2 Florida women sue after Rachel’s strip club in Orlando won’t let them in

After the Orlando branch of Rachel’s gentlemen’s club denied entry to two women who arrived without male companions, the two women sued.

Orange County has a local human rights ordinance guaranteeing equal treatment based on sex, as well as age, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, marital status, familial status or sexual orientation.

Lawyers for Rachel’s argued that the Florida Civil Rights Act supersedes the local law, and that they were perfectly within their rights under state law.

A court agreed on May 20 and dismissed the case. The two women, Brittany Smith and Anita Yanes, are appealing.

Joining them in the appeal are the cities of Delray Beach and Miami Beach. Like Orange County -- and much of the rest of South and Central Florida -- the cities have human rights ordinances protecting against discrimination, and they fear the court finding will undermine those laws.

“The dismissal is erroneous and jeopardizes the validity of local human [rights] ordinances across the State of Florida,” a resolution passed Tuesday in Delray Beach reads, “including the City’s own Human Rights Ordinance and directs the City Attorney to seek leave of court to appear as amicus curiae (‘friend of the court’) and file a brief in support of Plaintiffs and in defense of Orange County’s Human Rights Ordinance.”

Women are, in a very roundabout way, notified ahead of time that they are not welcome at Rachel’s club area without men. An FAQ posted on the club’s website includes the question, “Are couples and/or women allowed in the club?”

The answer is, “Couples are always welcome.”

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