions.

The case centred on the operation of the Divas Lap Dancing Club during 2011 up until the premises licence was revoked by Plymouth City Council Licensing Sub-Committee in January 2012.

The supposed offences centred around a condition on the premises licence which prohibited Any form of Physical contact between the customer and the dancer...

Acting Inspector Martin Worthington of Force Alcohol Licensing and Crime Reduction Team said:

This is not the first time an adult entertainment establishment has fallen foul of conditions prohibiting physical contact between dancers and customers. We work in partnership with Licensees to ensure that business operate so as to promote the licensing objectives. We make regular checks to ensure that all licence holders adhere to the conditions of the premises licence and where appropriate the police Local Authority and other responsible authorities are prepared to take further action to ensure these standards are maintained including utilsing the Criminal Justice System where appropriate.

Bowman was sentenced to an £ 800 fine, £ 620 costs and £ 15 victim surcharge including the forfeiture of his personal licence.

A 'nil policy' that would ban the licensing of sex establishments in the town centres of Central Bedfordshire is out for public consultation from 10th June.

Central Bedfordshire Council cite a telephone survey of 1,123 residents resulting in 63% of respondents saying they did not believe licences for sexual entertainment venues should be granted in their local area. More specifically, the results revealed that at least 80% of respondents were opposed to sex entertainment venues operating in the vicinity of religious buildings, schools, residential areas and places frequented by children and families.

The council has proposed a new morality policy that would ban licences for sex establishments being granted within 500m of more or less anywhere frequented by children.

Councillor Brian Spurr said:

As part of our aim to make Central Bedfordshire a great place to live and work, we're keen to ensure the character of our towns are preserved and that our high streets remain places where all members of the public feel safe and keen to spend time.

This draft policy demonstrates our commitment to protecting families and that we've listened to residents' opinions given in the telephone survey. We now want to consult the public more widely, to understand their views on whether the level of strictness of the draft policy is appropriate.

The consultation period runs between Monday, 10 June and Friday, 30 August 2013.

Currently there are four premises in Central Bedfordshire that require a sex establishment license:

• Waterside Bar in Leighton Buzzard
• Shayler's in Ampthill, previously reported as reverting to a standard nightclub
• Happy Lovers/Adult Pit Stop. A licensed sex shop in Sandy
• Secrets Lingerie. A licensed sex shop in Dunstable

The feedback from the consultation will be presented to the Licensing Committee on Friday, 6 September 2013, where a final decision will be made.

A campaign has been launched against a new Chinatown table dancing venue with the unimaginative claim that it would create Manchester's answer to Soho.

Local moralists claim that plans for a proposed gentleman's club on Portland Street could make the area sordid and sexy .

A licensing application for the new bar, called Angels, has been submitted to the town hall. If approved, it would be the third lap dancing club within two blocks.

Protestors have gathered about 150 signatures for a petition. Bonnie Yeung, spokesman for the Chinatown Community Group said:

It's crucial for the future growth and success of the area that we do have great independent businesses, but we have no idea who has put in the application or whether it's going to be well run -- and in addition there are two others within a few streets.

We don't really want to be the next Soho of Manchester. Local businesses are concerned. Chinatown would then be a sordid and sexy night out rather than a family night out.

City centre councillor Joan Davies said she would be opposing the application, adding:

I just don't think they should be in buildings where residents live. When people buy or rent an apartment -- and in the city centre that increasingly includes families -- they want to know that next door won't be hosting sex establishment visitors.

The application is open for comments until June 20.

Update: Plans withdrawn

11th July 2013. See  article from  manchestereveningnews.co.uk

A few days before councillors were due to consider the bid, Blackburn-based applicants Keelhaul Ltd have withdrawn the application for a sex entertainment licence.

The Guardian seeks to ban all porn

31st May 2013. See  article (now the amended version ) from  guardian.co.uk.

Internet pornography is usually abusive and often violent. Mark Bridger, convicted yesterday of the murder of April Jones, had compiled a store of it. Pornography is easily and freely accessible, and at most requires only a credit card. The link between such material and violence, most commonly against women and children, is not quite beyond dispute -- occasional studies claim there is, as one headline had it, a sunny side to smut. But there is strong evidence that at the very least it is addictive, can normalise violence, and at the same time diminishes sympathy for its victims. It is a kind of incitement to hate. It should be banned. But that is easier to say than to do.

