Nanny State Alert: Tucson City Councilman Proposes Higher Age Requirements for Strippers

What’s the first thing you think when you see a nice, 18-year-old stripper? We have a feeling it’s not “wow, she’s great, and all. I just really wish she was older.”

That, apparently, is what Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik thinks whenever he sees one, because he’s introduced legislation that would increase the age requirement for strippers in Tucson.

If Kozachik has his way, women would need to be 21 years old to become a stripper at strip clubs that don’t serve alcohol — not 18, as is the current requirement.

Kozachik tells New Times this isn’t a morality issue, it’s about keeping
girls from putting themselves in situations they may regret in the
future.

“My concern is not playing some sort of morality cop,” he says.

Whatever you say, dude.

Kozachik cites several studies that show women don’t start fully
understanding the long-term consequences of their actions until they’re
23 or 24 years old. So it’s a good thing he’s pushing to have the age
requirement be 21.

In other words, if the problem is that women are
incapable of understanding the consequences of their actions until 23 or
24 (his words, not ours), why not make the age requirement 23 or 24?

He says the reason 21 should be the age requirement is because that’s
been the standard age state legislatures have used when it comes to
things like gambling and alcohol.

We have problems with this proposition on several fronts. First
being, of course: we like our strippers as close to the age of consent
as possible — for nostalgic reasons. When you turn 18, you’re an adult.
Whether you act like an adult is up to you, not Councilman Kozachik.

Secondly, assuming every stripper under the age of 21 has made bad
choices somewhere along the way is a bit presumptive. We’re sure
stripping isn’t the ideal profession for a high school grad, but it pays
well and can lead to other opportunities like porn
modeling. It can also help pay the bills while a stripper attends
college — something Councilman Kozachik may want to consider with the
University of Arizona falling under the jurisdiction of this proposed
nanny-state law.

In any event, if you live in Tucson, and the strippers you’ve come to
enjoy start to look more like Angela Lansbury and less like Angelina Jolie (OK,
so it might not be that profound), you know who to thank.