Strip club owner linked to years of criminal activity, politicians

RCI Hospitality Holdings (RCIHH or Rick's) is a publicly listed strip club company (NASDAQ trade code: RICK) which trades explicitly on women’s bodies for men’s sexual entertainment. According to its website it owns 58 strip clubs (and 13 'Bombshells' restaurants) across 13 American states.

We were surprised to discover a Lutheran investment firm - Thrivent - was a long time shareholder in Rick's. We led a successful campaign calling on them to divest on account that strip club shares violated their responsible investment claims and commitments.

Industry at odds with efforts to end men's violence against women

Campaigns Manager Caitlin Roper was asked to comment on the survival of the "skimpies industry" in a post #METOO era during which women have increasingly testified to and called for an end to sexual objectification and harassment.

The inherently misogynistic skimpies industry is built on the practise of dressing female bar attendants and wait staff in bikinis and lingerie to serve as sexual entertainment for male customers.

We call them out on 'empowerment' claims