Published 19 November 2023
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It’s political party time, and there’s only 3 days left until it’s time to vote. Only three candidates are outspoken sex workers, including Red Insight’s own managing editor Yvette Luhrs, who is running for Parliament with radical equality party BIJ1. We survey the candidates and election guides, and find out what they have to say about sex work.
Sex work is legal, but many parties seek to worsen or exclude sex work policy. During the last elections, we found the last cabinet were clueless, as their decisions put us at risk. Following a global pandemic in which many of us didn’t receive emergency support, we are still fighting against forced registration (the WRS) and the closure of red light districts. It couldn’t be more crucial to cast our votes, so check out our summary of the main parties’ statements about sex work.
Exclusion
BVNL, DENK, FVD, JA21, LP, PVV
These right wing parties make no mention of sex workers in their manifestos. But FVD and JA21 previously voted against a motion to improve the social and legal position of sex workers, and PVV wants to raise the legal age of entry into sex work which could increase risks for younger sex workers.
Regulation and criminalisation
CDA, CU, NSC and SGP
These parties want increased regulations on sex work, including registration and restrictions on clients which would likely reduce our client base. CDA, NSC and CU want to increase the minimum age of entry into sex work to at least 21. The SGP considers sex work “modern slavery”, and wants to criminalise all aspects of sex work in their unrealistic attempt to fully eradicate us.
Decriminalisation
BIJ1, GL/PvdA and PPNL
PvdA wants to decriminalise sex work, to strengthen the legal position and safety of sex workers and give sex workers the same rights as other workers. GroenLinks doesn’t have a great history with sex workers; former leader Femke Halsema is spearheading the removal of sex workers from De Wallen. But for this election, the GL is running in coalition with PvdA.
Lyle Muns is a GL/PvdA candidate, HIV+ activist, former sex worker and spokesperson for the sex worker union PROUD who tells us: “We criticise the fact that more and more municipalities are closing work spaces; all municipalities must allow sex work. Recently, we have seen in the congressional discussions that politicians are proposing repressive policies against the rights of sex workers, and this has to stop. We need an (ex) sex worker in Parliament to counter this trend.”
The Piratenpartij has famous former sex worker Metje Blaak running as a candidate, and the party would like to involve more sex workers. They favour decriminalisation, and the removal of all sex work regulations so that sex workers are treated like workers in any other part of the service sector. Metje has spoken out against registration, stating that sex workers “should have the right to refuse registration because of social stigma… that part should remain a bit mystical.”
BIJ1 also want to fully decriminalise sex work, and bring sex workers’ labour rights in line with that of all workers. They want to scrap the Regulation Act to ensure that sex workers never have to register or share personal information, and they want to maintain the minimum legal age of entry into sex work. Yvette Luhrs has been a sex worker since 2011, they’ve been the chair of the Dutch sex worker union PROUD, made a documentary and co-created a media guide to improve sex worker media representation, and they currently work for UglyMugs. Yvette says that BIJ1 have done a lot with their seat in Parliament:
“During lockdown, our party leader was one of the first to ask why sex workers were excluded from financial care, and why we were the last to be allowed back to work. We forced the prime minister to answer questions about sex worker rights.”
Together with the Socialist Party, BIJ1 have put forward a Motion to Parliament to force the government to review the position of sex workers and how they are treated by different government organisations. Yvette says that sex workers can no longer be ignored, since the Motion creates opportunities to get a seat on the table with management of the Ministry of Justice and Safety, the police, the financial sector, municipalities and the tax office, and deliver training to their staff to destigmatise our work.
Yvette may not be the world’s first sex worker politician, but it certainly might feel like it. Yvette says that a recent seductive photo caused people to believe that they are incapable of working in politics - and that BIJ1 should not have included a sex worker candidate. “I don’t think people realise that sex worker rights mean that sex workers can also be in Parliament,” they add. “But I hope that by being a visible sex worker in this campaign, I can also help to break some of the stigma around sexuality, sex work and our capabilities.”
Money upfront
Sex workers know that we can’t always believe what we’ve been promised. So many parties will talk the talk, but few will walk the walk and vote accordingly on the Bills that affect sex workers. And we’ve been burned before; D66 opposed criminalisation, the so-called ‘pimp ban’ and registration, yet via a coalition they committed themselves to the WRS! Plus a PvdD Swally Award winner from 2022 is now part of a coalition that wants to shut down the The Hague red light district. With less than a week left to make up your mind before the Dutch elections drop, it’s time to think about the state of our government. And it’s always worth remembering the people in the Netherlands who are undocumented or lack citizenship, since they cannot vote for a fairer society, but the rest of us can.
