Breast Cancer Society Of Canada Rejects Donation From Exotic Dancers

[MrsSpringsteen]

Wow-so they show their breasts and bodies for a living. But we are all just women period, end of story. And their friend DIED of breast cancer. To place that kind of moral judgment when such a deadly disease is involved-and it's not as if they are serial killers or rapists or something. I find that to be so very sad. It's a disease that is killing so many women, and we need to support ALL women in that and banding together to fight it. How offensive to the memory of their friend.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2007/02/08/bc-dancers-cancer.html

The Breast Cancer Society of Canada has rejected the offer of thousands of dollars from a fundraising group of exotic dancers in Vancouver.

Exotic Dancers for Cancer holds an annual charity event in memory of a former dancer who lost her life to the disease.

Last year, the event raised $6,000.

However, former dancer Trina Ricketts said the society sent her an e-mail declining the money this year, because its major donors did not support a connection to exotic dancers.

She says the society has taken the group's contributions in the past.

"I really feel that it's a strong indication of the degree of the stigma that exotic dancers experience when an organization doesn't even want to be associated with them for fear of experiencing the same stigma."

Ricketts said her group is still looking for a cancer charity that will accept a donation.

The annual event will be held next month at a downtown hotel.

 

[BVS]

Now breast cancer is a "moral" issue?

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

I saw this story on Huffington Post, and this was someone's comment

"It is an age-old practice for unsavory types to try to make public donations to legitimate charities in order to tidy up their own image. The mob was famous for this in the old days. If the dancers really want to support a cancer charity, they can make donations as individuals or anonymously. Insisting that the charity accept a public, explicit donation from exotic dancers is taking the focus off of the charity and placing it on the donors.

I don't give money to cancer charities in order to draw attention to myself. I do it as a semi-anonymous, private citizen and leave it at that. This is the dignified and non-controversial approach that any REAL supporter of a charity would follow.

I support the charity's rejection for this reason--there is no way that the cancer charity should be forced or manipulated against their will into a public 'relationship' with a controversial, and quite frankly, offensive group.

The vast majority of women don't want to have ANYTHING to do with porn or strippers or 'exotic' dancers or their ilk in our day-to-day lives. That doesn't make us anti-sex or prude or any of the other epithets men and porn participants have been flinging at us since the so-called sexual revolution in the 1960's. We just happen to think that human sexual expression is private--and not appropriately a commodity."



And this is what another person said is a statement on the society's website

"The Breast Cancer Society of Canada always maintains the highest respect for donors and makes decisions in the donors best interest."

 

[BVS]

All I see is self righteous judgement.

 

[martha]

The single women's profession that has the biggest stake in breasts and breast health is exotic dancers. The organization that rejected their donation is letting itself be guided by uptight, narrow-minded people.

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

Pure bullshit.

It's really sad that some people think so highly of themselves they can't accept a donation from a group just because they don't agree with the fact that they take their clothes off for a living.

I'm already anticipating a comment along the lines of, "well, what if Osama bin Laden donated a million to the society, then would it be considered bullshit, his donation being declined?"

Just bring it. I'm waiting.

 

[BrownEyedBoy]

Apparently they have spare cash and don´t need a donation.

 

[anitram]

Lame.

They should take their money and gift it to a research lab working on breast cancer instead.

 

[Vincent Vega]

I don't think any woman suffering and probably dying from breast cancer cares where the money for her life saving therapy came from.

 

[Laura M]

My parents both have a sibling with cancer which we found out about last month - one is terminal and another one has skin cancer. It's a horrible disease and too many are suffering.

The more money given towards research the better. Giving to charity is always a good thing. Not accepting that money is sickening.

 

[indra]

How idiotic.

And how depressing to find many Canadians are as every bit as jugemental and petty as many in the US.

 

[U2Girl416]

despite anyone's feelings about whether being a stripper is wrong or disgusting, these woman are pulling together for a friend they lost, and for a disease that will take so many more. It shouldn't matter where the money came from, they're supporting the cause. that should be enough.

 

[Shaliz]

Why would the "major donors" assume that people will "associate" them with the exotic dancers just because they both gave money to the same charity? People are really paranoid sometimes.

Why would anybody care where the money comes from when people are trying to find a cure for cancer?

 

[Canadiens1131]

How idiotic.

And how depressing to find many Canadians are as every bit as jugemental and petty as many in the US.

Not really, just those Breast people I guess

 

[blueeyedgirl]

Some breasts are more equal than others.

 

[deep]

It is just a business decision

take $6000 from dancers

and lose much more from the religious people, say $600,000


money talks
religion screams
breasts dance

 

[bonoishot]

Lame.

They should take their money and gift it to a research lab working on breast cancer instead.

Edited. Just read there website, this is a quote from it. They do fund reasearch.

Our mandate is to fund vital Canadian research into improving the detection, prevention and treatment of breast cancer as well as to ultimately find a cure and create awareness through education.

despite anyone's feelings about whether being a stripper is wrong or disgusting, these woman are pulling together for a friend they lost, and for a disease that will take so many more. It shouldn't matter where the money came from, they're supporting the cause. that should be enough.

I don't think any woman suffering and probably dying from breast cancer cares where the money for her life saving therapy came from.

