Heather Veitch talks to naked girls about Jesus. In 2004, the former stripper started JC’s Girls, a Las Vegas-based ministry that reaches out to strippers by—well, it’s best to let her explain it. We’re ambivalent, to put it mildly, about the concept, but found her interesting to talk to anyway. JC Aevaliotis talked to Heather:

What is JC’s Girls, and how did it happen?

I was an exotic dancer for 4 years, then I became the typical Judgmental Jerk Christian, pointing my finger at that world in disgust. Then a friend from my past died from alcoholism. That’s when I got the idea of going into strip clubs and buying lap dances. It seemed important to me not to just interrupt their work and start talking to them about God. Their time is valuable. So I brought a team of six girls into a club. We all went in, bought dances and talked to the girls about God. Our responses were anything from blank stares to absolute joy.

What was it like for you when you stopped stripping and went to church?

I faced a lot of judgment and gossip. I was also bisexual before I became a Christian, and some of the women would say “Be careful trying on clothes in front of Heather, she’ll be checking you out.” Your typical church woman didn’t really do it for me, though. Honestly, I would think to myself “Girl, don’t flatter yourself.”

Did JC’s Girls attend the most recent Adult Video News conference?

Yes—our booth was in the gay adult video section. I have some awesome friends that do gay porn, so I bought them all cowboy Bibles.

Cowboy Bibles?

Yeah, they’re these Bibles someone made for cowboys, they have little saddles on the cover. My gay-porn friends think they’re hilarious.

How do you prepare your less-experienced JC’s Girls colleagues for something like the AVN conference?

I explain everything that they’re going to see: “You’re going to see porn with clowns having sex, porn with midgets having sex, porn with rape simulations.” My partner Lori and I run the ministry, 24-7 at the convention, and we go out to the clubs after. The other girls volunteer do half-days, and we provide them with counseling.

You feel it’s important for you to socialize with the people you’re trying to help—but when you’re out on the town with porn stars and strippers, where do you draw the line?

I won’t do anything that I consider a sin, but that’s about it. As long as I’m not getting naked, not doing things that God wouldn’t call me to do, I treat it like being out at a buffet where I’m witnessing gluttony. If the girls I’m out with are hustling some guy, I just watch it go down. I’m not called to judge them in that moment, and they need to know they can share anything with me. Many of these girls ruin any relationship they have in life, so even if they burn me, I’m still there. I have relationships with guys as well: drug dealers, VIP hosts, club owners, swingers. I’m up front about what I do—you’d think that I’d be shunned. But I shed my prudish ways. I’m fun, I like to dance, I’ll have a glass of wine.

What’s it like trying to get church leaders on board? The media has helped the most with that. When Pat Robertson announces you as a “holy hottie,” it definitely smoothes the way for you with churches.

What have you learned about Christians?

Many Christians want to judge, and they don’t want anyone to have a second chance. There’s almost a ranking of sins; I mean, in the Bible, you had Paul, who was a murderer who repented, and we’re fine with him, but somehow sexual sins seem unforgivable. But there’s sexual sin throughout the Bible. Yet you have these Christians who don’t get it—I mean, Jesus Christ hung out with prostitutes. Jesus Christ drank wine, yet Christians don’t drink? They’ll say, “No, Jesus was really drinking grape juice.” I don’t buy it. It’s lies. We make all these rules that don’t really exist, and we wonder why nobody wants to be Christian. We’re a bunch of weirdos.

Is there anything that strippers have to teach Christians?

I think strippers know more about forgiveness and acceptance. They definitely know more about sticking together—when something goes really wrong, Christians point fingers.

What do Christians need to learn about sex?

Sex is a gift to people who are married. The Bible says that the marriage bed is undefiled. To me, that means that I can do as much as I want, any way that I want, with my husband. Marriages are falling apart, and we don’t say to married people “Have fun sex, do anything you want within your marriage.” Instead we think sex is for all the single people, and that when you get married, you stop having it. That’s totally backwards. I have a stripper pole in my bedroom—I should be stripping for my husband, I should be doing more exciting things. Women should be sexy for their husbands. God blesses it.

You look like you could still be a stripper—is that intentional?

If I didn’t look this way, these girls would say “She just got old and fat. She’s just jealous of our looks.” My image says I could still make money dancing if I wanted to. The only thing these girls value is their appearance—that’s how I felt when I was a dancer. I’m saying it’s OK to look pretty and feel good about your appearance. I’m telling the girls, “You don’t have to wash your face and wear a muumuu. Keep your make up, keep your big hair, come on in…”

Does your appearance present any problems?

I am solicited for sex daily. I’ll walk down the street, or walk by someone in a club and people will make me offers. They’ll just say, “$3000.” People take me on plane rides, I go to Prince concerts. This town offers me everything all the time. I have rich men and celebrities hitting on me—I’ve had celebrities hit on me that I would have died to be with before. I was their biggest fan—then. But now I’m here for the strippers.

So how do you deal with unwanted advances?

My biggest line is “Heck, no!” As a stripper, you have to shake it off, but act like you might go for it. Now, when men ask me what it’s gonna take, I say “You need to start praying for a miracle, ‘cause I guarantee you it’s not gonna happen.”

Sounds like something you might say even if you hadn’t found Jesus.

I try to keep it light. I’m in their world, I need to be respectful of that. I’d be a fool if I walked in a porn convention and got offended at people making advances.

What about physical advances?

Being an ex-stripper you know how to not get your butt grabbed; I teach my girls those tricks, too.

What are the tricks?

How to move your head in, but the rest of your body away, so it feels to him like you’re getting closer, but you’re keeping safe. Also, if he starts to grab you, you can take his hand and hold it. They love it. They think “Aww, she’s holding my hand,” when really, you’re trying to defend your boobs from getting grabbed.
 
How else is your life now different than it was when you were stripping?

I’m the poorest I’ve been in a very, very long time. I’ve taken a 50 percent pay cut to do what I do, but I’m as happy as I can be. I mean, I drive a Kia. When we’re going out, I make jokes about it. “I’ll see you all inside—I’ll be looking for self-park with my Kia.”