Every election campaign has its strange birds. In 1970 it was the 'Free Sex Party' during the Amsterdam municipal elections.
The bill featured program items such as 'free sex education for everyone', 'free sex for prisoners', 'free pills and condoms for the people' and 'pornography free'. Did the Amsterdammers have to take that seriously?
The party was sponsored by sex magazine Candy, the first Dutch sex book, made by 22-year-old second-hand bookseller Peter Muller. The magazine was sold illegally. Porn was still banned. For Muller, sponsoring the Free Sex Party was a matter of publicity.
“Candy broke a taboo,” Muller said later. “Sex was a problem for many because of religion. Candy showed that sex was allowed, that it was nice, normal and fun.' Not that Muller was idealistic:'I just wanted to earn money.' After a Supreme Court decision in 1970 about pornography, Candy was allowed to sell. The Free Sex Party had no influence on this, the party did not win a single seat in the Amsterdam council. And nothing more was heard from party leader Hans Hofman. However, Candy's circulation shot up:Muller was rich.