Florida Law Raises Age Limit for Adult Entertainment Employment, Sparking Constitutional Rights Lawsuit

Nude Dancer Sues Over Florida Law Raising Age Limit for Adult Entertainment Jobs

A 19-year-old nude dancer in Florida is taking legal action against a new state law that raises the age limit for employment in adult entertainment businesses, claiming it infringes on her constitutional rights.

Serenity Michelle Bushey filed a federal lawsuit on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, arguing that the law violates her First Amendment right to free speech. Two adult entertainment businesses, including the corporation that owns the club where Bushey worked, are also plaintiffs in the suit.

The law in question, HB 7063, was enacted in an effort to combat human trafficking and includes a provision that prohibits employing anyone under the age of 21 at adult entertainment establishments. Although Governor Ron DeSantis signed the bill in May, it only went into effect this Monday.

The lawsuit contends that the lack of a “grandfather clause” in the law forced businesses to immediately terminate employees under the age of 21, resulting in Bushey losing her job as a nude performer at Café Risque. The suit claims that at least eight other performers over 18 but under 21 have also been affected by the law.

Furthermore, the suit argues that the law hinders free speech by limiting Bushey’s ability to perform her art and earn a living. It suggests that the state did not explore alternative measures that could achieve the same goal of combating human trafficking without impinging on First Amendment rights.

In addition to affecting nude performers like Bushey, the law also prevents legal adults under 21 from working in other roles at adult entertainment businesses, according to the lawsuit.

The legal challenge also includes a corporation called Sinsations, which owns a store called Exotic Fantasies that sells adult merchandise but does not feature live entertainment. Despite the store’s employees always being fully clothed, it falls under the same law as establishments with pornographic viewing on site.

The state attorney general’s office has indicated that it will defend the law, while attempts to obtain comment from DeSantis’ office were unsuccessful due to the Fourth of July holiday.

It remains to be seen how this legal battle will unfold and what implications it may have for the adult entertainment industry in Florida.