How the Prostitution Laws Affect the Average Person

I presume you mean the laws that were struck down, but tentatively being kept in place. These laws impact few because they are under-enforced; as the judge who struck them down pointed out. New similar laws will also be disobeyed. But for those who the authorities wish to target, as they did me in the 1990’s, the laws are a tool for the police to impose morality and target individuals. Indeed, the disgusting presence of "morality squads" over the years should make any thinking person sick. I don’t think being a student is a distinguishing factor in this matter. The people can be most effective by communicating their opposition to any attack on our freedoms the way the reaction to the internet snooping laws arose. They can also send money to organizations that are fighting the fight, such as the Sex Professionals of Canada (SPOC - spoc.ca).

Terri-Jean Bedford
http://DominatrixOnTrial.com

Why the Image of the Sex Worker is So Often Taboo

A difficult question. Taboos of all types are very uneven. Some people condemn birth control. Some people condemn pre-marital sex. Some people condemn anonymous sex. Some people condemn cross-dressing. Some people condemn homosexual encounters. Some people condemn bondage and consensual and safe torture. They may see these things as degrading. They may see taking money for doing these things as degrading. The current laws leave matters confused. Prostitution is legal, but there is no clear definition of what it is. Public policy and the laws around prostitution were themselves ruled unconstitutional by the judge and we will soon hear from the appeal court on the matter, or will have heard from them by the time you are reading this. However society’s perception, whatever that is, will not be changed by the court’s ruling. When Parliament gets involved the real issues will emerge. It will be like the internet monitoring and minimum sentence bills. There will be blowback from the people and the judges and the discussions the government is desperate to avoid will begin in a big way. Meanwhile, people in private will continue to do what they want because they want to be free. That is what this country stands for and Mr. Harper will once again have to take a stand against freedoms if he wants to take a stand against prostitution. The media and public will pick up on that and it will be historic.

Terri-Jean Bedford
http://DominatrixOnTrial.com

Feeling Empowered as a Dominatrix

I went into a great deal of detail on those things in my book: Dominatrix on Trial. I ask you to buy it, not only to increase sales, but to get my full views on that. You can go to dominatrixontrial.com for information on how to get it. But to answer the question of whether being a dominatrix gives a woman a feeling of empowerment as best I can now, I would say a few things. Sex work (in the conventional sense) let me survive, and if you do sex work from a secure location and in a clean environment it is much better than being forced underground the way the laws do to us now, despite prostitution being legal. People are having sex, often anonymously, all over the place now, so these millions don’t seem to think they are degrading themselves. High end prostitutes are making good livings for short hours and many love what they do and endure no sexual harassment the way secretaries, waitresses and other poorly paid women do. As a dominatrix I felt even better than a high end sex worker, except that it was a more costly and burdensome business to run. But I can tell you that nothing beats having men who occupy positions of power being at your mercy and worshipping you. For a woman to have that kind of power is intoxicating and must be experienced to be believed. It is not just the physical control over and power to inflict punishment on a big man who is helpless, it is also the experience of him wishing to be in that position for me. Of course I felt empowered. I had concerns when running my establishment too. I was concerned about the police raiding. I was concerned about making enough money to continue on. I was concerned about losing the premises, which I did not own. But I was never concerned about violence against me or my staff. Girls who work in traditional occupations or in male dominated occupations endure sexual harassment and bullying all the time.

Terri-Jean Bedford
http://DominatrixOnTrial.com

Crimes on Campus that Target Women

I don’t want to sound racist but the colleges and universities in Toronto have many students that come from, or whose parents come from traditional cultures, where men’s pride can be more easily hurt by women than is the case with, say, third generation North Americans. Also women, like the elderly, are a safer target for attackers than able-bodied young men and most college students today are women, so they will be the main victims of crime. So I don’t think misogyny is the only reason for the targeting of women on campus. To change any misogyny that does exist will take time, cultural changes and also women fighting back by reporting incidents and there being supports to encourage more women to come forward.

Terri-Jean Bedford
http://DominatrixOnTrial.com