Member-only story
Why it Matters that Bedford is Black: Misogynoir and Sex Work in Canada
by Daniella Barreto
Author’s Note: People of many gender identities and sexual orientations engage in sex work. This piece addresses some of the systemic barriers that cis and trans women in Canada can experience and refers to research done predominantly among women sex workers.
The author is a Black cis woman who is not a sex worker. Sex work decriminalization is a racial justice issue and it is crucial to listen to Black sex workers’ experiences and needs in Canada to meaningfully address the issues highlighted in this piece. Daniella is a queer anti-racism advocate who holds an MSc. in Population and Public Health focusing on the health of sex workers and women living with HIV.
Content Notes: Mentions of violence and death, racism
It’s not every day you see a leather-clad woman with a whip and scarlet hair leaving Canada’s highest court. People who have been following the legal saga of sex work in Canada will be familiar with the name “Bedford.” Terri-Jean Bedford, to be exact. She is one of the women who took on this colonial state’s oppressive sex work laws in the landmark case, “Canada (Attorney General) v. Bedford” and won.
Colloquially known as the “Bedford case”, this iconic lawsuit overturned Canada’s backward…
