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Mariska Majoor (
Hilversum Hilversum () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland, Netherlands. Located in the heart of the Gooi, it is ...
, 2 November 1968) is a Dutch writer, publicist, speaker, entrepreneur, and former
sex worker A sex worker is a person who provides sex work, either on a regular or occasional basis. The term is used in reference to those who work in all areas of the sex industry.Oxford English Dictionary, "sex worker" According to one view, sex work is ...
. She founded the Prostitution Information Center (1994) and the labour union PROUD (2015) in
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
to support (novice) sex workers and inform passers-by/tourists and the general public, answer questions and dispel misconceptions about everything involving
sex work Sex work is "the exchange of sexual services, performances, or products for material compensation. It includes activities of direct physical contact between buyers and sellers as well as indirect sexual stimulation". Sex work only refers to volun ...
. Majoor gives lectures and presentations on sex work, and has written several books including ''Als sex werken wordt'' (1999; English ''When Sex Becomes Work'', 2016), ''United Under a Red Umbrella: Sex Work Around the World'' (2018), and ''Amsterdam Red Light District: The future of our past'' (2023). In 2017, Mariska Majoor was knighted by the
Mayor of Amsterdam Below is a list of Burgomaster, mayors of Amsterdam (Dutch language, Dutch: ''burgemeesters''), capital of the Netherlands. The city had four burgomasters, serving four years. Since 1389 the mayors were elected on 1 February. In the 17th and 18th ...
in recognition of her contribution to sex workers' rights in the Netherlands.


Biography


Sex worker

Mariska Majoor was born 2 November 1968 in Hilversum, and grew up in
Laren, North Holland Laren () is a town and municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. Located in the Gooi region, it is the oldest town in the area. Together with its neighbor Blaricum, Laren is one of the most affluent towns in the Netherlands. ...
. By her own account, she had a protective
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
upbringing in which she was absolutely not allowed to do certain things. As a 16-year-old, Majoor ran away from home and dropped out of school. She voluntarily chose a job as a sex worker a short while later. In hindsight, she had started "impulsively", for "a very idiotic reason" because she needed quick money for something, though she never regretted it. She said In 1994, she recounted that she had 'had an awful lot of fun, and also experienced some very unpleasant things', especially regarding
social stigma Stigma, originally referring to the visible marking of people considered inferior, has evolved to mean a negative perception or sense of disapproval that a society places on a group or individual based on certain characteristics such as their ...
and poor working conditions because it was still an illegal profession. Yet, she did think her best time was when she was behind the window and later worked in a private house because it was 'very exciting': 'You're having fun with your colleagues, which is very personal. You've got a certain sense of power when you're almost in your bare arse behind a window and the whole world can see you. (...) It's hard to explain.' When she decided to quit, she couldn't really find other work she liked: 'I did all sorts of shitty jobs: cleaning, making coffee. But working for a boss, with my big smart mouth, was not for me.' After five years, she combined her plans for her own business with her knowledge and experience about sex work. From 1992, she published the bilingual English-Dutch magazine ''Pleasure Guide: informatief magazine over het betaalde liefdesleven'' ("informative magazine on the paid love life"), about which she was interviewed by ''
NRC Handelsblad ''NRC'', previously called ' (), is a daily morning newspaper published in the Netherlands by Mediahuis NRC. It is widely regarded as a newspaper of record in the country. History was first published on 1 October 1970 after a merger of the Amst ...
'' in August of that year. The first print run was 20,000 copies, and the issues distributed in Amsterdam sold out within two weeks. Majoor wanted to bring prostitution 'out of that eternal corner of damnation', inform clients and tourists about prevailing morals and legislation, and give clients practical advice on what can and cannot be done: 'I know how client and prostitute interact with each other, and it could be much better. Something had to be done about that.' She also noted that due to
women's emancipation A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functional uteruses ...
, more and more prostitutes were becoming
self-employed Self-employment is the state of working for oneself rather than an employer. Tax authorities will generally view a person as self-employed if the person chooses to be recognised as such or if the person is generating income for which a tax return ...
rather than (still) seeking
employment contract An employment contract or contract of employment is a kind of contract used in labour law to attribute rights and responsibilities between parties to a bargain. The contract is between an "employee" and an "employer". It has arisen out of the old m ...
s with
brothel A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house of ill fame, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activity with prostitutes. For legal or cultural reasons, establis ...
operators: 'Women began making their own choices, and so did prostitutes. They became independent entrepreneurs.' Initially, the ''Pleasure Guide'' still depended on advertising revenue, which is why Majoor initially did not write about clubs that she found worthy of certain criticisms; critical articles were to be published once the magazine was taken seriously.


