Brothels and Disorderly Acts

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.