An Orlando strip club denied entry to two women because they were unaccompanied by a man, saying that their presence would distract men from the exotic dancers and that they might ’cause drama’ by ‘looking for their husband’ inside.
Brittney Smith and Anita Yanes allege that they were turned away by Rachel’s Orlando, a ‘world class gentleman’s club and steakhouse’ near Orlando International Airport in February of last year.
According to the lawsuit filed with Orange County Circuit Court, Smith and Yates were not allowed into the club because the owners thought they might draw men’s attention away from the dancers on stage, thus hurting business.
They were also told they couldn’t enter the strip club because they may have been ‘looking for our husbands and cause drama,’ according to the lawsuit.
In February of last year, Anita Yanes (left) and Brittney Smith (right) were denied entry into an Orlando strip club because they weren’t accompanied by a man
Rachel’s Orlando (above) told the two women that their presence in the club would distract men’s attention away from the strippers
Smith claimed in the lawsuit that she patronized Rachel’s on a weekly basis for a period of about three years.
Each time Smith went to the strip club, she was accompanied by a man, according to the court filing.
On February 10 of last year, Smith was at Rachel’s when she noticed that one of the dancers bore a striking resemblance to her friend, Yanes.
So she phoned Yanes and invited her to make the drive down to Orlando from her home in Spring Hill, Alabama.
Yanes and Smith then approached the entrance to Rachel’s at approximately 10:15pm on the same day.
According to the lawsuit, the hostess asked Smith and Yanes for identification to make sure they were over the age of 21.
After checking their ID, the hostess then asked if there was a male companion with them.
Yanes and Smith told the hostess that there was not, according to the suit.
The hostess then informed Yanes and Smith that they would not be permitted entry without a man accompanying them into the strip club.
When they protested, they were told that they ‘might take the men’s attention from the strippers’ or ‘they may be here looking for our husbands and cause drama.’
According to the lawsuit, the two women then asked to speak to the manager.
The manager told them they could not enter and repeated the reasons given by the hostess, according to the lawsuit.
The manager added that the club denied women entry without a man so as to ‘prevent prostitution in their premises.’
In their lawsuit, Yanes and Smith claim they asked for – and were granted – permission to record the manager.
The two women then left the club ‘feeling angry, rejected, and embarrassed.’
They filed the lawsuit claiming gender-based discrimination and are seeking unspecified damages.
The women received permission from the strip club’s manager to record him at the entrance
The manager explained to the women that it was the club’s policy not to allow them to enter without a man
The original lawsuit was filed in April 2018, but it was dismissed this past May after Orange County Circuit Court Judge Keith A Carsten ruled that Yanes and Smith should have filed their lawsuit under the Florida Civil Rights Act.
Instead, they based their claims on the local law in Orange County, which prohibits gender-based discrimination.
The ruling set off a frenzy of civil rights legislation passed by local municipalities all across Florida who were alarmed at the prospect of having the state override protections for minority communities as well as LGBTQ citizens.
In total, 46 cities and counties across Florida passed their own versions of civil rights ordinances banning discrimination based on gender identity or expression.
Smith and Yanes have filed an appeal. About a dozen Florida communities contributed ‘friend-of-the-court’ – or amicus – briefs in support of their efforts.
Last year, a lesbian couple from San Francisco – Sonia Otalvaro (left and her wife, Heather Cox (right) – filed suit after they were denied entry into a North Miami Beach strip club
The local municipalities and counties are worried that the court ruling in the Rachel’s lawsuit will set a bad precedent in which anti-discrimination ordinances will be rendered void by state laws.
DailyMail.com has reached out to the attorneys representing both sides.
Steven Mason, a lawyer for Rachel’s Orlando, told the Orlando Sentinel that state law should supersede local laws.
He accused ‘left-leaning’ communities of ‘attempting to gut state law’ because they were unhappy about the laws passed by the Republican-controlled legislature in Tallahassee.
‘I understand why certain cities and counties across the state are in a panic that their anti-discrimination codes may be invalidated,’ Mason said.
‘I hope that they are; they are unconstitutional.’
The attorney who represents Smith and Yanes is also working on behalf of a lesbian couple from San Francisco who allege that they were denied entry into a North Miami Beach strip club last year.
Heather Cox and her wife, Sonia Otalvaro, allege they were turned away from Dean’s Gold strip club, according to WTVJ-TV.
‘We said, “Yeah, we want to come in,” and they said, “You can’t,” and I was very confused by that answer,’ Cox said.
‘So I asked again, “What do you mean we can’t?”
‘“You have to be accompanied by a man,” they said.’
Cox added: ‘It’s blatant discrimination. I can’t get into the club because I’m not with a man. What?’
According to the lawsuit, the two women say they were told by the club: ‘It is a company policy not to allow un-escorted ladies in our club without first seeking management approval.’
Dean’s Gold denied that they discriminated against patrons.
‘What happens here is that because it is a gentleman’s club there are concerns that it may attract people such as prostitutes or women who are upset looking for their husbands or their boyfriends,’ said Eduardo Rasco, an attorney for Dean’s Gold.
‘And there have been incidents.’