Facing budget cuts and student-siphoning charter schools, it’s tough to blame a school district for accepting donations from anyone who’s offering. But even in this desperate climate for public education, a Florida elementary school turned heads by accepting $20,000 in donations over the last two years from a strip club owner.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports the district is considering returning the gift due to its source.
Says the owner: “I’ve been doing this for years and I always do it quietly. Now, for some reason they want to make a big deal out of it.”
A representative from the Christian Family Coalition, for one, isn’t cool with schools accepting money from strip club owners:
“It came from someone associated with the exploitation of women — and that demeans half the population,” he said. “If you do that, where do you draw the line? That’s not the message to send to kids — that it’s OK to exploit women.”
Do you think the school should keep the money? From what sorts of businesses do you think schools should deny financial assistance?
Strip club owner’s gift to school stirs controversy [South Florida Sun-Sentinel via Fark]
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Praise baby jesus!! I see the light!
I really don’t see the problem with this. Strip Clubs have been helping girls get through college for years. I can even see how this probably played out down at the Christian Family Coalition…
“Hey, that strip club has been giving money to schools! We can’t have women getting an education, and thereby avoiding exploitation, by taking money from the heathen exploiters themselves! Jesus demands this end! Now for the next order of business, preventing poor people from using contraception…”
If the schools need money and a strip club owner is willing to front it, they should take the money. I’m sure if they use the cash to teach the kids right, when they grow up they’ll understand.
Oh sure, NOW you care about demeaning women?
They didn’t look a gift horse in the mouth, they punched it and knocked its teeth out.
Someone probably didn’t recognize the company name on the check, found out who it really was, pulled their panties out, and threw a fit. It’s not like he paid in $1 bills.
I go to strip clubs and I’m female–these women need to pay for nursing school somehow.
Keep the money, if the invisible-friend-in-the-sky nutcases do not like it, then they can come up with double the cash to replace it.
It is for the kids, and the American-Taliban types need to shut up.
Had a friend who owned a pawn shop. He accepted a full set of bells in pawn. They were never redeemed. He donated them to his son’s school. Should that school have refused the bells because they were from a pawn shop? Of course not.
Should this school have refused a donation from the Gates foundation? No. Even if Gates made his fortunate by making sane people crazy from crashes, the money is not dirty. It advances education.
The strip club? The money comes from a community business. Accept the donation.
Would I suggest that the strippers come in for career day? Probably not.
Last I heard, strip clubs weren’t hunting women down and forcing them to work there. You may feel it’s unsavory, but the modern day strip club is far from a den of exploitation. These women are skilled workers in a niche industry. Now, when you talk about the fact that they have to (as independent contractors) pay the club a percentage of what they make, sure you could point to some clubs as having shady dealings. But on the whole, I’d say it’s pretty archaic to say the strip club is exploiting the women. Perhaps the women are exploiting the customers and their wallets?
Did they get paid in singles?
Maybe if my high school had taken donations from strip clubs, they could have hired better teachers, and then I wouldn’t have dropped out and become a stripper.
“”It came from someone associated with the exploitation of women — and that demeans half the population,” he said. “If you do that, where do you draw the line? That’s not the message to send to kids — that it’s OK to exploit women.”"
The group is fine with exploiting children, however.
We will take it in Michigan
Keep your Christian Coalition out of my public education, thanks.
As long as it’s a legit business and the money is clean, why not? Would there be an uproar if a Tobacco company donated money? And they exploit *everyone* (not just women).
While I’m sure the school has ways to spend the money, but accepting money from a strip club owner is like borrowing money from the mafia (which totally doesn’t exist! *whew*). Pretty soon, they’ll want you to do a “favor” for them. Maybe put an ad in the school yearbook… maybe help campaign against “blue laws” legislation… Who knows?
It’s not like the money is handed over with the stipulation that strippers get to be ‘exploited’ all over the school or some-such. It’s someone doing a good thing; let them do it!