This past summer, Wendy Babcock passed away. She was a former sex-worker that later gained entrance to Osgoode Law School. Her dream was to help future sex workers and advocate for sex-worker rights. Her story of resilience is so remarkable, I get goosebumps just thinking about it. After entering the sex industry at the age of 15, Babcock later made a remarkable transition in her life, and in the lives of those around her.
CBC:
Sex worker turned law student dies
Wendy Babcock, 32, sought prostitution law reform
Obituary, written by friend Holly Kramer, as featured in the Globe and Mail:
Community activist, law student, writer, mentor, sister, mother, friend. Born May 29, 1980, in Toronto. Died Aug. 9, 2011, in Toronto of unknown causes, aged 31.
Wendy Babcock had a tough, amazing, terrible, wonderful, all-too-short life. It could even be said that she lived several different lives in her 31 years.
When she died so suddenly, so unexpectedly, a host of diverse people, from sex-trade workers to law students – members of her chosen family – showed up to plan her memorial service, for Wendy had been both a sex worker and a law student.
Wendy’s childhood was less than idyllic, and she suffered sexual abuse at a very early age at the hands of a relative. Eventually she went into the foster care system. By eighth grade she had been raped. By ninth grade she had run away, dropped out and, of necessity, become engaged in prostitution to survive.
You’d hardly expect that, before the age of 25, a young woman with her history would have the wherewithal to turn such experiences into something good, but that’s exactly what Wendy did. She became a harm reduction worker, a mother and, ultimately, a student at Osgoode Hall Law School.
Wendy’s goal was to be in a position to effect real change in the lives of some of the most marginalized people in society. With her uncanny ability to zero in on the fault line of any argument, the wisdom borne of her life experiences, her capacity for critical analysis and her persuasive powers, there can be no doubt that she would have been one hell of a lawyer.
Along her way, Wendy founded the Bad Date Coalition – an interagency network of people who advocate for those working in the sex trade. She won the ear and respect of representatives of the Toronto Police Service and worked with them to ensure that sex workers could and would report assault.
Wendy had a razor-sharp wit mixed with the endearing ability to laugh at herself. She was clever, compassionate and courageous; sweet and sassy, lovely and loving. She was tolerant of everything but intolerance in others; her activism on behalf of transgendered people is but one testament to this.
In 2008, then-mayor David Miller presented Wendy with a Toronto Public Health Champion Award in recognition of her advocacy work, an award she richly deserved.
On Sept. 15, Wendy's life will be celebrated by a huge gathering of her friends and colleagues. We will continue her work to fight stigma and discrimination, and toward social inclusion for all, in her memory.
Her son was the most important person in Wendy’s world, and she wanted him to be as proud of her as she was of him. Those who knew and loved Wendy are confident that, in a few short years when he’s old enough to realize the profound impact his mother had on so many lives, he will be justly proud.
Holly Kramer is Wendy’s friend and colleague.
