All About Object

I first became aware of Object in October 2008, when a random web search led me to the Number10.gov.uk 'peoples petition' site. They had opened a petition as follows....

"We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to recategorise lap dancing clubs as Sex Encounter Establishments ".

Submitted by Sandrine Leveque of Object.

The petition closed on 17th October 2008 and gathered 1,831 signatures.

In this time, I also started to read press coverage that was unreservedly pro-Object and vehemently anti-stripper. Amanda Platell wrote an article titled 'My Sickening Encounter with Vermin in Lap Dancing Clubs....Their Existence Degrades us All', while Caitlin Moran ordered 'Girls, Get The F*** Off The Podium. You're Letting Us All Down'. Suzanne Moore asked 'If Smoking in a Pub is Wrong, Why Isn't Sex?'.

It seemed that 'stripper-bashing' was becoming de rigueur in the media and journalists started playing fast and loose with the truth in order to get their point across. The above mentioned Suzanne Moore article included the following sense free paragraph.

'How can we live in a world where you cannot light a cigarette in a pub but it is perfectly acceptable for a virtually naked woman (sorry to be crude, but this IS crude) to bring a clothed man to climax in public?'


Yes...read that again. I wonder if Suzanne understands the meaning behind the words that she wrote.

It was almost inevitable that the revised SEV Licensing regime was adopted, especially after Object were handed so much media support. Then something happened, something very important, because things did not always go Objects way...

2010 saw Object campaign to have every club in Hackney closed. They failed, but not before publishing claims and activist comments that were quite frankly outrageous. In fact a future posting will analyse their Hackney Campaign in some detail.

It was at this time that I started to pick up rumours about Object and its activists. Stories about dancers and sex workers encountering people that insulted and in some cases threatened them. It started to become clear that behind the 'third wave feminist' face of Objects website, there lurked some very unpleasant people that could not cope with being frustrated..

Now, Tower Hamlets is the target and we see Object allying themselves to religious conservatives and a highly suspect borough council. I must admit that things started to look grim and I became somewhat disheartened about the clubs prospects in the borough. Then a contact of mine alerted me to a website called 'Moronwatch' and an article called 'Feminists or Fascists'. I devoured the page and saw, for the first time a media report that not only questioned Object, but labelled them as they are....

'Quite simply, Object is a hate group. Its methods are those of lies and intimidation'.

It was this article that inspired the blog you are now reading.

The media fight back started with Moronwatch, it will continue here and in a number of other websites that we will link to. For too long Object have had things their own way, no longer will we stand by and see friends, relatives and our loved ones slandered and vilified. Now there are hundreds of people that are working very hard to expose these people for what they really are and we will succeed.

For the above mentioned article, please go to http://moronwatch.net/2012/01/feminists-or-fascists.html

For the follow up podcast, featuring interviews with strippers that are happy being strippers (amazingly they do exist), please go to http://moronwatch.net/2012/01/strippers-are-people-too.html

In future postings we will...

Update you on the latest from Moronwatch...

Examine the psychopathology of hate groups and see if a compelling seven stage 'hate model' applies to Object....

Review Objects campaign to close every club in Hackney and examine some of the comments and claims they posted on their website.....

Consider Tower Hamlets Council and Objects involvement with Cllr Rania Khan and CAPE Tower Hamlets.

Keep you updated on all and any information that is relevant...

Thank you for your time.