Spearmint Rhino Founder John Gray Pens Pandemic Essay

LAS VEGAS—These are trying days for operators of gentlemen’s clubs. The dimmer switch, which keeps on revolving left and right from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, has made many clubs adjust with the regulatory wind — and at a moment’s notice. John Gray, the founder and chairman of Spearmint Rhino Clubs, recently penned an essay on what it’s like for adult entertainment businesses to survive during a pandemic. One thing for sure, Gray wrote in a piece that first appeared on his Facebook page, “Spearmint Rhino will survive on all its fronts. We have survived our more than 30 years as forward-looking thinkers who well plan out alternative routes.” Gray’s Spearmint Rhino Clubs operate the Spearmint Rhino, Dames N’ Games, Blue Zebra and California Girls brands at 20 venues in California, Minnesota, Nevada, Florida, Iowa, Idaho, Kentucky, Australia and the U.K. Gray also is the co-owner of adult studio Ninn Worx_SR Inc. In his essay, Gray wrote the following:   These are indeed trying times. Many face extreme financial hardship as a result. These financial difficulties extend to individuals and their employers alike. While in no manner dismissing these economic hardships, contextually, business types will survive. Individual business ownerships may fail in the test of timing re COVID, but industries will survive. The pandemic far exceeds the expanse of gentlemen's clubs, bars and restaurants. When the entirety of the entertainment industry is adversely affected, concert venues, arena sporting events, movie theaters changing movie production studios, cruise ships affecting the whole of tourist industries, airlines affecting international travel and those associated dollars from tourist effect trickle down to hotels and further to street vendors. Of course, I am scratching only the surface. From an American perspective, to further possess the realization, it is not merely the U.S; instead, the world, the status is sobering. I, too, await news of a meteor impact on Earth is forthcoming. Industries will survive, and regarding economics, so will people survive. These times are unique to us but not the history of the world. From prior epidemic, financial ruin, world wars, all historical. All survived. One of two things is undoubtedly before us: A vaccine or us living with it and the percentage that perishes is lived with, which is painful beyond the written word. Notwithstanding, from the outset earlier this year, I reckoned that the reality was a year in the process. That figures to after the first of next year. Never from Day One was this a week or several month’s expedition. Moreover, the fact we have a presidential election serves to take attention from the reality of daily life and focuses on the politically favorite thing at the moment as opposed to the best job at the moment.    The process leading to a lack of clear and straight-line direction is concerning. The further idea that to "open back up," not to mention the public demonstrations, would not lead to a resurgence is equally a blind eye toward reality. Nothing has substantially changed re the virus, so said, what the hell do politicians and others think was going to happen. Of course, infection numbers are going to climb as a result of opening back up, public gatherings, and the advent of increased testing availability. Rhetorically said, industries will survive as will the overwhelming percentage of individuals. I suggest that effectually people should be left to make their choice re: exposure or not. We make those choices in smoking, exposure to others in flu season, and a myriad of other elective moves that heighten risks to our otherwise well-being. Concerning us, all is a lack of clear and concise, trustworthy leadership. Focus ought to be on the identified most at risk, not the totality of the population. Spearmint Rhino will survive on all its fronts. We have survived our more than 30 years as forward-looking thinkers who well plan out alternative routes. We are concerned in general for workers in America and our employees specifically. We are and will continue to strive to do the right thing for our people and the public. These last couple of weeks of governmental [policies of opening and closing] is frustrating and concerning. [If] the government retains the lawful right to close business for this reason, then they ought to possess the duty to lead effectively for these reasons.