Turn Out the Red Light?

I am a american who has have been to Amsterdam many times,first on my own and later with a Dutch girlfriend I had for years. We would go to visit her friendsand family> I never partoook of the girls, but sometimes felt I was foolish for not doing so! I mean $20 to $50 for a beautiful Ducth girl in a clean, safe environment. It was certainly fun to wander around (especially at night), the allure of the racy and forbidden, but not really dangerous. Well, I guess time marches on, everything changes. The real issuee for the Dutch is Islamization of their nation. Big riots are almost a certainty when Geert Wilders (who posted here) airs his film on TV in the next two weeks.

But its Amsterdam !?! I have been there 5 times and I love that city it is one of my favorite places in the world to visit. I think the red light district should stay. I have never indulged in any activities with any of the prostitutes there but I do appreciate the freedoms that exist in that great city. We are human and I for one will never stand in judgment and act as if my morality is the end all for the human race nor will ever push my morality on others like I see happening all over this comment section; especially from those who have never been anywhere who have seen little of this great planet. The world can really learn something from Amsterdam its freedom and how to make a contrast balance between the two.

One quick story on this subject I was in Amsterdam for new years eve and there was singing, dancing, drinking, little kids with fireworks, you name it yet there were no police around. The people (about 4000+) knew how to act have a good time, there were no incidents well someone slipped on some ice and had to be picked up by an ambulance but thats it. Here in the US we couldn't have a gathering of 400 people with out police enforcement and incident. I learned something about true freedom there and what it means to be free and though i might not totally agree with it I more then respect it in fact I admire it.

It's inconceivable to me that they would want to shut down the RLD. Although I haven't "partaken," it just makes me happy to know that there is a place in the world where such beautiful, confident, superheroine-looking women can display themselves and do this kind of work if they want to. My wife and I had a blast just walking through. If it's all licensed and medically safe, what's the problem. The morality police, working to make the world more mediocre one hypocrite at a time.

After being one of the most famous (or infamous) Red Light districts in the world for a couple of hundred years at least. No!

It was a main attraction to me when I was in my 20s. Down near the docks and it really was red lights at night. Hookers posed in fake little living rooms behind plate glass in the red glow, as if you're window shopping. And sailors doing some serious shopping. ; > ]

It had a sort of rough and scary -- but charming and old-fashioned -- naughtiness. Hard to explain. You had to be there.

Bummer to make it all go away !

Who cares about the DUTCH anyways... The Original SLAVEMASTERS
in this case PIMPS... Attn: HOLLAND wait until KATRINA hits....

I've never been to Amsterdam. Literally everyone I know from the states who has been say one of the main reasons was to check out the Red Light District. It really is a draw for tourists. It's an oddity, a curiosity, and a bit of a scandelous status boost to say you have been. It doesn't mean you partook. It's enough just to say you have been there and seen it. If the RLD goes away, Amsterdam will easily slip off my radar screen as a travel destination. But, it's their country. If the consensus says it's time to go, so be it. Maybe they could give a nod to New York City and revive its old name by renaming the RLD, "New Amsterdam". And by the way, Times Square is still no walk in the park. It's a really bad place to shop. Even the big name stores. When management isn't looking the employees put temporary signs for fake sales and then bait and switch customers at the register. You might have to edit this out. But, it happened to me at the Gap last Christmas. I caught on real quick when I went to pay and everything doubled in price. I walked out. You can clean a place up, it's not going to make it perfect.

