August 27–September 3, 1998

20 questions

Teresa Dulce

Interview by Neil Gladstone

During her senior year at UC Santa Cruz, Teresa Dulce made a documentary about exotic dancers in San Francisco organizing for better working conditions. While hanging out in strip clubs, she realized that dancing professionally would give her a flexible schedule and the ability to travel. She had student loans to pay off and didn't want to move back into her mother's house or get a 9-to-5 job. So she became an exotic dancer. After traveling all over the country and picking up on the different laws and etiquette, Dulce thought it would be helpful to create a resource guide for dancers and began publishing Danzine. The articles in the zine range from keeping S/M safe to fighting for your rights and even how to deal with pregnancy when you're a sex worker. There are also helpful counseling numbers and legal information listed in every issue. Dulce, 28, was on the phone from her office in Portland, OR.

Does your family know about Danzine?

Yeah, my siblings think it's fantastic. Danzine helped me and my mom through our five-year discussion over why I'm dancing. She's still worried for me.

Are there certain parts of the country that are more lucrative?

Tough call. It seems that every gal thinks the grass is greener. It's really reflective of the local economy. I like dancing in Austin, TX, because business is booming. But when I danced in Albuquerque, NM, you could tell that things were a little more depressed.

Are economic conditions reflected in the customers?

Sure, if someone's living in an area where they're making a lot of money or they enjoy the display of wealth—like parts of Texas or metropolitan cities—then you're more likely to receive the winnings.

Do you have a favorite type of customer?

My favorite is the working men. I say come on in with your overalls and sawdust-covered shoulders. The white-collar guys at gentleman's clubs really put a thorn in my butt. They're just too high-maintenance for me. You get four businessmen in front of you and a group mentality takes over. You wind up with a group of dickheads that want you to prance around like an idiot. With the working-class guys all you have to do is dance , but with the white-collar guys you have to keep pushing it and laugh at their dumbass jokes and practically pull the money out of their wallet. They treat you like a little servant.

Are there any situations that are particularly demeaning?

When I think of demeaning, I usually think of the working conditions. I think stage fees [money paid to dance] are ridiculous. If we're being treated like an employee we should be compensated like an employee with benefits and workers comp.

How much are the stage fees?

They can range anywhere from $2 to $150. San Francisco is getting really bad. Parts of it have a stage fee in excess of $100. One of the results is more prostitution. Because these gals need to clear over a $100 to make a profit, they're going to make that money however they can.

Is it legislation or club owners that cause such high stage fees?

The legislation is negligent about our working conditions. It's the club owners that are causing high stage fees. They are doing whatever they want. Fair labor practices are overlooked because we're strippers. I think we have to start fighting for our rights. There are a couple of groups in the U.S.—The Exotic Dancers Alliance in San Francisco and the Prostitutes of New York [PONY]. But there's a high turnover rate in the sex industry and it's hard for us to join forces.

How do you feel about the mainstream media's portrayal of exotic dancers?

I'm not concerned with the way Hollywood portrays us because they're just out for a buck. What I'm concerned about is the news because people believe the news. I think it would be great for news outlets to have a sex-worker expert. It seems like whenever we have a major political event discussed on the news, somebody calls an expert from the local university to put in their two cents. But when the story concerns prostitution and police sweeps, the reporter goes off the cuff. They give way too much press time to police harassment and call it "protection." We're never asked how we're being treated about our own situation.

Do you want prostitution legalized?

I don't know if I want it to be legalized, but I would like it to be decriminalized. The thing with making it legal is that too many hands will be in the pot. Nevada is a good example—the state is the pimp. If it's decriminalized, hopefully, people can make their own decisions and it won't be illegal.

Have you ever worked as a prostitute?

I have traded sex for money.

Do you regularly make money that way?

Oh yeah, it supplements my income. But I think most dancers just dance. I think the bottom line is that if a girl needs to make money she is going to do what she has to do.

Do you ever worry about what you'll do when you're dancing career is over?

Sure, that's one of the points of Danzine. We want dancers to keep an eye on their futures. One of the benefits of dancing is that because of the flexible schedule you can take classes and strip; you can take care of your family and strip. We're trying to tell younger dancers to save your money while you're making it and give yourself a long-term goal to work on. Unlike other jobs, you don't make more money in stripping because you have a lot of experience in the field.

What's your long-term goal?

I want to see Danzine grow. At the moment it's primarily being distributed in dressing rooms. I want to see Danzine in every strip club, peep show and massage parlor across the country.

Danzine's publishing schedule is erratic, but back issues are available. Contact the office at (503) 234-9615 or write to 625 S.W. 10th Ave., #233-B, Portland, OR 97205.