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It's one of the most persistent and annoying campus urban myths. "We can't have sorority houses in our town because they passed a law that says that no more than (insert number) unrelated women can live in the same house because it would be considered a brothel."
I hear this story at least once a month, stated as an absolute truth. It's usually the accepted justification for the absence of sorority houses in a particular campus community. The number of women in these prohibited situations vary from telling to telling, but "six" seems to be the most common magic number.
People who study urban myths say that this is one of the most persistent, and they've identified at least 100 campuses where it is fully accepted as the truth.
It's bullshit. I don't care who told you, it's not true. There is no such law in any municipality in the country. Read here if you don't believe me.
Some places have laws preventing a large number of unrelated people (male or female) from sharing a single family home, but it's never targeted at one gender. There are anti-brothel laws in some places in America, but in every case, the designation is based on proven activity occurring on the property, not based on how many unrelated people live there.
So, if there are fraternity houses in your community, there is absolutely no way women could be prohibited from an equal housing situation.
In 1998, a group of Tulane students actually spent a semester searching through every law ever passed in Louisiana and New Orleans to find the supposed law, and they couldn't find it. Next time someone states this as a fact on your campus, bet them $100.
Then, take your winnings and go buy yourself a hooker.
