We heard through the grapevine this morning that the famed Lusty Lady is in distress — their head Madam has quit, as have their entire Board of Directors, leaving them with no real direction or financial aid. Sandy Bottoms, a former member of the board/dancer, blogs about the situation going down:

Over the past few weeks a giant schism has formed within the cooperative regarding the future of our historic and beloved business, which is resulting in a wave of workers, including myself, walking away. I want it to be known that the Lusties leaving the Lady are NOT walking away from it's rich memory of camaraderie and perseverance during cooperization or landmark status of being the only unionized sex work business' within the United States, but simply from a disintegrating system and hostile working environment within a failing business model.

Sources close to the Lusty Lady and their cadre of Lusties say that to stay alive, they need not only some investments (ahem, $$$), but also some legitimate marketing and some new talent. So if you have some loose cash lying around, are good with Adobe Illustrator or hate your job and have always dreamed of getting naked and shaking your booty, please contact them via Facebook, and do what you can to save this one of a kind San Francisco establishment!

**UPDATE** You can donate directly to the Ladies of Lust HERE to help them with their cause.

Photo via Thomas Hawk

[Thanks, Joshua!]