- Justin Fox Burks
- This sign was posted at The Pony after the new rules went into place.
The ban on nudity, alcohol, and physical contact between dancers and customers at Shelby County strip clubs was upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati on Tuesday.
The ban, which was approved by the Shelby County Commission in 2007, has been appealed by club owners several times. It went into effect in January of last year.
But the ruling likely won’t make much difference in the way most former strip clubs now operate. After the new rules went into effect last year, many clubs took on a bikini bar format so they could continue to sell beer. Dancers at the bikini bars wear two-piece bathing suits or Hooters-style crop tops and extremely short shorts.
Click here to read the Flyer‘s coverage of how the rules affected business at the once-thriving clubs.