Episode 12: Strippers Voices Part I
In this episode of YAS Podcast, AM Davies (they/them) hosts a special call-in format featuring strippers from across the United States and Canada, including Samantha Knoxx (they/them), Phoebe Ray (she/her), Kit Monroe (she/her), Phoenix (she/her), Andrea (she/her), and Stormy (she/her). Instead of a traditional interview, AM steps back to listen, creating space for dancers to share their lived experiences during the early COVID-19 shutdowns.
The episode captures a raw snapshot of the strip club industry as closures ripple across cities from Charleston and Omaha to Toronto and Anchorage. Dancers discuss sudden shutdowns, lack of employer communication, confusion around unemployment and stimulus eligibility, and the financial instability caused by being misclassified as independent contractors. Several callers describe retaliation, favoritism, suspension, and intimidation from club management when they questioned contracts or advocated for workers’ rights.
Canadian dancers explain how government emergency benefits (CERB) provided temporary relief, while also highlighting the importance of filing taxes as a sex worker. In contrast, U.S.-based dancers report widespread misinformation from employers discouraging unemployment claims. The conversation also explores creative adaptation, from launching OnlyFans accounts to building a sex worker–run virtual strip club cooperative.
Notably, one Alaska-based club stands out for classifying dancers as employees and providing workers’ compensation protections, offering a rare example of supportive management.
This episode is an unfiltered look at labor rights, financial literacy, government policy, and community resilience within the strip club industry, centering sex workers’ voices during a moment of global crisis.
Read the full transcript