The fascinating tale of a Windsor native's battle for the rights of sex industry workers is the subject of a new musical.
The story of Terri-Jean Bedford, a dominatrix who took her fight for sex workers to the Supreme Court of Canada, will be presented this week in a new musical, Dominatrix on Trial, produced by the Waawiiyaatanong (Windsor) Feminist Theatre and playing at the Kordazone Theatre.
The musical is based on Bedford's book of the same name, which chronicled Bedford's journey as a sex worker in Windsor during the 1970s and 1980s and her fight to ensure that those in the sex industry had rights.
Bedford told WindsorNewsToday.ca that she hopes people who see the play will see a different side of the debate over the sex industry.
"I want people to come away with a different opinion of women in the sex trade," said Bedford. "The government is responsible for these bad laws, and I want them changed, and my story will help to propel law reform."
Bedford, who became known as a dominatrix equipped with leather and a whip, was the subject of a 1994 raid in Thornhill, outside Toronto. She was fined for running a "bawdy house" after six years of court proceedings and appeals. She opened a similar establishment in Toronto in 1999, which closed in 2002 without police involvement.
Her fight eventually ended before the Supreme Court of Canada, which declared Canada's prostitution laws unconstitutional. Even so, people who frequent sex workers are still subject to arrest, which isn't enough for Bedford, who has blamed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for dragging his feet on the issue.
"He's keeping the sex trade workers underground under the pretext of protecting them," said Bedford. "He's promised to repeal these laws several times, and he hasn't touched it. He's said these laws endanger women, he voted against these laws, and now he's abandoned women. Fifteen judges agreed with me that these laws are unconstitutional. These laws promote sexual slavery in Canada."
Dominatrix on Trial will run this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night at the Kordazone Theatre, 2520 Seminole Street in Windsor. Tickets for the Thursday night show are $50 apiece, which includes the performance, a reception, and a book signing by Bedford. Tickets for the Friday and Saturday night shows are $25.