Copenhagen Prostitutes to Offer Free Sex to Climate Conference Attendees. But if it is free, is it still prostitution?

December 4th, 2009

From Der Spiegel:

Copenhagen’s city council in conjunction with Lord Mayor Ritt Bjerregaard sent postcards out to 160 Copenhagen hotels urging COP15 guests and delegates to ‘Be sustainable – don’t buy sex’.

“Dear hotel owner, we would like to urge you not to arrange contacts between hotel guests and prostitutes,” the approach to hotels says.
Now, Copenhagen prostitutes are up in arms, saying that the council has no business meddling in their affairs. They have now offered free sex to anyone who can produce one of the offending postcards and their COP15 identity card, according to the Web site avisen.dk.

But if it is free, are they still prostitutes? And if they are offering their services for free, and not as sex workers, aren’t they complying with the Mayor’s order?