Prostitution Information Center

In August 1994, Majoor founded the Prostitution Information Center in the
De Wallen De Wallen () is the largest and best known red-light district in Amsterdam. It consists of a network of alleys containing approximately 300 one-room cabins rented by prostitutes who offer their sexual services from behind a window or glass door, ...
, Amsterdam's
red-light district A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex industry, sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light district ...
. In late January 1995, Majoor launched the first training course in the Netherlands for both women and men who wanted to become prostitutes, or were working in the sex trade already and wanted to learn more. Majoor told ''
Trouw ''Trouw'' (; ) is a Dutch daily newspaper appearing in compact size. It was founded in 1943 as an orthodox Protestant underground newspaper during World War II. Since 2009, it has been owned by DPG Media (known as De Persgroep until 2019). '' ...
'' about the course: 'I'm launching this because so often in the trade you hear people say that prostitution is a real profession (...); well, then there should be an educational programme for it as well. Because there are plenty of things to learn about.' For 250
guilders Guilder is the English translation of the Dutch and German ''gulden'', originally shortened from Middle High German ''guldin pfenninc'' (" gold penny"). This was the term that became current in the southern and western parts of the Holy Rom ...
, participants received explanations from Majoor, other (former) sex workers, sexologists and other experts on the
history of prostitution Prostitution has been practiced throughout ancient and modern cultures. Prostitution has been described as "the world's oldest profession", though this is unverifiable, and most likely incorrect. Ancient Near East The Ancient Near East was hom ...
, what types of sex work there are, health, money matters and personal well-being in six half-days spread over six weeks. With each trainee, Majoor first conducted an intake interview to ask why she or he wanted to do sex work and whether it was a good reason or not; besides earning money, the person must also like the job. She found it important to make a conscious choice for the profession and not end up there from a problematic situation, such as debts or drug addiction. On 9 July 1995, Majoor took the initiative to allow 16 male sex workers to work behind windows in the red-light district as an experiment. There were both positive and negative responses to the initiative; however, because it attracted so many camera crews and created a fuss among female sex workers in nearby premises, the experiment had to be suspended prematurely. Over the years, the PIC has simultaneously functioned as an information desk, red-light district shop (including sex toys, books and pamphlets by Majoor on sex work-related frequently asked questions), library, mini-museum and art gallery. Majoor spoke to the press there, answered questions from passers-by, and gave tours of the red-light district. Because a sex worker from
The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
had come to her asking for more information in book form, which, however, was not available, she herself wrote the handbook ''Als sex werken wordt'' (''When Sex Becomes Work'') in 1999, with handy tips and checklists such as 'When is your boyfriend starting to look like a pimp' and '10 reasons to do/don't do it'. Majoor supported the abolition of the Dutch brothel ban in 2000 and considered it "a logical step" towards the
decriminalisation of sex work The decriminalization of sex work is the removal of criminal penalties for sex work (specifically, prostitution). Sex work, the consensual provision of sexual services for money or goods, is criminalized in most countries. Decriminalization is d ...
. But she was sceptical about how it was being implemented: 'The government and brothel owners proclaim so easily that regulation is for the benefit of prostitutes, but if you look in practice, they have other priorities.' She pointed out that sex workers had been paying taxes since the 1950s, but that this was only now being formalised, there was a sudden crackdown on any form of prostitution that had not yet been legalised (with the aim of combating
human trafficking Human trafficking is the act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving individuals through force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. This exploitation may include forced labor, sexual slavery, or oth ...
, which everyone agreed with in principle, but not the means by which it was being implemented) and the new policy seemed to be enforced rather arbitrarily. Regardless, Majoor wrote a new tax leaflet for sex workers who wanted to follow the new legislation but did not know how. After the brothel ban was lifted in 2000, the government stopped subsidising several organisations working for the interests of sex workers, including the Mr. A. de Graafstichting (1960–2005) and foundation
The Red Thread (De Rode Draad) The Red Thread (''De Rode Draad'' in Dutch) was an advocacy-support group for prostitutes in the Netherlands. It was formed in 1985 and declared bankrupt in 2012. The name The Red Thread (De Rode Draad) was inspired by Nathaniel Hawthorne's nove ...
, who ran into financial difficulties as a result. In December 2005, Majoor appeared on television channel Netherlands 3 in the talk show ''Woestijnruiters'' (precursor to ''
Pauw & Witteman ''Pauw & Witteman'' was a Dutch late-night talk show, hosted by Jeroen Pauw and Paul Witteman. It was generally focused on current affairs and politics. It was broadcast every weekday at 11 pm on Nederland 1. It was initially co-produced by Du ...
''), where she got into a discussion with Karina Schaapman, another former sex worker who – unlike Majoor – had since turned against the trade. An open day has been held in De Wallen red-light district several times since 2006. At the open day of 31 March 2007, for the second time at the initiative of Mariska Majoor, male prostitutes were behind the windows to have sex with either women or men in exchange for payment.Mannelijke prostituees op Amsterdamse Wallen
nu.nl, 1 March 2007

