From the Stroll to Law School

On Sunday November 22, 2009 Goodhandy's nightclub will be hosting a fundraiser to support a former child prostitute and celebrated sex worker rights activist, Wendy Babcock, endeavour into law school.

Featuring:
Tanya Cheex
Ceci My Playmate
Molly Mishap
Tori Jezabel & Wendy Babcock
Jon Pressick
Dirty Laundry
Bri-anne Swan
Renee Nay
Rani Rhinestone
Leanne Heartline
and many more...

Admission: sliding scale, anything from $5.00 to $500.00 (or more) is acceptable.

If you cannot attend but, would like to donate please visit http://lawschoolstudent.bravehost.com/

Who is Wendy?

Wendy Babcock left a difficult home life at a young age and moved in with a friend’s family. She was eventually put into the care of the Children’s Aid Society (CAS) in Toronto. Two years later, at 15, Babcock was still considered a society ward of the CAS, but was “aged out”. From there, the teenaged Babcock began work as a prostitute, a common occupation for young girls who find themselves with nothing.

Since then Wendy has become a well known activist for the rights of sex workers. From 2003 to 2007 she was a key member of Sex Professionals of Canada, an advocacy group who is currently challenging Canada's prostitution laws. In 2008 Wendy became the winner of the inaugural Public Health Champion Award for her work with sex workers, which include co-initiating a partnership with the Toronto Police Services to ensure that sex workers can report incidents of assault without fear of persecution or prosecution, and being a member of the advisory group to the Special Victims Unit. Other projects that Wendy helped to create include the Safer Stroll Project, Bad Date Coalition, Sherbourne Health Bus Sex Workers Stop, Regent Park Community Health Centre's Sex Worker Drop In, and self defense training for sex workers.

One of Wendy’s ambitions is to improve the child welfare system for children living in care. Although Wendy does not have a high school education, in 2009 she became one step closer to this goal when she was accepted into Osgoode Hall Law School at York University.