Nude Dancing Gets New Life

Even before it could be enforced, a federal district court has put a hold on a new Ohio rule designed to clamp down against nude dance clubs. \n The hold, in effect until at least Dec. 21, will give senior U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aldrich time to study whether the new rule is constitutional or whether she should strike it down, as she did a previous law on nude and topless dancing. \n The earlier rule required all dancers to at least wear pasties and G-strings. Judge Aldrich said the rule was too broad and too vague and thus a denial of First Amendment rights of free expression. \n he Ohio Liquor Control Commission went back to the drawing board and came up with Rule 52, which prohibited certain simulated sexual acts. Judge Aldrich said the new rule was a step in the right direction but might also have problems. \n In particular, she wants to more closely examine the last paragraph, which prohibits bars from letting anyone "commit improper conduct of any kind, type or character that would offend the public's sense of decency, sobriety or good order." Also, she wants to consider the implications of the rule applying to both live performances and those that are recorded. \n Once again, lawyers for Tiffany's Cabaret in Brunswick argued that the regulations were too vague. J. Michael Murray, one of the lawyers, said the rule could be applied to hotel rooms that had mini-bars and showed adult pay-per-view movies or even to a tavern with a TV tuned to "N.Y.P.D. Blue." \n He also said the rule would prohibit performances of ballet and modern dance in theaters which held a permit to sell alcohol. \n Murray said any state rule ought to be clear enough to be easily understood by those it regulates and not left up to the judgment or interpretation of law enforcement agents. \n Meanwhile, the state attorney general's office argued that the rule is constitutional and that the state should be allowed to enforce it.