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The (not so) Naked City
How many of you have ever been to Times Square in New York? Not
for Dick Clark and the whole New Year’s Eve thing, nor for the
Disney scene. I’m talking about for the porn shops, peep show
booths, and what have you. If you haven’t, you might want to go
now before just about all of them disappear.
In 1995, New York City passed a zoning law that restricted adult
businesses to commercial and manufacturing districts - in
essence, non-residential zones. Even within the commercial and
manufacturing districts, there were statutes for the placement
of such adult businesses. For example, they couldn’t exist
within 500 feet of a church, nor within 500 of a school, nor
within 500 feet of each other. It seems, though, that many
enterprises in certain areas such as Times Square and Greenwich
Village were able to escape the “adult business” moniker. A
business would have to showcase at least a 40% inventory stock
of adult material to be labeled as an adult enterprise.
Therefore, a lot of businesses were able to skate by in largely
residential neighborhoods by stocking 39% or less sexual
material. Even if a sex shop derived the bulk of its revenue
from sex tapes, peep show booths, etc., legally they were well
within their rights to exist in those places. Well, the city
passed an ordinance in 2001 to close the loophole posed by the
“adult business” description. And an appellate court in New York
state recently (in April) upheld the new definition of what an
adult-themed enterprise was. You’ll find the new definition at
http://www.gaycitynews.com/gcn_415/courtupholdssexshop.html
along with more of the story. The bottom line is, unless this
ruling of the appellate court is overturned, a lot of sex shops
will suddenly be found to be in contempt of the zoning law.
I have a somewhat tongue-in-cheek question: In a city of over
eight million within an approximate 300 sq. mi. area, what isn’t
a residential neighborhood? Granted, I’m not the first person to
ever hold this view.
But (somewhat) seriously, I’d always considered Times Square one
of the great porn meccas in the world; possibly the greatest on
the eastern seaboard. If you’re a porn aficionado like I am, and
you live in the mid-Atlantic region on the east coast, you make
your pilgrimage to New York. If you live on the left coast, you
make your way to The Valley. If you live in Europe, you call on
the Red Light District in Amsterdam.
Now, the porn shrine in the Square is no more. (*with mock
dramatic intensity, one fist raised to the sky*) Damn you,
Mickey Mouse, damn you!
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