A few hours later the Guardian had a change of heart and amended the opening paragraph of its leader to:

Internet pornography is sometimes abusive and often violent. Mark Bridger, convicted yesterday of the murder of April Jones, had compiled a store of it. Violent pornography is easily and freely accessible, and at most requires only a credit card. The link between such material and actual violence, most commonly against women and children, is disputed -- occasional studies claim there is, as one headline had it, a sunny side to smut. But there is strong evidence that at the very least it is addictive, can normalise violence, and at the same time diminishes sympathy for its victims. It is a kind of incitement to hate. Abusive and violent pornography should be banned. But that is easier to say than to do.

Update: The Guardian explains that it doesn't seek to ban porn

10th June 2013. See  article from  guardian.co.uk

It can happen to the best. A journalist writes an editorial purporting to give the newspaper's view on a particular subject. A few hours later, after mature reflection, the editor and his senior staff feel that it doesn't truly represent what the newspaper thinks, and readers want to know why the Guardian has apparently changed its stance on an issue.

At the Guardian's morning conference a few members of staff questioned why the newspaper would call for a ban on all pornography, and whether internet pornography is usually abusive. Isn't a lot of pornography on the internet actually between consenting adults, and would the Guardian want that banned?

As a newspaper, the Guardian -- as far as I can see -- has never advocated a ban on all pornography. The aim of the leader writer in the wake of the April Jones case was to propose that ways could be brought to bear to restrict violent and abusive pornography. However, the original editorial didn't reflect that view. It was decided to amend swiftly by making seven changes to the editorial online to make it consistent with the historic Guardian position.

A proposed new name for a Leeds table dancing club could inflict moral or psychological harm on children, licensing officials ludicrously claim.

Owners of the Black Diamond club, on New Briggate in the city centre, have applied to Leeds City Council to double the size of the premises, from two floors to four. They also want to rename it Tantric Blue .

But the council's own licensing department has now criticised the application -- because the suggested new name would undermine the requirement to protect children from harm. In a letter of objection, the department spewed:

Whilst 'Tantric' is linked to spiritualism and certain religious practices, for the purpose of a lap dancing venue it takes on another interpretation and associates the premises with sexual practice.

The licensing authority is of the opinion that the name of the premises has the potential to cause moral and/or psychological harm to children as well as offence and embarrassment to parents when visiting the city with children.

The sub-committee is due to make a decision at a meeting on 10th June.

The rural pub, The Harp in East Peckham near Tonbridge, has been offering striptease entertainment for around six years, with little opposition.

However, with the introduction of the new licensing regime in the borough, the licensee applied for a licence which resulted in 43 objections.

The complaints were the usual bollox about sexualisation and effects the visibility of such clubs have on children and that such entertainment is out of place in a quiet village , and attracts an undesirable clientele.

Details of the reasons for the bar are to follow but it seems that these will be along the lines that striptease is immoral in a rural setting.

Update: Erotic dancing is not an entirely suitable occupation.

8th June 2013. See review from  thisiskent.co.uk

The Harp Inn in East Peckham is now set to close on 30th June after it failed to get its licence renewed, following moral opposition from nearby residents.

Graham Hammond, manager of the Harp Inn, was unhappy with the decision. He said:

The place cannot operate as anything other than it is. The village is simply going to end up with another derelict building or an even more undesirable pub.

East Peckham is not a pretty, quaint little village, it's a shithole. It's just an industrial estate with a few houses. But the decision has been made, so it's time for us to move on.

East Peckham parish councillor Peter Street explained the morality behind the decision:

The borough council obviously found the Harp's entertainment as sufficiently controversial enough to refuse the license.

I think this is due to a number of residents feeling as though erotic dancing is not an entirely suitable occupation.

In a statement from Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, it was revealed that the licence was refused on May 30 because members of the panel considered the nature of a sexual venue would be inappropriate in the residential area of East Peckham.

Nottingham City Council has consulted over policy of a nil limit for SEVs and sex shops in the city (where there is currently one club and one sex shop).

