since when can't I tip the waitress?

What fresh hell is this?

So I had a little time to kill this afternoon and was near an old fave club. Went in and wandered around. It being early afternoon on Saturday, it was fairly dead. And none of the half dozen dancers appealed. I sat at the bar, nursed a Coke, got hit on by a few dancers and mostly watched the game.

There were maybe two patrons who weren't sitting at the bar, so the waitress was having an even lousier day than the dancers. And apparently getting bad news on her phone while she was standing there at the end of the bar with nothing to do. She thought she was hiding it, but I saw her wipe away tears a couple times.

I thought "What the hell" and went and sat where she'd come to serve me. She came over and asked if she could get me something. I said, "No, but here" and slipped her a 10. She replied, "I have to get you something." I thought she meant that she felt obligated, so I said, "No, you don't." She insisted that she did and explained that if she didn't, she'd get in trouble and I'd get thrown out of the club.

WHAT THE FUCK?

Since when can't I give money to a woman in a strip club?