Westside : Regulations OKd on New Topless Clubs
The city of West Hollywood, that bastion of sexual freedom, is drawing the line at topless female dancers.
Minutes before last Sunday’s Gay Pride Parade, which was attended by tens of thousands of revelers in various stages of undress, the City Council held a special meeting and passed an emergency ordinance regulating new topless bars, adult theaters and adult bookstores.
The law bars such businesses from opening near churches, parks, schools and residential areas.
“I don’t think anybody wants to see a proliferation of adult businesses,” said Mayor John Heilman. “As liberal as the city is, these types of businesses can have a negative impact if not regulated.”
That’s not to say there will be a shortage of flesh on display within city limits. The ordinance doesn’t affect the Body Shop, a famed strip club on Sunset Boulevard, nor a few existing bookstores, theaters and bars that feature adult entertainment.
The council acted after Mark Bailey, the prospective proprietor of a new topless club, reportedly complained that the existing law was too vague.
Bailey, who achieved some notoriety as the operator of the now-closed topless club Twenty/20 in Century City, could not be reached for comment.
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