Abstract:
Although brothels have been able to operate as legal businesses for more than a
decade, they continue to be treated more restrictively than businesses with similar
amenity impacts. This paper explores the idea that this restrictive treatment can be
explained by the continued perception of brothels as disorderly, as 'matter out of
place'. This is due in part to the historical association of brothels with disorder in
terms of cleanliness, morality and the law. These historical associations have been
maintained and reflected in the current regulation of the sex industry, generating
fears of pollution and contamination on the strength of its disorderliness.
