Editorial Comment: Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Burlesque?

(Don't forget, my daily editorial comment airs weekday mornings at 6:12 with Bruce Kenyon and the Morning News, and again at 12:20pm with Wayne Nelson and Today So Far)
Monday's editorial comment:

Apparently here in Alberta, the pasties worn by burlesque performers are of great concern to the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commisssion.
Last year, the AGLC began cracking down on burlesque acts, particularily here in Calgary. One establishment was even fined $10,000.
Under the rules of the AGLC, the pasties worn over the nipples by burlesque performers still constitute nudity.
Those in the industry say Alberta's rules are far more strict than anywhere else in Canada, and burlesque performers are treated the same as exotic dancerns.
The rules get quite specific. Performers must remain one metre away from the audience and one metre away from any other performer. Props that may be viewed as "sexual" are also banned.
Who, exactly, are these rules intended to protect and what are they being protected from?
A protest was held over the weekend by a group of Calgary burlesque performers who say enough is enough. They want to call attention to these antiquated regulations and to demonstrate that burlesque is an art form.
In the meantime, we're left with bureaucrats from the AGLC deciding what counts as nude and what counts as sexual, and then deciding for others what's appropriate for them to see.
It's really quite pointless and really quite insulting.
Time for the AGLC to get over it's weird hang-ups and stop harrassing Alberta's burlesque performers.

More here, here, and here.