Reporter Sarah Tressler files complaint after Houston Chronicle fires her for moonlighting as a stripper

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That's pretty clear in the Houston Chronicle's dismissal of reporter Sarah Tressler because in her spare time, she worked as a stripper.

Tressler, who covered high-society parties, has a master's degree from New York University. She started dancing at night because she needed money and the economy was in the doldrums.

Sarah Tressler speaks about being fired.

Celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred—who is representing Tressler—claimed at a recent news conference that the dismissal was discriminatory because it's mostly females who work as strippers.

Tressler has since filed a complaint with the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission alleging discrimination on the basis of sex. She claimed that her employer never asked about this work, which was exposed by a rival newspaper.

"The idea of somebody outing me seems like it would be such a mean thing to do that I never thought anybody would do it," Tressler told ABC News.

Gloria Allred defends a reporter who was dismissed for being a stripper.

Earlier this year, the Straight published a feature article by exotic dancer Wrenna Robertson, who called for an end to discrimination against consensual sex workers.

In the piece, Robertson wrote: "Why can’t I be just a stripper, when a waitress can be just a waitress, a construction worker just a construction worker? Why should it matter one iota that I have a university education?"

It's a question that the editor and publisher of the Houston Chronicle should ponder, in light of what they've done to Tressler.

Apparently, it's okay in North America to become a journalist after working as a spin doctor for a sleazy politician or acting as a paid lobbyist for big business or shilling propaganda for a right-wing think tank. But it's not okay to be a reporter if all you've done is remove your clothes on-stage in front of a few people.

Is it any wonder that so many people are losing trust in the mainstream media?

Follow Charlie Smith on Twitter at twitter.com/csmithstraight.