By Vanessa Brown
As her colleagues surrounded her with tears and laughter, jumping up with explosive excitement, Ruby Jeffrey sat motionless, dazed with disbelief. Her state of shock reflects a decade of secrecy in the sex-trade industry, and being ignored by the Canadian legal system.
“As a sex worker, you’re not used to things going your way, or anyone listening to you ever,” Jeffrey said.
It is a week following the landmark ruling. Her level of shock is still palpable, but her emotions are starting to mirror those of her fellow sex workers. Jeffrey is talkative and energetic. She believes the current Criminal Code provisions effectively cover sex workers with a blanket of tension in their daily dealings with clients, from negotiating services beforehand, to worrying that the flow of traffic outside their bawdy houses will rouse suspicion in their neighbours.
