10.12.2025 13:55
A far-right National Rally party member in France, Jean-Philippe Tanguy, announced that he is preparing a bill to reopen state-licensed brothels, which were closed in 1946, in order to enhance the safety of sex workers. Tanguy stated that he has the support of party leader Marine Le Pen and will soon present a bill to parliament.
Jean-Philippe Tanguy, a member of the far-right National Rally party in France, has brought up the reopening of state-licensed brothels to ensure the safety of sex workers.
A BILL TO BE PRESENTED TO PARLIAMENT
Tanguy announced that he has the support of party leader Marine Le Pen and will soon present a bill to parliament. The brothels, known as "maisons closes" in the country, were completely closed by a law enacted in 1946.
"SEX WORKERS SHOULD DETERMINE THEIR OWN WORKING CONDITIONS"
In an interview with Le Monde, Tanguy stated that he was inspired by modern practices in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany, arguing that sex workers should be able to determine their own working conditions in safe, regulated environments. Due to the deteriorating working conditions, some sex worker organizations are also positively inclined towards the idea of regulated brothels.
CLOSED SINCE 1946
Brothels in France, which operated from the early 19th century until 1946, had remained a cultural phenomenon featured in the works of figures such as Emile Zola, Marcel Proust, and Toulouse-Lautrec. In recent years, although restructured brothel models aimed at increasing the safety of sex workers have been discussed by academics and civil society organizations, no proposals have been implemented to date.