There were 1395 responses to the consultation with over a 1000 of these coming after a high profile call for a ban by the Nottingham Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner.

The first questions asks for opinions about the current number of clubs and shops in Nottingham:

Table Dancing Clubs:

• 35% too many
• 27% about right
• 34% too few
• 4% don't know

Sex shops:

• 31% too many
• 36% about right
• 30% too few
• 3% don't know

Only 30-31% felt that a nil limit would have a positive effect on Nottingham, whilst 44-47% felt that it would have a negative effect.

Another shows there is some concern about imposing a nil limit, with a minority supporting the City's proposal:

The Guardian seeks to ban all porn

See  article from  guardian.co.uk (but now updated)

Internet pornography is usually abusive and often violent. Mark Bridger, convicted yesterday of the murder of April Jones, had compiled a store of it. Pornography is easily and freely accessible, and at most requires only a credit card. The link between such material and violence, most commonly against women and children, is not quite beyond dispute -- occasional studies claim there is, as one headline had it, a sunny side to smut. But there is strong evidence that at the very least it is addictive, can normalise violence, and at the same time diminishes sympathy for its victims. It is a kind of incitement to hate. It should be banned. But that is easier to say than to do.

Update: The Guardian seeks to ban most porn

1st June 2013. See  article from  guardian.co.uk

A few hours later the Guardian edited the leader to retract from the 'all porn should be banned' and to call for a ban on 'abusive and violent porn'. But as the article opens with 'porn is usually abusive', then the edit makes little difference.

Update: The Guardian explains that it doesn't seek to ban porn

10th June See  article from  guardian.co.uk

Internet pornography is sometimes abusive and often violent. Mark Bridger, convicted yesterday of the murder of April Jones, had compiled a store of it. Violent pornography is easily and freely accessible, and at most requires only a credit card. The link between such material and actual violence, most commonly against women and children, is disputed -- occasional studies claim there is, as one headline had it, a sunny side to smut. But there is strong evidence that at the very least it is addictive, can normalise violence, and at the same time diminishes sympathy for its victims. It is a kind of incitement to hate. Abusive and violent pornography should be banned. But that is easier to say than to do.

NSPCC conflates extreme porn with child porn

See  article from  telegraph.co.uk

The NSPCC said there was a worrying link between his looking at indecent images online and the crime he went on to commit.

It called for effective measures to curb the ease with which extreme pornography and indecent images of children can be accessed.

End Violence Against Women

The End Violence Against Women (EVAW) coalition wrote to the Prime Minister, David Cameron, calling for a change in the law to close a loophole that allows some simulated images of rape.

Rape Crisis

A spokesman for Rape Crisis, a campagn group, said: Our concern is that given current legal loopholes, similar men using pornography simulating acts of sexual violence including rape, child sexual abuse and incest, would not be committing an offence under existing extreme pornography legislation.

Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre

Jim Gamble went on FiveLive demanding that CEOPs role and budget be dramatically expanded.

John Carr of UKCISS wants people to register to view porn

See article from politics.co.uk

But John Carr, a member of the government's Council on Child Internet Safety, has suggested Google could do more.

They could for example turn safe search on by default. That would block access to all hardcore porn sites.

Google could set it up in such a way they'd have to register with them to get an account. They could ask them to verify if they're 18 or above. That would be a huge deterrent for many of these guys. That would stop them getting on the pathway to child abuse images we've been discussing.

Carr said being forced to register to view pornography would act as a significant deterrent to paedophiles, who use mainstream pornographic websites advertising barely legal or teen sex images as a gateway for illegal material.

They will eventually get to places where the images are, he added.

Blocking access or putting any kind of barriers to sites like that would help reduce the number of guys who get involved with this stuff in the first place.

Daily Mail always likes to big up any film connections

See  article from  dailymail.co.uk

When police searched Bridger's cottage they found that he had been watching a brutal rape scene from the 2009 re-make of the slasher film, The Last House on the Left.

He had recorded the scene where a young teenage girl is raped by the leader of a gang in front of his watching gangmates, some of whom help to hold the victim down while she is being attacked.

