NEW YORK — Earlier this week a very special pop-up strip club took over New York’s Body & Pole for a “Night of Worship,” hosted by Jacq the Stripper.
The Tuesday night event championed diversity in what stripper, artist and comedian Jacq describes as a “derivatively heterosexual” market, yielding the stage to a collection of 12 performers who brought the whole spectrum of sexy to the pole.
“Clubs where I've been working for the past 10 years tend to be so focused on hiring young skinny white women that they really miss out on celebrating different kinds of bodies,” shared Jacq. “I find so many different kinds of people sexy — I wanted to make a strip club that turned me on and diversity turns me on.”
“When Body & Pole reached out about having my art on their walls, they also mentioned they host pole jams so I was like, ‘well if we do that we have to also throw money at them’ and so we made it into a little pop-up strip club.”
Notably, the pop-up also doubled as a fundraiser benefiting Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP) Behind Bars, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing assistance to incarcerated sex workers in the U.S., with the suggested $15 cover fee and half of each performer's stage tip being donated to the organization.
“I've been supporting SWOP Behind Bars for a while,” commented Jacq. “The work they do is important and if I can send awareness and resources in their direction, I will.” In addition to the $2622 raised by “Night of Worship,” half of the profits from every sale from Jacq’s #TiredSlut collection online are donated to SWOP Behind Bars and Lysistrata.
Perhaps most significantly, “Night of Worship” continues to mark a shift towards body-positive, inclusive standards in the adult industry.
“'Worship' featured all kinds of bodies and they all made money,” offered Jacq. “It was exciting, sexy and profitable. I want more strip clubs that celebrate diversity, and I will lead by example.”
The two-hour event featured a DJ, full bar and a VIP area where dancers could set their own rates with a suggested price of $40 per lap dance. “A lap dance has been $20 in New York City for over 20 years and rent has tripled,” explained Jacq, “I'm done with that.”
Performer Veronica Viper took to Instagram later, sharing a photo from the event with the attached comment, "That one time, I had the opportunity to play around in the safest, friendliest and most diverse strip club to ever exist for an awesome charity... that."
Other dancers for the evening included Valley Latini, Angel, Jo Weldon, Peaches a la Mode, Alex Hernandez, Juniper Juicy, Dey Phoenix, Jojo Carvel, Ashley, and Stella My Bella.
While any official plans have yet to be announced, Jacq says she's hoping for another "Night of Worship" soon.
For more from Jack the Stripper, follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and check out her official site for merch and tour dates.
