Okay, so living in Rhode Island naturally this is all over the news here.
My hubby actually worked at this strip club at the door for a few months in the beginning of the year for some extra quick cash.
Obviously RI does not condone this. This club, called Cheaters... is a hot pink buidling in one of the seediest parts of town. Its the type of club that when I've gone there to pick up/drop off hubby I would laugh and say "Do men pay these women to put their clothes back on?!?!" Yeah, nasty. On top of it all, its well known that alot of things happen in the private rooms that aren't necessarily supposed to go on back there... Its nasty. And FYI: The strip club she worked at is a NUDE strip club.
But the law states that a person under the age of 18 must have a work permit to work in the state. I remember when I started working I was 15 and I needed not only my parents signature, but also my school's signature... on a permit that listed the place where I would be employed. (It was a grocery store... not a strip club). The girl was a 16 year old runaway from Boston. I am assuming that she had a fake ID. If she was a runaway, she wouldn't be able to get a work permit in Rhode Island.
But yes, its a loophole. The law states the things that a minor cannot do. I guess that becoming a stripper isn't listed on that list, because lets face it... If done in a legal way, then the parents, school and place of employment all have to sign this work permit. The girl obviously lied about her age, and had a fake ID... and being the nasty place that Cheaters is... they hired her. Hell, one of the girls that I grew up with stripped at Cheaters as soon as she turned 18, her and her mother both worked there... That was their gig... Mommy Dearest.
I doubt that the guys going to this club knew they were getting a lappy from a 16 year old girl. Not their fault. You can't get into the club unless your 21.
They are working to make changes to this loophole, hopefully with the national attention... other states will look into the same thing.