TORONTO - A woman calling herself Canada's most famous dominatrix says the best years of her life were spent spanking and tying up clients in her north Toronto bondage hotel.
Terri-Jean Bedford, whose infamous "bondage bungalow" in Thornhill was raided in , laid out her life story for federal and provincial Crown attorneys Friday as an example of why prostitution should be decriminalized. Despite sweltering weather, the year-old Bedford - who calls herself Madame deSade - donned leather from head-to-toe for her anticipated pretrial examination, part of her bid with two other sex workers to strike down three provisions of the Criminal Code dealing with sex work.
Along with Osgoode Hall law professor Alan Young, she and the others filed a constitutional challenge last year with Ontario Superior Court. Although Bedford invited media to the examination, Young turned the proceedings private when the presence of reporters surprised the Crown. He decided to continue privately rather than adjourn because he said unlike Bedford, future witnesses might oppose appearing in the public eye.
After the examination, Bedford told reporters she drew contrasts between the drug addiction and gang rapes she endured while streetwalking in her youth with the security she found helping men act out their sexual fantasies at her bed and breakfast. Working the streets puts women's lives in danger, but they gain control when practising their profession in an indoor environment with security guards and other safety measures, she said. But not everyone agrees decriminalization is the best course of action, said Anastasia Kuzyk, a spokeswoman for the Sex Workers Alliance of Toronto.
While the group supports sex work moving towards decriminalization, they're concerned a gap could open for the federal Conservative government to introduce even tougher laws. What are their plans to ensure no more draconian laws? She also felt the team mounting the challenge was too exclusive, and hadn't consulted enough actual sex workers.
