from 1984 (succeeding mattias duyves) until 2017, hekma was an assistant professor and teacher at the university of amsterdam, specializing in the sociology and history of (homo)sexuality. hekma's research is part of an academic counterculture, and some of his statements, in particular about pedophilia and about sadomasochism, have caused conflicts between him and some of his colleagues and the university board, and resulted in threats directed at hekma.