AP: Oregon strikes down 2 sex-oriented laws

[question everything]

Oregon strikes down 2 sex-oriented laws

SALEM, Ore. – The Oregon Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional yesterday a state law against live sex shows and a local ordinance that says nude dancers must stay at least 4 feet from patrons.

Both restrictions violate the Oregon Constitution's guarantee of free expression, the court said in a pair of 5-1 decisions.

Associated Press

From http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050930/news_1n30region.html

[lcordero2]

1. heh

:woohoo:

[nosmokes]

2. looks like i'm gonna need some one$...

of course, you still can't marry your same sex partner here, but at least you can take 'em to a live sex show on a date.

[depakid]

3. Oregon's Free speech protection is much greater

than the 1st Amendment. For example, there's no such thing as obscenity under Oregon law. Doesn't exist.

From time to time the far right tries to repeal the state constitutional provision- and every time, they fail.

[BlueIris]

4. Color me shocked to see the headlines about this, today.

I'd lost a little faith in the ORSC recently.

[mongo]

8. Yes, because if there ever was a progressive cause

it is legislating individual's morality :sarcasm:

[sarcasmo]

5. This is actually bigger news than most people realize.

The Christian Taliban will be coming after the strip clubs and porn once Roberts over turns Roe V Wade.

[mongo]

7. They are already coming after strip clubs and porn

mostly on the State level for strip clubs. The 5ft rule law that was struck down in Oregon is being tried in many states.

And the feds have taken resources off of the child porn unit to go after adult obscenity.

[sarcasmo]

11. Once the Christian Taliban overturns abortion they will come after

strip clubs and porn ten fold.

[Straight Shooter]

6. When I lived in Tennessee, then in Texas, I wanted to move to Oregon.

Heh. Here I am.

:woohoo:

[Nikia]

9. I wondered about the whole freedom of expression issue

I live in Wisconsin and one of the strip clubs is planning on going to court about the fact that dancers cannot be totally nude since they serve alcohol. The owner is claiming that they should be able to be nude because of freedom of expression.
Don't communities have the right to regulate business though? In this case, the club could have nude dancing if they did not serve alcohol. Is serving alcohol part of the clubs freedom of expression?
Also, there are some who say that there should be no obsentity laws, but there are. If taking ones clothes off and suggestively dancing is freedom of expression, why is a dancers freedom of expression more impotant than my right to freedom of expression if I wished to do this for free in a public park?
Also, prostitution is against the law in most of the U.S. What is the line between exotic dancing and prostitution? Should states and communities be able to define this more strictly such as preventing dancers from touching patrons or even getting too close to them?
I read that Oregon's constitution is more liberatarian on this issue than the U.S. constitution. I just wondered about the whole constitutional protection issue.

[mongo]

10. Some answers

Don't communities have the right to regulate business though? In this case, the club could have nude dancing if they did not serve alcohol. Is serving alcohol part of the clubs freedom of expression?

Communities have the right to regulate business, but they can't outlaw a whole class of business such as strip clubs or adult stores. They must craft their zoning laws so that such places have the opportunity to locate there.

Serving alcohol may not be part of the clubs freedom of expression, but why allow every other form of entertainment but not totally nude stripping? Should a community be able to outlaw country music?

why is a dancers freedom of expression more impotant than my right to freedom of expression if I wished to do this for free in a public park?

Because adults have the right to view materials and performances that are not suitable for children. Hence you have no right to dance nude in a public park, but you do have the right in a strip club.

Also, prostitution is against the law in most of the U.S. What is the line between exotic dancing and prostitution? Should states and communities be able to define this more strictly such as preventing dancers from touching patrons or even getting too close to them?

What you are doing here, is trying to eliminate a dancer's livelyhood by instituting the 6 ft rule. Prostitution is actual sexual contact. A lap dance (in most places) is not.

My question is why does the anti-sex authoritarian left want to decide what other women can do with their lives?