Editor's Note: F&F Advocacy & Communication

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On 31 October, 2017, New York City lifted the 91-year-old Cabaret Law — a law that prohibited dancing in spaces without a special permit, which was nearly impossible to obtain by business owners due to cost and location restrictions. Rooted in racial and cultural repression, the ban not only prevented luminaries like Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington from performing but also pushed marginalized comminities into unsafe spaces for perfomances. Within the last year, the outdated (and unethical) law was reevaluated by Brooklyn councilman, Rafael Espinal. Along with local business owners, dancers and the New York community at large, Espinal helped dissolve the law from New York’s culture.

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