Open-Air Sex Plan for Vondel Park Angers Amsterdam Residents (Martijn van der Starre)

Created by : Francis Goodwin View profile

March 19 (Bloomberg) -- Amsterdam, known worldwide for its leniency to marijuana use, is courting more controversy with plans to decriminalize open-air sex in its most popular park.

Vondel Park draws about 30,000 visitors a day to its 116 acres near Museum Square, home to the Van Gogh Museum at the city's center. At night, the park is a destination for men looking for sex.

Local authorities may allow so-called cruising after dark, while restricting any sexual activity to the park's rose garden. The proposal is similar to the city's drugs policy, which turns a blind eye to cannabis in coffee shops even though the sale of the drug remains illegal.

``It's a dumb decision,'' said Agnes Simon, a member of the neighborhood council governing the park and political party Christian Democratic Alliance. ``I'll be dead against it. You may as well abolish all rules.''