Inside Studio LUX

Moral Panic in the “Brothel of Europe”: BDSM, Sex Work, Neurodiversity, and Germany’s Sex-Work Ban Debate

Germany’s current debate about banning sex work and adopting the Nordic Model risks conflating sex work with human trafficking. Existing research and police data focus primarily on victims who interact with authorities, leaving consensual indoor and online workers, including BDSM professionals, largely invisible in official datasets. BDSM communities and dungeons often provide structured, consent-based environments that support creativity, community-building, and even therapeutic benefits, particularly for neurodivergent individuals. Criminalizing clients would likely push these practices underground, increasing risks for both workers and clients while eliminating professional spaces that provide education, community, safety, and support. Rather than reducing exploitation, such policies risk reinforcing stigma and dismantling environments where autonomy, choice, creativity, consent culture, and marginalized livelihoods can exist.

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