The Tacky Freedom of a Route 66 Tourist Trap

In Uranus, Missouri, a father and daughter disagree over strip clubs and fudge packer jokes

Amber Fraley
Human Parts
Published in
7 min readSep 6, 2019

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Photo: Chris Friese/Flickr

MyMy dad and I, like so many Americans today, are living out the philosophical divide plaguing this country. I am a libtard. He is a libertarian. I am a feminist. He is most decidedly not. We are both white. My dad, about 20 years ago, became an investor in a strip club in Missouri. For the record, I don’t have a problem with that. I’m pro sex worker and this is a free country. A woman should be free to make money in whatever manner suits her life, and a man should be able to own a 15% share in a strip club if he so desires. I’m certainly no prude, and I’m all for freedom and bodily autonomy.

God bless America.

FFrom the beginning, the strip club was popular and successful, catering to the Army base nearby. But after a few years, a new governor decided to wage war against the state’s exotic dance industry. When the laws changed to require that exotic dancers wear pasties and thongs — or clubs had to cease serving alcohol — business dropped off and the club struggled to stay open.

But this is America, and like all good capitalists, my dad’s business partners opted to make lemonade out of a lemon situation. In the area surrounding the strip club…

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Amber Fraley
Human Parts

Writing about abortion rights, mental illness, trauma, narcissistic abuse & survival, politics. Journalist, novelist, wife, mom, Kansan, repro rights activist.