Police then discovered that the murderer recorded the rape scene for a second time when the film was repeated on a +1 channel an hour later. Horror: Police outside Bridger's white-washed cottage, where he watched violent films and child pornography before he murdered April

Horror: Police outside Bridger's white-washed cottage, where he watched violent films and child pornography before he murdered April

Elwen Evans QC, for the prosecution, said given what happened in that room, the discovery was significant and Bridger must have watched the scene not long before whatever happened to April took place.

She added: This is not just the playing of a rape scene on television. That particular rape scene had been recorded twice. A deliberate action to capture the most distressing aspect.'

Regular table dancing could be brought to the Highlands by an Inverness nightclub, Hush, that has applied for a table dancing licence. The club is being backed by owners of lap dancing clubs in Aberdeen.

The application will be decided by members of the Highland Licensing Board next week. Gender extremists are inevitably opposing the move, but the report from the Licensing Standards Officer (LSO) to the board is supportive of the application. It said:

Hush is a popular city-centre nightclub in Inverness. It has a trouble-free operating history and on several occasions when it has been inspected by the LSO there has been a high standard of compliance.

If the application is approved, there would be a list of strict conditions that would prevent performers being totally naked, performing in private booths or being touched or touching the club's patrons during their performance, with the report adding the only contact allowed being the hand-to-hand payment of money at the conclusion of the performance .

The Highland Violence Against Women Strategy Group is opposing the licence. The group includes representatives of NHS Highland, Police Scotland, the Highland Council, Women's Aid and Rape and Abuse Line. The group has lodged a an objection citing debunked research from Camden. The objection claimed:

There is a large body of evidence showing that 'adult entertainment' can increase crime and disorder in the areas in which it takes place. A number of reports have concluded that where 'adult entertainment' exists, particularly in the form of lap dancing clubs, incidents of sexual violence have increased within those communities, as have women's expressed levels of fear of travelling at night within the areas.

The official report going before licensing board members disputes the picture painted and the risks of such a licence being granted in Inverness. It said:

The cited background research is quoted in generic terms and cannot be tied in reasonable terms to the circumstances prevailing in the Highland capital and more specifically to this application.

Update: Miserable MSP joins opposition

11th May 2013. See  article from  inverness-courier.co.uk

Gender extremist Labour politician Rhoda Grant has added her voice to objections to an application by the city's Hush nightclub to stage lap dancing sessions.

Grant acknowledged lap dancing was not prostitution but maintained it was still putting women up for sale:

Lap dancing is the commodification of women, she said. While it might not be directly purchasing sex as such it's along the same vein. You're paying women to come in and dance.

This is not something that Inverness wants or needs and I hope that the council will take that in its view when they make a decision on this.

Update: Licence Approved

15th May 2013.  See  article from  bbc.co.uk

The application for table dancing at Hush has been approved by Highland Licensing Board.

Following the board meeting, convener Maxine Smith said she was disappointed by the decision but added that the bid had to be judged against licensing rules. Ms Smith said Hush's plan did not breach licensing objectives.

Editors Feona Attwood (Middlesex University) and Clarissa Smith (University of Sunderland), and Routledge publishers have announced the launch of a new journal devoted to the study of pornography.

Porn Studies is the first dedicated, international, peer-reviewed journal to critically explore those cultural products and services designated as pornographic and their cultural, economic, historical, institutional, legal and social contexts. Porn Studies will publish innovative work examining specifically sexual and explicit media forms, their connections to wider media landscapes and their links to the broader spheres of (sex) work across historical periods and national contexts.

Porn Studies is an interdisciplinary journal informed by critical sexuality studies and work exploring the intersection of sexuality, gender, race, class, age and ability. It focuses on developing knowledge of pornographies past and present, in all their variations and around the world. Because pornography studies are still in their infancy we are also interested in discussions that focus on theoretical approaches, methodology and research ethics. Alongside articles, the journal includes a forum devoted to shorter observations, developments, debates or issues in porn studies, designed to encourage exchange and debate.

Update: Gender extremists attempt to censor anyone that disagrees with their miserable views

13th May 2013. See  petition from  ipetitions.com

A group calling itself Stop Porn Culture has initiated a petition calling on Routledge publishers to pull out of publishing the journal, Porn Studies, in its current setup. The group writes:

We understand that Routledge is scheduled to publish a new journal, Porn Studies. While we agree that pornography and porn culture demand and deserve more critical attention, as a group of academics, activists, anti-violence experts, health professionals, and educators, we are deeply concerned about the journal's intention and focus and about its editorial board, which is uniformly pro-porn.

