Sex work today
Prostitution is often referred to as “the world’s oldest profession”. Although there are many doubts about the truthfulness of this phrase, it has some substance to it, since the first records of prostitution date back to Mesopotamia over 4000 years ago1. Younger, but still rich in its history, Amsterdam’s Red Light District has existed since the 15th century when it operated in the same area but on slightly different streets. During this time, prostitution was a highly sought after profession, as Amsterdam was a trade city full of incoming sailors who had spent months on sea and who, soon after docking, wanted to satisfy their carnal desires. Moreover, a third to half of Amsterdam sailors died on sea, which caused many women to become widows, with prostitution being the only possible source of good income2.
Sex work has been legal in the Netherlands since the year 2000, when a ban was lifted on something that had been long tolerated anyways. This decision sought to reduce criminal activity, improve labour conditions, and possibly attract more tourists. Sex workers now are independent workers who can choose their working hours, customers, prices, and boundaries. However, many sex workers choose to work illegally without registration to retain their anonymity3. This anonymity is often important in our society full of prejudices.
Prejudices are often the result of a lack of information. For this reason, there’s PIC, or the Prostitution Information Centre4, located next to De Oude Kerk. This is a non-profit sex worker-led organisation that protects sex worker rights, housed in a cosy room with a big circular table and a library full of informative books about sex work. In this room, you can get any questions you might have answered. You can also get a personalized lecture or join the Walk ‘n Talk session organised every Wednesday-Saturday at 17:00 to explore the Red Light District and hear the personal stories of its workers. As I visited this place, I’ve had the pleasure to meet with Nat Portnoy, a sex worker from Poland, and asked her a couple of questions myself.
B: Why did you choose this occupation?
N: I was studying at two universities at the same time, which cost a lot of money. Meanwhile, I struggled with maintaining the persona of a good academic girl. I really tried to be decent but because deep down I was not like other people, I struggled a lot. I’ve always had high sexual needs, which often resulted in lots of slut-shaming. So, I was trying to pretend I’m not a slut and I had a lot of internal struggle, depression, escapist and compulsive behaviours, shame, and guilt. At some point, it all crashed. I realized that I need to be honest with myself. My reputation was gone, so I didn’t have to worry about that in a sense. I stopped with the schools because I realized that I was doing it to prove something to myself and to others, but that’s not really how I should live my life.
This work gave me wings because, suddenly, I realised that without training, just with my own mind, body, and decisions, I could make 1200 euros in one day.
I was already doing nude modelling, and I decided to meet with a videographer who wanted me to masturbate in front of the camera. I wanted to explore and challenge myself. I take big pride in this because I was doing it alone. I didn’t know anyone else who was doing it and I didn’t have anyone to talk to about it. I realized that’s the challenge I need - to be in touch with myself. It somehow became a very healing journey. This work gave me wings because, suddenly, I realised that without training, just with my own mind, body, and decisions, I could make 1200 euros in one day. It was exciting, challenging, and I loved it and wanted more.
From then on, I did hundreds more and I got into filmmaking and produced films. I created a documentary that got a few awards. Sex work saved my life and I’m really happy with the person I became. I learnt to have boundaries, preferences, and that I deserve to be listened to and not shushed because I’m ruining the vibe. I also learnt how to not expect love after a romance, which I’d often suffered with. When I started doing sex work, I didn’t get love in return but I did get respect, kindness, care, very good sex, and money, and I realized - that was it. Now I believe that every relationship is transactional. People want safety, position, reputation, to feel loved - it’s just a different currency. My life became much easier once I understood my value. I felt appreciated and I realized that if there are people who want to pay me for that, it must mean that I am pretty. I think it’s very human to want to feel visible, appreciated, beautiful, and sexual.
B: How is it with safety while working behind a Red Light District window?
N: Window work here is specific, because women can decide what kind of clients they want to get the attention of. Essentially, they’re a kind of security of their own at first. They reject those they don’t want - no client can barge in, because they have to open the window for them. Once open, there has to be negotiation and this is when sex workers decide whether the client feels okay and if they have a good deal.
Then, every room has multiple panic buttons. Once the panic button is released, the owner of the building has to come and evaluate the situation. Sometimes it doesn’t need the police, but when there’s violence from the client, the business owner calls the police. The police officers always take the side of a sex worker. So, if the sex worker says “I need him out”, he’ll be arrested, if she says he’s supposed to pay her a thousand euros, he will pay a thousand euros. To take the side of a client would mean to rob the sex worker of her income or, in the situation that the client doesn’t want to leave because she owes him more service, that would be rape.
B: What do you think about the plans to move the Red Light District into a building outside the centre?
The change would affect everyone because it is about further gentrification of this area. It’s about making it a luxury, expensive area for rich people only. Furthermore, if there weren’t any sex workers in the windows, this place wouldn’t be attractive for all variety of tourists.
N: The mayor of the town believes that this area deserves a better type of tourists - rich tourists. She thinks sex workers are suffering in those windows because they get exposed to this “trashy” kind of people. So, in her mind, it’s going to be much better if those windows will be in one VIP area that will bring attention of more businessman-type of clients. This is the official narrative. What they want, however, is this area to be free, because those properties are very valuable.
The big problem is that there’s a difference between what a politician, who is not a sex worker, imagines things could be and what they really are.
The big problem is that there’s a difference between what a politician, who is not a sex worker, imagines things could be and what they really are. It’s also important to understand that those are grown women and they know what they are doing. If they didn’t like the spaces, they’d leave. It’s part of the marketing to be visible. This has two results and it’s impossible to control them fully. Moreover, the building is supposed to replace the proximity to the Central Station and the shopping where people can have a burger, a drink, see a museum, and have a sex service. This is important because we all want to save time and feel free to decide without having to plan things that are very hard to plan - like sexuality.
The change would affect everyone because it is about further gentrification of this area. It’s about making it a luxury, expensive area for rich people only. Furthermore, if there weren’t any sex workers in the windows, this place wouldn’t be attractive for all variety of tourists. Tourists would stop coming, restaurants would stop making money, all the souvenir shops wouldn’t survive either, because they only thrive thanks to the presence of sex workers and the Red Light District.
B: In the past years, the government has reduced the number of windows available to decrease demand by reducing supply of the product5. However, since carnal pleasures have always been in high demand, this decision has only led to a shortage of working places for sex workers. How do you feel about this?
N: Sex workers need to get licenses, they need to register, and they need to invest a lot of money, so it’s not okay to just tell them “go out of here and do it somewhere else”. That’s not possible, there are designated spaces for this. Let’s say there’s an inspection and there’s something broken on that day, then the city can easily just state that this person broke the agreement and they’ll lose the license. Probably some of them are breaking the rules, some aren’t, yet, the city has been closing them. This is sad because there are constantly new sex workers who want to start. What we see here now is like half of the windows that there used to be.
For people like Nat Portnoy, sex work can be more than just work – it can be a symbol of empowerment. Although the future of prostitution in Amsterdam remains unclear, it is important to remember that behind every window there is a story worth hearing.
1) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_prostitution
2) this-is-amsterdam.com/amsterdam-red-light-district-history
3) humanityinaction.org/knowledge_detail/the-audacity-of-tolerance-a-critical-analysis-of-legalized-prostitution-in-amsterdams-red-light-district/
4) pic-amsterdam.com
5) humanityinaction.org/knowledge_detail/the-audacity-of-tolerance-a-critical-analysis-of-legalized-prostitution-in-amsterdams-red-light-district