peanutbutter8,
Your mantra sounds like womyn's studies 101 silliness. I have lived in the RLD community for many years, and operated a small shop there until 2006. The idea that most of the "sex workers" are trafficed slaves is patently false. Additionally they have a strong union and receive the best health care available due to the nature of their business. The RLD has gone through phases through the years of varying degrees of seediness. To be sure, changing demographics are a part of the current rise in seediness. To address the increase is wise, but perhaps this time, it is going too far. The gender feminist agenda and its manipulation of the reality and facts are part in parcel of this.
pbr90 - yes women are shoppers, and for tour groups primarily composed of married couples, and tourists, men and women, the RLD is at the top of the must see list. You say men are not shoppers and women are the shoppers- I would say they are both shoppers, and they both want to shop in the RLD. We have a wonderful sex museum, hash museum and amazing quaint historical buildings that make it an Amsterdam tourist destination for a lot of reasons.
What I find interesting is that there is only concern about the sex workers, and no concern for those "seedy"elements- Primarily men, many who are immigrants, who are the junkies and homeless that subsist in the RLD. Perhpaps I would be more convinced if the intentions were to help all of the people. A truly humanitarian appoach would be to help those who are trafficed, those who are homeless and those who are addicted to drugs as part of the clean-up. I find it interesting that there is also not any focus being made to address the "non-traditional" district that exists on the other side of the Dam. There you have windows that showcase non-mainstream practices- transsexual, homosexual et al. The myopic sexist agenda with its hint of misandry as it is now being presented does not fulfill that goal. And it is my view that the plan does very little to facilitate retraining or successful integration into the society as a whole. Our little community/neighborhood is just that. Children are born and raised here and live healthy productive lives. The flower shops, eateries, bars, museums, boutiques and hotels are mixed in among the windows and sex clubs and coffe shops. Of course when there is a rise in the seediness we want it to be addressed. But I am afraid there is a misguided agenda, and perhaps even a little racism that play into the current plans of the city council. As was mentioned by another Amsterdammer here, the bulk of the crime is being committed by non-Dutch immingrants, mostly muslim. I don't mind cleaning house when it gets a little disorganized, but don't be too quick to judge and reflect your own views by citing innaccurate revelations.

IM A RETIRED us nAVY sEAL LIVING IN THE USA IM STILL A CITIZEN OF THE NETHERLANDS LEAVE THE RED DISTRICT ALONE IT MADE AWSOME AMOUTS OF MONEY FOR THE QUEEN WHY CHANGE WHATS BEEN THERE FOR YTS AND YRS IF SOME CITIZEN DISAGREE WITH THE RED LIGHT DISTRICT THEN JUST DONT GO THERE WHY RUIN IT FOR EVERYONE ELSE THANK YOU AUGUST WILLIAM HERMAN VAN SUCHTELEN VAN DE HAARE YA THATS MY NAME

Trust me; when women think of Amsterdam, they don't think about red light districts.
And if they do, Amsterdam has a huge problem attracting female tourists.
If anything, it would be the reason women would boycott Amsterdam - simply because they pander to the sleazey, and most harmful aspects of gender relations.

Amsterdam needs to face the fact that men are not shoppers.
If Amsterdam wants trade of goods, it should pander to women, not men.
Women are the shoppers, but particular about where they shop.

Merchandising in Amsterdam should definitely exclude the selling of women to be successful.

As someone that lives in Amsterdam and near the red light district I am well aware of some of the less savoury activties that go on there. However this article is not factually correct: there are no plans to completely shut down the red light district, rather clean up the sleaze, reduce the organised crime and the number of prostitutes who are licensed. All of which are laudable aims. Prostitution will exist no matter what a government does and the liverbal attitude of the Netherlands is to license and regulate activities that other western nations ban in knee jerk response. As a result drug additction and vice related crime is remakrably lower here than in any other modernised western nation.

Call it liberalism gone made, but it's an effective policy and it works, unlike the American crack down on drugs and mandatory sentences for possession of tiny ammounts of restricted substances.

It is about time! The RLD gives a bad name to the Netherlands. I would be more inclined to visit a city that has cleaned up the sleaze. As it currently is, I wouldn't even accept a free vacation to the city. If people truly believe that these women are doing this work because they want to, they are dilusional. Many of these women are the vicitms of human trafficing and those that are not find that this is the best way to support themselves and, often times, their children. Education is the key to a more prosporous life for these women, Amsterdam and the Netherlands as a whole.