Routledge is in a position of authority, and framing the editorial experts on porn as pro-porn under the auspices of neutrality (which is what the journal title does) further fosters the normalization of porn and misrepresents the academic, political and ideological debates about the issue. The composition of the editorial board (at least thus far) risks marginalizing any critical or anti porn position.

Given this, we have three questions:

1. In what ways and to what extent, if any, will this journal feature essays which represent an array of perspectives on the complex and vexed issues concerning pornography and porn culture?;

2. How likely is it that diverse perspectives will be represented, given that the editorial board has a pro-porn academic record?' and

3. What might Routledge do to address this bias?

In the interest of academic integrity and thorough critical inquiry, it is imperative that a journal titled Porn Studies creates space for critical analyses of porn from diverse and divergent perspectives. Our hope is that you will change the composition of the editorial board, confirm the journal's commitment to a heterogeneous interrogation of the issues embedded in porn and porn culture, and ensure that diverse perspectives are represented -- on the board and also in the essays published in the journal. Failing that, we ask that you change the name to reflect and make evident the bias of its editors (Pro-Porn Studies) and create another journal which will represent the position of anti-porn scholars and activists and the voices of mental health professionals, porn industry survivors, and feminist scholars whose analyses examine the replication and reification of misogyny, child abuse, and sexual exploitation in mainstream pornography (for instance, Critical Porn Studies).

Manchester Council licensing moralists want to automatically ban any new licence applications for sex shops or entertainment venues , saying enough is enough.

Currently there are four sex shops and seven clubs in the centre of Manchester.

A plan by the council, currently out to consultation, would see a ban on further licences being granted.

The council have obviously been legally briefed and have avoided citing moral reasons for the ban. They have opted for a claim that the market is 'saturated' and that further venues may impact the profitability and viability of existing businesses. However this is unlikely as a a complete ban would be a very inflexible way of achieving this end. If the council were genuinely considering the interests of businesses surely this would be better served with applications being considered on a case by case basis with the impact on other businesses being one of the considerations.

A report on the proposed curb vaguely speculates that:

It is considered that further sex establishments 'might' lead to a saturation of premises within the city centre.

Problems of saturation and enhanced competition 'might potentially' lead to undesirable competitive practices arising between premises.

It seems strange that the council are citing such vagueness. One would think that they would have properly researched the profitability of existing businesses before jumping to such conclusions.

Currently no sex premises are allowed outside the city centre, while those that do open must be in an appropriate location.

The proposed ban is out for public consultation until June 14.

Porn baron Paul Raymond's granddaughter wants to change an iconic ex-strip club into serious theatre.

Fawn James will be applying to Westminster Council next month to change the former site of the table-dancing club Revuebar into a theatre. She is applying for a change of use for a table-dancing club she owns above the former Revuebar, which is now the home of the Box erotic nightclub.

James has said she plans to move out the lapdancers and create a new, 120-seat theatre which she will manage herself, and hopes her new theatre will showcase up-and-coming young directors and playwrights.

Paul Raymond opened the Revuebar in Walkers Court in 1958.

Cheshire East Council has refused to renew a licence application for the table dancing club in the town of Wilmslow.

The Council has rejected the application the twelve month sexual entertainment venue licence for the ST Lounge, which Van Leisure Ltd has operated in Wilmslow since 2009.

The General Licensing Sub-Committee considered the application by Van Leisure on 9th April, during a meeting which lasted seven hours.

The refusal was made on the moralistic grounds that it would be an 'inappropriate' use of the premises given its location on a shopping street like Grove Street. It was also deemed 'inappropriate' because the location contains a significant number of residential properties in streets adjacent to Grove Street, as well as St Teresa's Catholic Church and Wilmslow Prep School. Other sensitive premises were identified within the vicinity including Wilmslow High School, The Leisure Centre, St Bartholomew's Church, Wilmslow Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church.

