Marjan Sax

Sax was born in Amsterdam and studied politics at the University of Amsterdam. She was teamleader at the Open School in the North of Amsterdam from April 1977 to 1981. After that she worked as a researcher at the Foundation Vrouw & Media from March 1983 until June 1986, where she looked at the position of female journalists at Dutch newspapers. Sax is working as an independent advisor since 2003, also she is a publicist and is a member of different boards. Sax gave the 2003 Mosse Lecture, titled Naar een nieuwe seksuele revolutie (Towards a new sexual revolution).[2]

Sax was active in Dolle Mina and was the co-founder of different feminist organisations: the Amsterdamse vrouwenhuis in 1973, the pro-abortion actiongroup Wij Vrouwen Eisen in 1974, the course Female Studies at the University of Amsterdam, the womenbar Saarein in 1978 where a lesbian-feminist collective organised events (amongst others mother-daughter days, poetry nights, folk song days and themed parties). And the Lesbian Archive Amsterdam (now IHLIA LGBT Heritage) in 1982. Sax also took part in many other lesbian and feminist activities. She was one of the occupiers of the abortion clinic Bloemenhove in Heemstede, that was threatened to be closed in 1976. This action played a role in the legalisation of abortion. Sax kept a diary of this occupation, it was published in De Groene Amsterdammer.

In 1982 Sax co-founded the organisation Mama Cash[3] with four others, where she was part of the board until 2003. Organisation Mama Cash has different funds for women projects that promote emancipation and feminism. Sax received a noteworthy heritage and in 1982 she gave Mama Cash an interest-free loan of 2,5 million guilders. The organisation was allowed to keep the profit. In the eighties and nineties Sax was involved in de Roze Draad (1985 - 1991, the feminist supportgroup of De Rode Draad, an organisation for the improvement of the position of sex workers) and Vrouwen tegen Uitzetting (a collaboration to support female refugees).

The archive of Marjan Sax is being kept in Internationaal Archief voor de Vrouwenbeweging (IAV).

Sax has received different rewards for her efforts for the Dutch women's right movement, among others the Zilveren Anjer of the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds in 1995 and the Bob Angelo Penning of the COC in 1997.