Portland, Oregon takes the lead in the highest strip clubs per capita, however, strip clubs in Portland have gone unregulated, allowing for poor management and oversight of health and safety issues. When violence and exploitation occurs, exotic dancers have scarce resources to turn to due to the continued stigma of being a sex worker. Past research has explored limited issues related to exotic dancers, including drug use, sexually transmitted infections, and mental health problems, but few have questioned what safety measures are needed to protect women in this industry. This study aims to explore the exploitation and abuse that exotic dancers experience in order to improve the laws and regulations of strip clubs. Through this qualitative study, I will use semi-structured interviews in order to better understand experiences of interpersonal violence against exotic dancers including various forms of violence from clients, employees and law enforcement in Portland. Data will be analyzed using thematic analysis in order to establish working themes. The anticipated results of this study is that the interviewed participants will express various experiences of interpersonal violence and that there may be common variables to violence experienced in strip clubs such as race, age, structural safety features in clubs, and the availability of outside resources to report violence. It is also expected that violence perpetrated by clients and club managers will be among the highest reports by the participants. Lastly, it is hypothesized that women who have not experienced abuse and exploitation (or limited amounts) while at work will still fear experiencing it, which is still a cause for concern. This study provides a platform for exotic dancers’ voices to be heard, while also attempting to improve better working conditions of adult entertainment establishments.

Literature on sexual violence has suggested that some fraternity members are more likely to adopt and maintain the values found in hegemonic masculinity. This is significant as it can aid our understanding of how fraternities play a part in promoting and engaging in sexual violence. Additional looks into fraternity parties, and more specifically, encounters between fraternity men and women in this environment are necessary. This study investigates alumni perceptions about how their participation in fraternities impacted their views and interactions regarding women and sex and aims to better understand how the encounters that occur in fraternity life influence alumni’s attitudes towards women and sex. Interviews were conducted with participants of the study, and they were asked questions that covered several different categories: atmosphere of fraternity parties, interactions with women, consent, beliefs towards sex, gender, and relationships. Understanding how individuals view and experience sex, gender, relationships, and sexual violence is essential to prevention. Anticipated results include alumni reflection on condoned behaviors and beliefs that endorse negative masculine values, which are fostered in the fraternity lifestyle between brothers. Those values paired with the strong male social bonds created within the concentrated environment may surface negative and inappropriate behaviors towards women and sex. Implications include discussion of the relationship between hegemonic masculinity among fraternity members and sexual violence. Findings also point to the importance of identifying strategies to engage with fraternity men about sexuality and sexual violence in more constructive ways.