The Red Thread (De Rode Draad)
The Red Thread (De Rode Draad in Dutch) was an advocacy-support group for prostitutes in the Netherlands. The group aimed to bring legitimacy to the prostitution industry by seeking regulation via labour and employment laws and by working against the stigmatization of prostitutes, considering prostitution a valid choice. The group also worked for prostitutes' access to health care.
The group was formed in 1985 by former members of the prostitution industry. It was subsidized by the Dutch government as a measure of HIV/AIDS prevention. Since 1988 they had published a magazine, Blacklight, written by and for prostitutes. While they did not self-identify as a feminist group, they sympathized with sex-positive feminism. The group closely collaborated with the union FNV which has accepted prostitutes as members since the full legalization of brothels in the Netherlands 2000.
See also
- A Vindication of the Rights of Whores
- COYOTE
- International Committee for Prostitutes’ Rights
- International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers
- Margo St. James
- Prostitution in the Netherlands
- Sex worker
- Sex worker rights
- World Charter for Prostitutes' Rights