A
non-profit organization started in 1993 by performers at the Market Street Cinema in
San Francisco. Dancers Dawn Passar and Johanna Breyer called the performers together in response to poor working conditions at the Market Street Cinema, including poor health and safety conditions and the charging of "stage fees."
The initial meeting in May of 1993 was intended to merely address the concerns of the dancers, but so many concerns were presented during the first meeting that a series of regular meetings was scheduled to address varied civil, human, and labor rights of sex workers.
At this point, the mission of the Exotic Dancer's Alliance was formed. The Alliance currently lobbies and advocates on behalf of exotic dancers and other sex workers on every level, from the local to the international stages. Their focus tends toward decriminalization of prostitution and de-stigmatization of sex work worldwide.