A San Francisco landmark will soon be closing its doors.
Originally a 16mm porn peep show arcade, the Lusty Lady Theater began offering live performances in 1983. In April 1997, by a vote of 57 to 15, Lust Lady employees voted to unionize, and created the Exotic Dancers Union — the only sex-worker organization of its kind.
Since then, the Lusty lady has been world famous as the world’s first cooperatively owned and unionized strip club and peep show co-op.
According to published reports, with the rise of internet pornography, the fall of the economy and the popularity of flashy ‘upscale’ clubs, the Lusty Lady has been in financial trouble for some time.
Owners and supporters of the struggling venue located at Kearny St. and Broadway, had been looking for ways to keep its doors open for months, but today, Princess Pandora wrote on Facebook:
Dear Ladies and Friends in the Community,
It is with shaking hands & tear stained cheeks that I write to say, The The Lusty Lady San Francisco is CLOSING. We just heard from our land lord, they will NOT agree to a new lease, they are closing our doors.
They have given us just TWO WEEKS. WE CLOSE OUR DOORS AND SAY GOODBYE on 9/2/13
Please help us spread the word, and make it a glorious & glamorous two weeks!
Thank you so much for all the love and support over the years!
XXX
~P