New Zealand: Cross-dressers protest in front of Parliament

New Zealand strippers, some in stage costumes, protested outside parliament in Wellington on Thursday to demand better legal protection for the adult entertainment industry.

“The abuses we face make us vulnerable as workers,” said Margot Embargo, who identified herself under a pseudonym and spokeswoman for the gathering, which brought together dozens of demonstrators, including a handful of men.

Vixen Temple, a pole dancer who gyrated around a moving pole as MPs looked on, said it was “vital” that the government improve the rights of people working in the adult entertainment industry.

According to the spokesperson, they particularly want better protections to protect themselves from some predatory employers and the right to collectively bargain for better wages and working conditions.

In New Zealand, strip dancers work as independent contractors. In theory, they can decide which days to perform and how much. In fact, it is often the owners of the clubs who dictate the conditions by determining their wages or fining dancers who call in sick.

“Because the clubs don't have regulations on how they're allowed to treat their workers, they exploit them a lot,” explains 24-year-old Margot Embargo, which “makes us vulnerable.”

According to him, club owners ask strippers for up to 50% of their income so that they can produce, which has almost doubled in recent years, estimating that “exploitation continues to increase”.

The coalition hopes its petition will allow the adoption of the new law, which already has some support in parliament.