Very true. My Mum developed terminal cancer as a result of breast cancer and i wouldn't care if the money had come from a group of exoic dancers, if it had helped my Mum or any other people who needed the benefits of research or treatment for cancer then I just wouldn't care.

Watching someone fight this disease is heartbreaking. Its such a terrible disease that claims so many lives. The more money going into research the better.

I'm sure the money will go to another charity where it can still be put to good use into research and/or treatment for cancer.

 

[Canadiens1131]

It is just a business decision

take $6000 from dancers

and lose much more from the religious people, say $600,000


money talks
religion screams
breasts dance

Actually that's not a bad point

 

[Varitek]

Hopefully they can find a different organization to give it to.

 

[snowbunny00774]

It is just a business decision

take $6000 from dancers

and lose much more from the religious people, say $600,000


money talks
religion screams
breasts dance

Good Point.


Ironic though, that they want to avoid the publicity of being associated with the exotic dancers. The dancers who have donated several times, and we never heard anything about it, it was never a big deal, the majority of Canadians didn't know anything about them donating and the Society being tarnished by accepting the donation until - the Society declined the donation.
Fools - what most people don't know won't be a reason for them to stand on principle (if you can call it that).


In the meantime maybe the dancers can donate to a hospice, if the preventative people won't take their money to avoid alienating principled big donors, maybe the end stage care givers have more forgiving large donors.

 

[Bono's Betty]

Thats sick

 

[verte76]

I think it's terrible for them to refuse the donation. It's rejecting a means to a cure.

 

[bono's stalker]

tits are tits. boobs are boobs, does it matter?

 

[fly so high!]

It is just a business decision

take $6000 from dancers

and lose much more from the religious people, say $600,000


money talks
religion screams
breasts dance

i think you hit the nail right on the head , as much as the thought of refusing funds disgusts me and should not matter how big or small....everything counts...it's not like these women are working for a terrorist association, they are dancers for Christ's sake!

 

[Angela Harlem]

exotic dancers get breast cancer. everyone can get cancer. even rapists and serial killers. those of you who are saying it is not as if these women were one of [insert worse example group here], i am guessing it is more a figure of speech than anything; but if it isn't, is what you've said any better? if it really doesn't matter who donates, then it really shouldn't matter who donates. the money from a murderer is as legal as that of a law abiding citizen.

 

[coolian2]

What kind of classless donor would pull out simply because some exotic dancers donated a bit of money?

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

exotic dancers get breast cancer. everyone can get cancer. even rapists and serial killers. those of you who are saying it is not as if these women were one of [insert worse example group here], i am guessing it is more a figure of speech than anything; but if it isn't, is what you've said any better?

Since I'm "those of you" since I'm the only one who said that-well it was just a figure of speech, basically just speculating whether or not they'd refuse a donation from those people either as compared to exotic dancers, perhaps. And I would hardly morally equate serial killers and rapists to exotic dancers. Yes I place moral judgments on rapists and serial killers-what they do to other humans is morally wrong in my view. They are human but what they do to their fellow man and woman is immoral, and I do judge that. Don't think that makes me a bad person or anything.. Honestly personally I don't think when it comes to something like breast cancer that anyone's money should be refused.

 

[Angela Harlem]

Cherin said something along those lines as well, actually Dont get defensive, though. I agree with you. I'm just saying that dont we agree when it comes to accepting cold hard cash, can we ignore who is giving it? Maybe we can't, I dont know. I believe if it were me being offered the money for research, I'd just jump at it. No matter who was handing it over. While this is where I am coming at this from, I do agree that of course there is something morally and fundamentally wrong with serial killers and rapists. Sheesh. If it looked as though I was saying anything otherwise, then shoot me. I will never say or mean anything in defense of such people. Their money, on the other hand, is as legal tender as anyone else's. That's all.

My point, in short, is the destination of that money overrides any moral judgement we make, be it on a rapist or an exotic dancer.

Forget I said anything though. I'm obviously not writing this clearly enough.

 

[A_Wanderer]

What of someone like Charles Keating; if the money is stolen in the first place then it does make a big difference.

 

[Liesje]

Cherin said something along those lines as well, actually Dont get defensive, though. I agree with you. I'm just saying that dont we agree when it comes to accepting cold hard cash, can we ignore who is giving it? Maybe we can't, I dont know. I believe if it were me being offered the money for research, I'd just jump at it. No matter who was handing it over. While this is where I am coming at this from, I do agree that of course there is something morally and fundamentally wrong with serial killers and rapists. Sheesh. If it looked as though I was saying anything otherwise, then shoot me. I will never say or mean anything in defense of such people. Their money, on the other hand, is as legal tender as anyone else's. That's all.

My point, in short, is the destination of that money overrides any moral judgement we make, be it on a rapist or an exotic dancer.

I agree, but I also think deep is right. Plenty of uber-conservative types will decide not to donate because they'll think the society is now in cahoots with exotic dancers. It's sick, but that's the reality of the situation. So do they accept X-monies from the dancers and risk losing 200x-monies from the conservatives?

I work for an academic institution that only exists because of donors. The types of things we have to deal with or pass on because of the risk of losing the bigger donors sometimes makes me ill, but it's the only way to stay in business.