Research Proposal: Should Brothels be Regulated the Same Way as Strip Clubs?

By Cameron Redburn

WRTG 121 TR 6:30-7:45 Pray-H 414

Proposal:

I would like to write a research paper for my WRTG 121 class on why brothels should be
regulated the same way as strip clubs.

Strategy:

I plan to research the history of sex workers and brothels, seeing how other countries handle
this issue, when it was prohibited, and why it was prohibited. I also plan to look in to the way
that brothels are regulated in the 8 counties of Nevada where they are legal, and see how those
compare to the regulations that are set on strip clubs. I am also going to research the crimes
committed against sex workers by customers, abusive pimps, and even other sex workers, and
see how the rates compare to those of the legal sex workers in Nevada. I plan to look at
interviews with legal sex workers and compare how the conditions of their workplace compare
to those of illegal sex workers. I am going to research the kinds of health regulations are set on
the brothels themselves and the workers. I am going to look at the health and safety of the
legal brothels in Nevada, and compare that to the health and safety of illegal brothels in other
places of the country. A lot of my paper will be comparing legal brothels to illegal ones, using
the information that I find to support my argument.

Benefits:

If I am granted permission to do this research paper, it will not only allow me to learn more
about the sex service industry, but show my classmates and peers the benefits of legal sex
work. It will allow the readers, and myself, to open our minds to the concept of brothels and
look at how the benefits outweigh the draw backs.
Possible Problems:

Many people might say that the topic of legalizing brothels is a bit inappropriate for a research
paper, but this is an issue that is present across the country, and it needs to be addressed,
inappropriate or not. You also might be asking How can you get any information on illegal
brothels and sex workers? Theyre illegal, so obviously you cant find credible sources for
something like that. but there is so much media and controversy surrounding this topic that
there should be an immense amount of solid information for me to use in this research essay.