on 20 May 2023.
The same day, on her initiative, a bronze statue called ''Belle'' by artist Els Rijerse was also unveiled on the
Oudekerksplein The Oudekerksplein () is a square in the centre of Amsterdam. It is named after the 14th-century church Oude Kerk which dominates the square. The Oudekerksplein is wedged between the Warmoesstraat street and Oudezijds Voorburgwal canal. From th ...
as a tribute to sex workers. However, in 2007, the Amsterdam mayor's office) launched a campaign called Platform 1012, which aimed to buy out some window brothels and replace them with fashion and art shops. Following criticism of promotion of De Wallen red-light district on the government's tourism website, those web pages were removed, and in 2008 the mayor's office promised to remove all window prostitution and Majoor's Prostitution Information Center around the Oude Kerk. However, because the mayor's office systematically referred to the entire neighbourhood and all businesses located there as "criminal" or "criminogenic", the approach backfired and the affected window operators, coffee shop owners and other neighbourhood entrepreneurs jointly turned against it. In 2012, the well-known Dutch sex workers foundation
The Red Thread (De Rode Draad) The Red Thread (''De Rode Draad'' in Dutch) was an advocacy-support group for prostitutes in the Netherlands. It was formed in 1985 and declared bankrupt in 2012. The name The Red Thread (De Rode Draad) was inspired by Nathaniel Hawthorne's nove ...
went bankrupt. In response, Majoor founded the new sex workers' association
PROUD Proud may refer to: Music * ''Proud'' (Heather Small album), the debut album by Heather Small ** "Proud" (Heather Small song), a song by Heather Small that was the official song for the London 2012 Olympic bid * '' Proud: An Urban-Pacific Stree ...
as its successor in 2015. Sekswerk Nederland (SWN, "Sex Work Netherlands", active 2014–2015), a research organisation by and for sex workers founded by Yvette Luhrs, began cooperating with PROUD, and later merged into it (Luhrs later succeeded Majoor as its president). As president of PROUD, Majoor spearheaded a major demonstration of hundreds of sex workers on 9 April 2015, protesting against the plans of the Amsterdam mayor's office to close dozens of windows in De Wallen red-light district, without consulting the sex workers involved. She told the
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
: 'They the mayor's office of Amsterdamsay that they want to have more control over the sex industry because it is related often to human trafficking and abuse, but in our opinion they use that as an excuse only for the
gentrification Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...
project.'


