Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Law Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Journal Articles

Law and Society

Legal pluralism

Articles 1 - 1 of 1

Full-Text Articles in Law

Loo Law: The Public Washroom As A Hyper-Regulated Space, Irus Braverman Jan 2009

Loo Law: The Public Washroom As A Hyper-Regulated Space, Irus Braverman

Journal Articles

The article suggests that the public washroom is the most regulated of all public spaces, at least in the United States. It offers several possible explanations for this hyper-juridical attention. First and foremost, the article argues, such hyper-regulation of the public washroom has to do with the sanitary and moral significance of this space. Secondly, the intensity of washroom regulation is due to its ambiguous public/private properties. Finally, the intense regulation of the public washroom is the result of physio-anatomical functions performed in it. Utilizing the State of New York as a lens through which to observe the various issues …