Terri-Jean Bedford, the principal affiant in Canada v. Bedford, a constitutional challenge which resulted in the December 20 Supreme Court decision striking down Canada’s laws restricting prostitution, will discuss her crusade to protect the lives and safety of sex workers in a free public lecture on the UWindsor campus Wednesday.

Bedford, a Windsor native and author, has been jailed under Canada’s prostitution laws and rose to national prominence during her legal battles over the past 20 years. She will discuss her early life in Windsor, where she was first convicted of operating a common bawdy house, and will share her experiences as a dominatrix and national media figure in “Breaking the Law and Making the Law,” at 1 p.m. January 15 in Winclare A, Vanier Hall.

She will be joined by Chanelle Gallant—a spokesperson from Maggie’s, one of the longest established sex worker organizations in Canada—to answer questions about the Supreme Court’s December decision and their views on the practice of sex work in Canada.

Bedford will also sign copies of her books. Her Windsor appearance is sponsored by the Humanities Research Group; the Women's Studies program; the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology; and the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.