Further work and activism

In 2016, Majoor was diagnosed with
lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). The name typically refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enlarged lymph node ...
, forcing her to make the difficult decision to leave the red-light district after more than 30 years. In April 2017, she was honoured by the mayor of Amsterdam as a knight in the
Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau () is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has performed acts of special merits for ...
for her many years of providing information on prostitution and advocacy for sex workers. In the meantime, however, she had already set up a new company called Koekje uit Amsterdam ("
Biscuit A biscuit is a flour-based baked food item. Biscuits are typically hard, flat, and unleavened. They are usually sweet and may be made with sugar, chocolate, icing, jam, ginger, or cinnamon. They can also be savoury, similar to crackers. ...
from Amsterdam"), personally delivering boxes of biscuits by bike to catering businesses across Amsterdam. It was not very successful initially, partly because Majoor was not doing well physically, and she had to undergo many medical examinations. In autumn 2017, Majoor and her daughter Robin made 13 trips to countries around the world to meet sex workers and collect their stories, which they compiled in ''United Under A Red Umbrella: Sex work around the world'' (2018), for which Robin did the photography. In the book, they describe major differences between how sex work is viewed around the world (with varying degrees of stigma), in what situations the work takes place and how safe it is, but the interviewees (including male sex workers, who, according to Majoor, have to fight "doubly" for acceptance) were keen to "talk to someone who comes from the profession themselves. This struggle creates solidarity.' Majoor was then also diagnosed with
stomach cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a malignant tumor of the stomach. It is a cancer that develops in the Gastric mucosa, lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a numb ...
in late 2018, forcing her to undergo tougher treatments, and Robin cycled around the city delivering the orders whenever her mother was too ill. When the
horeca The hospitality industry is a broad category of fields within the service industry that includes lodging, food and beverage services, event planning, theme parks, travel agency, tourism, hotels, restaurants, nightclubs, and bars. Sectors Accord ...
shut down in 2020 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, and Koekje uit Amsterdam was stuck without customers, Majoor donated many boxes to shelters for the homeless, which she had already been in solidarity with for years. After the pandemic, her biscuit business flourished and became a supplier to several prominent Amsterdam hotel and catering companies. In October 2023, Majoor initiated a protest march against the Amsterdam municipality's plans to relocate window brothels to an erotic centre; she handed the mayor the Manifesto for the Preservation of the Amsterdam Wallen.


Works


Magazines

* ''Pleasure Guide: informatief magazine over het betaalde liefdesleven'' (from 1992). English/Dutch. Information and education for tourists and customers. * ''De Rode Lantaarn'' (from 2005). Magazine for the sex trade.


Books

* ''Als sex werken wordt'' (1999). Later editions: ''Als seks werken wordt: Alles wat iedereen zou moeten weten over sekswerk''. ** English-language edition: ''When Sex Becomes Work'' (2016). * ''10 jaar PIC: een overzicht. Prostitutie Informatie Centrum 1994–2004''. (2004) * (with co-author Robin Haurissa) ''United Under A Red Umbrella: Sex work around the world'' (2018). * ''De Wallen: toekomst van ons verleden'' (2020). ** English-language edition: ''Amsterdam Red Light District: The future of our past'' (2023).


Notes


References


Literature

* *


External links


Mariska Majoor geeft toelichting onthulling standbeeld Belle (2007)
– Adventures in Europe
De Cursus waar Sekswerkers de Kneepjes van het Vak Leren (2019)
– Vice
Mariska Majoor in het zonnetje bij 25 jaar Prostitutie Informatie Centrum (2019)
– Sekswerkerfgoed
Mariska Majoor en haar dochter Robin over sekswerk (2019)
– Sekswerkerfgoed
Prostitutie niet meer van deze tijd? 'Laat sekswerkers dat zelf bepalen' (2020)
– EenVandaag {{DEFAULTSORT:Majoor, Mariska 21st-century Dutch businesswomen 21st-century Dutch businesspeople Dutch human rights activists Dutch people in the sex industry Dutch women writers Dutch writers in English Pastry chefs Sex worker activists 1968 births Living people