19-year-old nude dancer challenges state’s age limit for working in adult entertainment industry
A 19-year-old nude dancer who lost her job due to age restrictions in Florida’s new law on human trafficking is suing the attorney general and other state officials, alleging that the law violates her constitutional right to free expression.
Plaintiffs Serenity Michelle Bushey, the Café Risque in Alachua County and the retail company Exotic Fantasies Inc. filed the federal lawsuit July 1 in the Northern District of Florida. The complaint challenges House Bill 7063 as a violation of the First and 14th Amendments over a provision that prohibits adult entertainment establishments from hiring performers under the age of 21 who are at least 18.
“Plaintiffs believe that providing this form of expressive communication to the public is a beneficial social activity which enhances individuals’ conscious ability to assimilate and consider various issues involving sexual candor and the interest in human sexuality that all human beings have to a greater or lesser degree,” the lawsuit states.