Richard Williams, Managing Director from LR Law, who provided legal representation against the venue said:

Other than via Judicial Review to the High Court, there is no right of appeal against this decision and the club will now have to stop providing sexual entertainment immediately.

However the option for a Judicial Review could be very attractive. An article from woodswhur.co.uk was published after Leeds Council considered refusing to renew table dancing licenses:

The article noted that an existing licence is consider in law as a protected possession in human rights law:

It has been accepted that a licence is classed as a possession capable of protection under Article 1 of the First Protocol of the European Convention on Human Rights.

This clearly states that a person has a right to peaceful enjoyment of his possessions and the case of Tre Traktorer Aktiebolag v Sweden (1989) 13 EHRR classifies a licence as something capable of protection.

Not something that can councils can take away on a moralist or feminist whim.

Secondly there are European requirements imported into UK law that impose standard conditions on councils when considering licence applications:

The Provision of Services Regulations [S.I. 2009/2999]. Regulation 24(1) imposes three important tests highlighting that any refusal must be:

• Non discriminatory
• Necessary
• Proportionate

Surely this would allow failed applicants to ask a court 'exactly how necessary was it for a council to refuse a license for a venue near a shopping centre or church where the operating hours don't overlap?'

Campaigners against strip clubs have been successful in their request for a judicial review into the granting of a sexual entertainment licence for Shades in Old Town, Leamington.

Judge Charles Purle QC ruled in favour of a group made up of members of the Leamington and Warwick Green Party, the Hindu Temple committee and residents on all four points they had challenged on the way Warwick District Council's licencing committee and officers had handled the granting of the table dancing club's licence in August.

Jonathan Chilvers, of the Green Party, claimed:

The whole process was flawed. Why was the licence granted after being refused twice? Why were flats only yards away not seen as being 'local'? The decision was wrong in the way it was made and wrong for our town.

A judicial review of the hearing and process in which the decision was made will now go before the court no earlier than June. If it is successful the council will have to re-instigate the process to consider the licence.

A table dancing club in Leamington has been smashed up in a mystery attack.

Amara VIP gentleman's club in Court Street was targeted over the Easter weekend. The damage is estimated to run into tens of thousands of pounds.

Police are now investigating the attack, which saw sound systems ripped from their fixtures on the wall, seating destroyed and mirrors smashed.

The venue was granted a licence to become a sexual entertainment venue a year ago with plenty of opposition. And the ruling, allowing the club's owners to host table dancing and pole dancing events up to seven nights per week, angered many opponents.

But in a further twist the club owners insisted that they had just ceased operating from the premises earlier this week and had closed for the final time in the early hours of Saturday morning. An application had been lodged with Warwick District Council to turn the venue into a nightclub, which was rejected. An appeal was set to be heard on April 24 but it is not known if this will now go ahead.

A billboard poster promoting a gentleman's club stated Bar & Club ... Club Oops ...! Corporate Gentleman's Entertainment ... Attitude & Class Does Matter ...! ... www.cluboops.co.uk . The ad included images of women in negative. One woman was shown in her underwear and another was naked with her body in profile. The ad also showed an image of a naked woman from the waist down with underwear pulled down around her thighs. Issue

Three complainants challenged whether the ad was offensive, demeaning to women and unsuitable for public display where it could be seen by children.

Club Spice Ltd t/a Club Oops spoke to the ASA by telephone and said they believed that their agency, which had designed the ad and chosen the locations where it was displayed, was at fault. They said they would remove the poster and assumed that would resolve the matter

ASA Assessment: Complaints upheld

The ASA acknowledged that Club Oops intended to remove the ad from the site in question. We noted that one woman was shown in her underwear and the other two women were shown naked, one in profile and one from the waist down with her underwear around her thighs. We considered that the poses of all three women, and in particular the image of the woman from the waist down, were provocative and likely to be seen as sexually suggestive. In addition, we considered that a number of consumers were likely to believe that the image of just the lower half of a woman was unduly explicit and degrading to women. We considered that the ad was overtly sexual in nature and was likely to cause serious and widespread offence. We therefore concluded that the ad was unsuitable for public display, especially where it could be seen by children.

The ad breached CAP Code rules 1.3 (Responsible advertising) and 4.1 (Harm and offence). Action

The ad must not appear again in its current form.