Debunking the "Brothel Law" Myth

[Barbie's_Rush]

Hmmmm. I just came across this interesting situation happening in Evanston, Illinois. Could be there really is such a thing after all?

In Focus: Evanston will enforce 'brothel rule' starting in July, NU administration won't fight it
Northwestern Assistant Dean of Students Betsi Burns advises students to move farther from campus

The Northwestern administration will not ask Evanston to reconsider its "brothel law," a zoning ordinance that will cause hundreds of students to be evicted next year from off-campus housing, a University official told THE DAILY on Monday.


The law, which prevents more than three unrelated people from living together, has not been enforced for years. But on July 1, Evanston will begin enforcing it, which will force landlords to evict some of the hundreds — or thousands — of NU students who live in off-campus houses or apartments with more than two roommates, city officials confirmed to THE DAILY on Monday.

Full article at the source: http://www.dailynorthwestern.com/cit...t-it-1.2446387

[33girl]

The terms used were "rumor" and "commonly referred to as." That's a lot of air quotes.

Unless it says in the law itself "any residence with more than 3 unrelated members is considered a house of prostitution/brothel and therefore illegal," it's not a brothel law. It's a zoning law.

And the dumb landlords just need to start calling each bedroom an apartment to get around this dumb law and be done with it. The End.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

I'm going to chime in as an Evanston homeowner on this one. Evanston is terrible when it comes to Town vs. Gown tensions. The big issue here is not four people in a four-bedroom apartment, it's the nine people in a rented house.

Obviously, sorority and fraternity houses have found some way around it (perhaps the loophole 33girl mentioned), so I think that it can be done, but I suspect the city is really going to target the "party houses" more than anything else.

Also, it's not a brothel law, that was never the intention of the law, and if you need any proof that the article was poorly fact-checked, I point you to the part about 19 home rule municipalities in Illinois (there are actually several hundred).

[Barbie's_Rush]

My point was there is a rule that limits the number of non-relatives in living together in a house in at least one college town. Whether it was originally created to prevent brothels or deal with landlords who rent party houses or whatever, it has come to be known at least by some in that area as a "brothel law."

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by Barbie's_Rush

My point was there is a rule that limits the number of non-relatives in living together in a house in at least one college town. Whether it was originally created to prevent brothels or deal with landlords who rent party houses or whatever, it has come to be known at least by some in that area as a "brothel law."

But it does not affect the sororities at all, as many of them have housing.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by Barbie's_Rush

My point was there is a rule that limits the number of non-relatives in living together in a house in at least one college town. Whether it was originally created to prevent brothels or deal with landlords who rent party houses or whatever, it has come to be known at least by some in that area as a "brothel law."

What makes it a brothel law is that it is allegedly made on moral grounds, preventing unrelated women from living together ostensibly to prevent brothels. Thing is, just because people are ignorant of the law, and familiar with rumors of brothel laws and conflate the two concepts, doesn't make what's going on in Evanston an instance of an actual brothel law. Otherwise you could argue that there really are brothel laws in any *insert town here* because people believe it.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

What makes it a brothel law is that it is allegedly made on moral grounds, preventing unrelated women from living together ostensibly to prevent brothels. Thing is, just because people are ignorant of the law, and familiar with rumors of brothel laws and conflate the two concepts, doesn't make what's going on in Evanston an instance of an actual brothel law. Otherwise you could argue that there really are brothel laws in any *insert town here* because people believe it.

I believe the law was actually passed in the 1940's to target African Americans living together in large groups. So, it has a racist history, and calling it a "brothel law" glosses over the true history.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

I believe the law was actually passed in the 1940's to target African Americans living together in large groups. So, it has a racist history, and calling it a "brothel law" glosses over the true history.

Interesting, I admit to knowing nothing about the racist history of zoning laws, but if so I agree it's a 'pretty' glossing over (which is ironic since the concept of a brothel law is offensive for its sexism in the first place.)

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

Interesting, I admit to knowing nothing about the racist history of zoning laws, but if so I agree it's a 'pretty' glossing over (which is ironic since the concept of a brothel law is offensive for its sexism in the first place.)

exactly - like glossing over poop with vomit basically!! DBB, you need to contact snopes and tell them to add that info to their "there is no such thing as a brothel low" page.

[ADPi767]

Originally Posted by Shima-Mizu

I've heard that rumor on my campus. We have fraternity houses but no sorority houses. According to campus rumor though, that was the reason for not having houses at first, but now the current situation is like this because all of the sororities must be able to afford a house or no sorority can have a house.

thants the same issue with my school, its highly annoying for all the guys have them. We have a large building were all the sororities get mixed up and put into rooms of four. It works well but a house would create a much better sense of community

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by ADPi767

thants the same issue with my school, its highly annoying for all the guys have them. We have a large building were all the sororities get mixed up and put into rooms of four. It works well but a house would create a much better sense of community

Read. the rest. of the thread.

[peacelovegreek]

Well I know that my best friend is going to college at UNLV (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) and she's in a sorority there. She said that because of Nevada laws, sororities at UNLV are not allowed to have houses because too many girls in a single household would be considered a brothel. However, the fraternities have UNLV santioned houses. And at the same time the sororities pay a one time housing fee to store as a fund for if UNLV and Nevada decide to revisit the idea of the sororities there having houses.

[Boodleboy322]

These laws in various places throughout the country seem out of whack.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by peacelovegreek

Well I know that my best friend is going to college at UNLV (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) and she's in a sorority there. She said that because of Nevada laws, sororities at UNLV are not allowed to have houses because too many girls in a single household would be considered a brothel.

Then how do they get away with dorms for women at UNLV?

Your friend is wrong.

[AZ-AlphaXi]

And especially so since brothels are legal in Nevada

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_in_Nevada