I remember working at the very first strip club in Adelaide called LaBelle situated in Hindley Street where "JIVE" is now. The boss was a tyrant and treated his strippers (mainly transgender) with little or no respect.

He would bash and verbally abuse some of us on a regular basis but it wasn’t just the transgender girls who copped it. Most of his staff were female and everyone got the back of his hand at some stage.

So why did we put up with such hideous behaviour? Because, in most cases, none of us had worked in any other environment and in those days being a stripper was all we knew and, being transgender, no one else would give us a job.

So it was this abuse or the dole queue and I, for one, have never been unemployed in my life.

I remember once being dragged out of the club by my hair and locked in a dumpster all because I said I didn’t know where his girlfriend was.

She had been bashed the night before by this man and was staying at my flat at Glenelg so he couldn’t get to her again. So the next day, when he found out I lied, I was the one who copped his wrath.

Nothing was ever done about this man and these days I believe he drives taxis, still in Adelaide.

The next time you think your boss or anyone else in your work environment is sexist or racist, speak out. If they make rude comments you feel aren’t justified and don’t agree with, tell someone and talk it out. No one needs to put up with this sort of behaviour anymore - we've come a long way since those days.

Hugs

Vonni

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