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Copenhagen Sex and Prostitution

ABOVE: Copenhagen after dark.

Denmark abolished film censorship in 1969, and in November of that year the Danish adult-entertainment industry attacted worldwide attention with the Copenhagen Sex Fair. Ever since then, Copenhagen has enjoyed a dubious reputation as Europe's capital of erotic publishing, prostitution, and live sex shows.

In reality, the city is tame in comparison with Amsterdam or Hamburg, where hookers display their wares behind shop windows. Brothels are illegal, full-time prostitution is forbidden, and commercial sex activities largely take place out of the public view.

For more background on the Copenhagen sex scene, see:

Prostitution

Prostitution in the Nordic Countries (PDF)
There's nothing racy here--just a government-funded report in PDF format about prostitution and human trafficking in Scandinavia. Factoid from the report, which is in English: An estimated 45 percent of Denmark's prostitutes are of foreign origin.

WikiSexGuide: Copenhagen
Advice on where to sin in the Danish capital, which we present without endorsement. (We prefer hanky-panky at home.)

BBC News: How an Ambulance Became a Place for Safe Sex
A Danish businessman offers street prostitutes a mobile venue for their services. (It may look like an ambulance, but a decal on the outside says "Don't come knocking if the car is rocking." Also see LinkTV's video report on the "Sexelance."

Miscellaneous

The X-Rated Little Mermaid
In an article for Salon, Hank Hyena reported that descendants of sculptor Edvard Eriksen sued a Danish pornographer in 2000 for having "sullied the image, the reputation and the memory" of their illustrious ancestor by featuring The Little Mermaid in an adult video.

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