Criminalizing Prostitution In The Film Buying Sex

The film Buying Sex (2013) directed by Teresa MacInnes and Kent Nason, highlights the current debate on whether or not sex work should be illegal in Ontario. The film interprets the subject of criminalizing women by criminalizing certain components of sex work. The film focused on criminalizing women who participated in sex work but did not criminalize the men who used these women as commodities. Without the men who craved sex work there would be no sex work. The major argument in the film was to show both sides of the sex work debate, Alan Young was the main person on the positive side of the debate who wanted sex work to become legal so that women did not have to be ashamed of their jobs and if they were in danger they could seek police help.

Whereas, when the film interviewed the people who were for sex work they were always dressed up in suits or dress pants including the women who were/are sex workers, the women who were for sex work were never seen in ‘street clothes’. Furthermore, the people for sex work were interviewed in an office setting for the most part whereas, the people who were against sex work were interviewed in their home or were followed around and interviewed in a less professional setting which would make the opinions of the women who were for sex work seem less accurate because if they cannot dress professionally how can they have a say in how laws should be made? Also, after watching the film it is clear to see that that the majority of interviewees were men; Alan Young, Brian Le Gros, Steve Crow, Rob Nicholson, and Sven-Axel who all seemed to be in favor of sex work and were also all Caucasian. Clearly, there was a lack of voices from different ethnicities when creating the