A Different Kind of Sex Show: The Red Light District (de Wallen) is rich in centuries of sex work cultural history and known globally as a social landmark for window work. An emerging voice within the district, wanting to make that cultural history known, is HXSSY: Queer SW Arts & Culture, a collective that is making space for intersectional, autonomous, and unapologetic expressions of sex work and queer identities.
For the past two months, HXSSY has been producing shows at the legendary Casa Rosso Erotic Theater, an acclaimed sex theatre in the heart of de Wallen, on the Oudezijds Achterburgwal. For the past several decades, the theater is known for its live sex performances open to the public. Now, Casa Rosso has generously lent its stage to something new: a three-part, queer & sex-worker centered matinée series that seamlessly merges burlesque, drag, strip tease, and community storytelling & education.
The series at the Casa Rosso also featured the launch of a community booklet, “HXSSY: Queer Sex Workers Artist Manifesto” which combined over 20 pieces by sex working artists, queer & trans* cultural workers, and Red Light District creatives into a print publication supporting sex workers’ significant cultural & artistic influence both locally in Amsterdam, and within the arts & culture scene internationally.
As the final matinée approaches in January 2025, HXSSY reflects on a journey that has been equal parts art and activism. Through this series, HXSSY has redefined erotic performance as not just entertainment but as a form of cultural expression, queer celebration, and community knowledge & empowerment.
A Legacy of Bold Performance
Casa Rosso, an institution synonymous with Amsterdam’s decades-long history of sex work, has stood as a centerpiece of the Red Light District since the 1960s. For HXSSY, this collaboration with Casa Rosso is more than a venue partnership. With the theatre’s generous venue sponsorship, HXSSY is championing new, inclusive and queer narratives in the Red Light, alongside the fight to preserve the district’s cultural legacy of sex work.
“It’s a pleasure to be producing queer shows in de Wallen,”
says Mercy St. J, founder of HXSSY.
“Over the last 100 years, around 30 queer-run venues have shut down in this neighborhood. After shutting down around 200 sex working spaces just over the last 25 years, the remaining workplaces are still in a precarious situation. The entire district is under threat of being displaced into an ‘Erotic Center’ in Amsterdam Zuid. Queers and sex workers have a shared history in this district, we are in this together to reclaim space that also belongs to us! We hope with this series we can unite both of these communities, by honoring the past and creating space for the future of queer and SW arts.”
A Changing District, A Changing Narrative
The Red Light District is no stranger to reinvention. As policies and perceptions around sex work continuously shift, HXSSY’s series brings a refreshing and necessary perspective. By centering sex workers’ voices and celebrating queer artistry, these performances challenge stigmas and offer a vibrant, alternative narrative to an area often misunderstood by the outside world.
Final Matinée Details: Saturday, January 18th, 2024 Time: 2PM-4PM Casa Rosso Theatre, Amsterdam TICKETS
This finale cabaret will feature standout acts from STRIPTOPIA, intimate interviews with local organizers, and electrifying performances by HXSSY Presents Artists, specifically-curated collaborations between classically trained musicians and sex working performers. Beyond the draw of the sex theatre & the thrill of the Red Light, this series is about something larger: transforming how we view art, culture, sex work, and queer story-telling. HXSSY is working to re-establish sex workers’ & queer folks’ community ties to the Red Light in a new way.
About HXSSY: Queer SW Arts & Culture
HXSSY exists at the intersections of art, activism, and community. Our mission is to amplify the voices of sex working and queer artists through community organization, immersive performances, and cultural & political education. In our current, sexy triptych of cabarets, we have curated a space for authentic narratives of queer & trans* sex work, which challenge social conventions and celebrate the twin histories and interconnected struggle of queer community & sex work in de Wallen. @hxssyproductions/