Glad this has finally happened! Overrated and outdated. Gotten worse since sleazy Turks and Moroccans trafficked poor Eastern European girls into slavery (prostitution) there. Good riddance - next thing they need to do is deport the Muslims who have invaded their land looking for 'asylum', only to attack the very people who took them in and to hypocritically ask for 'tolerance' they would NEVER give to westerners in their own lands.

I live in part of the US where women are shocked at prostitution, yet there's also one of the largest "swingers" clubs in town where there are "exchanges" made. Women get offended by prostitution, but only when it's a "cash up front" transaction, not when it's when she find's her own "sugar daddy". There are women who make a career out of marriage because of the Alimony laws in the US will benefit them financially. How is that any different?

Personally, if they want to clean up the RLD from crime and drugs, there are better ways to do it than displace these women. It will result in less attraction for the tourist, and less funds into the city. Plus the displaced workers, the families that thrive off the income... It's impending doom. There's a much better way to clean up crime in the area. Security checkpoints around a perimeter, pay to get into the "zone". At 10E per person, and you get patted down, no alcohol allowed, no cameras, and it would be more beneficial. Less risk to the women, less crime in the area, and everyone is happy. Tourists would even feel more comfortable as the risk of pickpocketing would be reduced as well.

Reading all these replies made me aware that the responses are overwhelmingly from the US. It goes back again to how conflicted and sensitive Americans are about sex.

I will agree with one observation though. Women are overwhemingly opposed to prostitution and with good reason. Their tolerance stops at activities that result in their gender exclusively being put under the hammer. Prostitution and pornography will always get such a negative response from women because they feel that this "freedom" is only enjoyed by men at the expense of women. Until that equation is changed, women will always oppose it. There may be more of a groundswell against prostitution and pornography because women are gaining more political power in the US.

I hope they have some re-training program for those prostitutes or this moralizing will result in poverty, privation or worse for these women, many of whom have little alternative. BTW, I love all these American moralizers wagging their fingers. How about taking the same attitude at home? You could shut down Las Vegas and every Indian casino in the country. As you say "How can you justify immoral behaviour? Because it provides jobs, brings in revenue?"

The second point I would make is the lack of piorities in US. Why does this come into the discussion. Because a country that has 40,000 gun murders a year should be worried about guns and violence not sex and nudity. Therefore, we should be worried about dealing about our REAL problems, not some other country's tolerance or lack thereof of sex. This is especially true in a country that has minimal gun deaths and murders.

Sweet Peanutbutter8, bless your heart. It is clear to me that you've never actually met a sex worker before. Prostitution is, indeed, a choice people make. I made it and so have hundreds of my friends. Yep- all proud sex workers- strippers, escorts, prostitutes. I've been at it for about 20 years now. It might also surprise you to know that I am highly educated, have traveled the world, and absolutely love what I do.

It is such a shame that Amsterdam will change its ways after so many years. But as all of us sex workers know, the business will continue, no matter how far underground it goes. The further you push it underground, however, the more dangerous it becomes to many of the less privileged workers. But I suppose like in Sweden, if you don't see it, you can pretend that it doesn't exist. Nevermind that many of those unable to work from the internet will now have to be more dependent on "agents" to secure clients for them.

Keep legalized prostitution LEGAL !! Alexis Fire HBO Cathouse & the World Famous Bunnyranch

Keep legalized prostitution LEGAL !! Alexis Fire HBO Cathouse & the World Famous Bunnyranch

Help fight the transnational slavery of women and girls. We should all work to end these crimes against humanity. Prostitution is never a choice people make. Human beings are coerced into this either socially, economically, or by violent means. It is systemic and systematic rape, in other words, and should be looked at with the same indignation as slavery of the 19th century or genocide in the 20th. Involve yourself in your community. Be wary of 'massage parlours' in your city. Write to your representative and local officials. Join the Facebook cause against human trafficking: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/view_cause/1103
And please visit the website for Coalition Against Trafficking in Women International.