Tara Hurley
Encyclopedia
Tara Hurley is an American
director best known for the 2009 documentary
Happy Endings?
.
Hurley was born in Providence, Rhode Island
and grew up in the Riverside
section of East Providence
. She graduated from Providence College
in 1998, where she received a bachelors degree in Humanities. She studied abroad in Salamanca, Spain her junior year.
where prostitution has been decriminalized for almost three decades. Hurley turned her cameras on the women in the Asian massage parlors at the center of the debate to criminalize prostitution where there had been rumors of human trafficking
.
Before making Happy Endings?, Hurley says she had no preconceived notions on prostitution, and wanted to make the film to find out how she felt as a woman and a feminist about prostitution. In one interview Hurley states "I couldn’t force an opinion on anyone because I didn’t really have one. After making the film, doing all the research, and meeting all the people, I personally believe that all prostitution laws harm the women that they claim to protect. When a woman is arrested and gets a criminal record, she no longer has a chance to get out of sex work even if she wanted to. When filling out a job application it will be difficult to explain the criminal record, especially with all the stigma that comes with prostitution. To add insult to injury, I am offended that only the woman is arrested."
While debating the change in Rhode Island's prostitution law, Hurley stated that she was in support of full legalization of prostitution, though she later wrote supported the idea Swedish model
of prostitution law for Rhode Island as an alternative to the criminalization of sex workers. She also made an appearance on The Dan Yorke Show in which she discussed the film.
Hurley joined the fight to pass stronger human trafficking laws. In addition to working for tougher trafficking laws, Hurley also brought women from the spas to testify against the proposed prostitution law.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
director best known for the 2009 documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Happy Endings?
Happy Endings?
Happy Endings? is a 2009 cinema verite documentary film directed and produced by Tara Hurley.Filmed over 27 months, it chronicles the lives of the women in massage parlors in Rhode Island during a battle in the state legislature to make prostitution illegal...
.
Hurley was born in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
and grew up in the Riverside
Riverside, Rhode Island
Riverside, Rhode Island is the southern section of the city of East Providence in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Riverside's zip code is 02915 and has a population of approximately 18,000.Riverside is a suburban neighborhood for Providence...
section of East Providence
East Providence, Rhode Island
East Providence is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 47,037 at the 2010 census, making it the fifth largest city in the state.-Geography:East Providence is located at ....
. She graduated from Providence College
Providence College
Providence College is a private, coeducational, Catholic university located about two miles west of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, United States, the state's capital city. With a 2010–2011 enrollment of 3,850 undergraduate students and 735 graduate students, the College specializes in academic...
in 1998, where she received a bachelors degree in Humanities. She studied abroad in Salamanca, Spain her junior year.
Happy Endings?
Hurley's 2009 documentary following the debate over prostitution in Rhode IslandProstitution in Rhode Island
Prostitution in Rhode Island was outlawed in 2009. On November 3, 2009, Governor Donald Carcieri signed into law a bill which makes the buying and selling of sexual services a crime....
where prostitution has been decriminalized for almost three decades. Hurley turned her cameras on the women in the Asian massage parlors at the center of the debate to criminalize prostitution where there had been rumors of human trafficking
Human trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
.
Before making Happy Endings?, Hurley says she had no preconceived notions on prostitution, and wanted to make the film to find out how she felt as a woman and a feminist about prostitution. In one interview Hurley states "I couldn’t force an opinion on anyone because I didn’t really have one. After making the film, doing all the research, and meeting all the people, I personally believe that all prostitution laws harm the women that they claim to protect. When a woman is arrested and gets a criminal record, she no longer has a chance to get out of sex work even if she wanted to. When filling out a job application it will be difficult to explain the criminal record, especially with all the stigma that comes with prostitution. To add insult to injury, I am offended that only the woman is arrested."
While debating the change in Rhode Island's prostitution law, Hurley stated that she was in support of full legalization of prostitution, though she later wrote supported the idea Swedish model
Prostitution in Sweden
The laws on prostitution in Sweden make it illegal to buy sexual services, but not to sell them. Pimping, procuring and operating a brothel are also illegal...
of prostitution law for Rhode Island as an alternative to the criminalization of sex workers. She also made an appearance on The Dan Yorke Show in which she discussed the film.
Hurley joined the fight to pass stronger human trafficking laws. In addition to working for tougher trafficking laws, Hurley also brought women from the spas to testify against the proposed prostitution law.