Elle Stanger is a creepy Portland stripper who doesn’t understand the distinctions between independent contractor and employee, even though she is roughly the same age as me and has danced for a similar time period. All it takes is a google search term “economic realities” to get started on understanding those distinctions.

Several years ago when a Portland dancer named Matilda Bickers* was courageously suing Casa Diablo for misclassification and sexual harassment, Elle Stanger did many things to promote the harassment and abuse of Matilda Bickers. Elle has a media and internet presence, so her behaviors added a significant amount of stress to Matilda’s already stressful litigation process. Elle Stanger has a pattern of socializing with misogynist males and other people who are interested in promoting a patriarchal ideal of femininity and entertainment. I have always disliked Elle Stanger to an extreme degree.

Earlier last year, Elle Stanger emailed me, to ask if I wanted to be on her show. I immediately declined, of course. It was very strange to me that Elle was friendly when emailing this blog, since she already had me blocked on social media for quite a while. Elle Stanger has no interest in the unionization of dancers or recognizing our employee rights, so it was really weird to get an email from her. I let her know about my dismay with her past behaviors. She replied that Matilda Bickers has a past of making fake accounts to troll and be hostile, etc. I don’t have any problems with Matilda Bickers making fake troll accounts or being hostile in strip clubs to customers who are engaging in harassment. In fact, I do all of those same things myself. In fact, I am also blacklisted from an array of strip clubs across the country for my labor rights interests.

For the New Year, I just want to remind all the strippers out there that it’s OK to be assertive with one’s rights, not fit patriarchal standards of behavior, not be congenial, and fight for your employee rights even if you are in an industry that is traditionally stigmatized and shunned by mainstream society. It’s also OK to turn down crappy publications, shows and journalist inquiries if you feel they are not working in your best interests.

Editor’s Note: Matilda Bickers is the same individual discussed in my article “footwear.” While I applaud Bickers suing Casa Diablo, she is otherwise a genocidal SJW typically found in places like Portland, and should be taken with caution.