We at @SWAPHamilton are pleased to announce that the @CityofHamilton's City Hall and HAMILTON sign will be illuminated in red this December 17th to commemorate the annual International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. SWAP will host a press conference at City Hall starting at 10 AM. History of the event: @AnnieSprinkle and Robin Few, founders of the Sex Workers Outreach Project-USA (@SWOPUSA), organized a memorial and vigil on the lawn of San Francisco City Hall for the victims of the Green River serial killer in Seattle, WA. Gary Ridgway confessed to murdering at least 49 women, most of them sex workers, and was convicted on this day. It is now observed annually in cities across the world as the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. "No matter what you think about sex workers and the politics surrounding them, sex workers are a part of our neighborhoods, communities, and families." - Annie Sprinkle In Canada, Bill C-36, the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (PCEPA), substantiates a polarizing narrative that (erroneously) frames all sex work as a form of inherent exploitation, all sex workers as victims, and all clients as violent criminals. The "end demand" laws perpetuate existing harm for sex workers, disproportionately impacting racialized, trans, im/migrant sex workers who are viewed as victims of exploitation but deemed unworthy of occupational protections. This commemorative action echoes #HamOnt City Council in 2023 stating that intimate partner and domestic partner violence in Hamilton is an epidemic. The truth is that many women sell sex for the same reason as they stay in abusive relationships: economic constraints. The illumination of City Hall and the HAMILTON sign are zero-cost, effective ways the City of Hamilton is showing solidarity for a community often reviled and often made vulnerable by stigma. Thank you to the Office of the City Manager @CluckieM for her cooperation in approving this request. CC: @AndreaHorwath @GlobalSexWork @CDNSWAlliance @CHCHNews @eva_sita @gregobr @CBCHamilton @BayObserver @HamCityMagazine @theSilhouette @CTVNews @inthehammer #CDNPOLI #ONPoli – at Hamilton, Ontario

Thank you to the @HamCommFdn for inviting and having @SWAPHamilton on the @Cable14 Vital Signs program. It was so great getting to chat with @MJ_Parente! cable14now.com/video-on-dema… Dr. Ameil Joseph (@AJesusJoseph) and I spoke with Michael about the @McMasterOCE Research Shop’s collaboration with SWAP Hamilton. Our literature review highlighted the experiences of Canadian sex workers’ with police and law enforcement, healthcare access and social exclusion from 2018 - 2023, after the criminalization of the sale/trade of sexual servcies. It’s appalling to still have vulnerable groups fighting to be acknowledged and treated with dignity when accessing critical services to ensure their wellbeing. This needs to change. I hope our review and post-project advocacy initiatives can draw attention to the challenges that sex workers face on a daily basis and prompt a reform in legislation. Thank you so much to the entire literature review team: Anushka Rajaram Evan Gravely Jeanna Pillainayagam Fayth Frank (she produced the infographic) Darren Sajeevan Jovana Paramentic Lastly, thank you for allowing SWAP to be a part of such important work, and @McMasterU for giving grassroots community organizations like SWAP Hamilton the opportunity to benefit from research, in spite of stigma. We are all safer when sex workers are safe! Access the literature review here: macsphere.mcmaster.ca/bitstr… #HamOnt #CDNPoli #ONPoli #YHMCC CC: @TheSpec @AndreaHorwath @JohnPaulDanko @DawnDankoOLP @WAWGHAMILTON @becky_buck @SACHAhamont @FilomenaTassi @Shaw_Sandy @tammyhwang @RobinLennox @CameronKroetsch @LisaHepfner @AlexWilson96 @NrinderWard3 @SarahJama_ @Ward1Wilson @JeffBeattie2014 @TedMcMeekin @ChadCollinsMP @EstherPauls2 @MSpadafora2022 @NeilLumsdenPC @BCouncillor @JohnPaulDanko @TammyHwang @HamOntWard4 @McMasteResearch @mac_SW @StJoesHamilton @MohawkCollege @MTaylorNDP @FaeJohnstone @YWCA_Hamilton @anjali_menezes @EasyThePianoMan @PascaleHamOnt @BayObserver @TeviahMoro @jonjwells @EmilyNTayler @CHCHTV