SWAP - Sex Workers' Action Program Hamilton Inc.

Thank you to all our donors over the past 6 years! 🥳 🎉 🎊 🍾

Awful news out of Hamilton as a worker dies on the job at the Flamboro Speedway. Work must never hurt, maim, or kill. #CanLab #EnforceWestray cbc.ca/news/canada/ha…

For the past two years, I've called CityHousing Hamilton home. Living in public housing hasn't just shaped my understanding of Hamilton's housing crisis - it has transformed it. I've experienced firsthand what it feels like to navigate systems that too often leave tenants feeling unheard. I've advocated for repairs, accessibility improvements, building security, and safer living conditions because every person deserves a home that is safe, well-maintained, and treated with dignity. Those efforts helped bring real improvements to my building - from enhanced security measures and accessibility upgrades to long-overdue repairs that benefit every resident. My experiences have also shown me something much bigger: there is often a profound gap between the people making decisions and the people living with their consequences. Too often, low-income residents are expected to accept conditions that many others never would. We cannot build a stronger Hamilton if we believe that someone's income determines the quality of housing, safety, or respect they deserve. Thank you to @NatalieBenci (Bencivenga) for taking the time to hear my story. Journalists who create space for honest conversations about inequality, housing, and accountability help strengthen our democracy and remind us that every voice matters. Part of the reason I'm running for Mayor is because I believe lived experience belongs at the decision-making table. Hamilton deserves leadership that listens - not only to experts and institutions - but also to the people living these realities every single day. A city is judged not by how it treats its most powerful residents, but by how it treats those with the least power. That's the Hamilton I'm fighting for. ❤️🏙️ #HamOnt #CDNPoli #ONPoli #YHMVote #YHMCC @cityofhamilton @andreahorwath

Dear @AviLewis, @MaritStiles still has not replied to this letter. The @OFLabour @chandralipaul @waltonmom told me I would hear from Marit's chief of staff. @CheriDinovo told me I would hear from Marit's cheif of staff. I have not heard from anyone. You met me in Hamilton, Avi. I asked you about the @NDP's stance on sex work. I voted for you. Does the NDP not have solidarity with sex workers? Can you please make this right? Thank you for your consideration. CC: @SWAPHamilton @KWEToday @OntarioNDP #CDNPoli #ONPoli #HamOnt

We are proud to stand with the principled and courageous Dr. @Anjali_Menezes. Here is a statement I was asked to deliver from a student W.J. to Dr. Menezes after her resignation from the @HamiltonPolice Services board: "Dr.Menezes, when I had a mental breakdown at school, the police dragged me away in a cruiser. Because I’m white, I insisted on not getting handcuffed, and I wasn't. That’s a privilege Black, Indigenous, and racialized students don't get, and it’s messed up. When you found out, you immediately showed up to support me. After I shared what happened, you told me straight up, and asked how this could happen, saying: 'No child should go through this, no matter their race. Period.' You actually respected us as students. You saw that we aren't too young to recognize racial bias, you excited our voices with the board chamber. While the system showed zero commitment to change, you never backed down. You stood with racialized groups and all Hamilton communities, and you fought the board over these broken police intervention policies. Thank you for listening to youth and always standing for justice." -W.J. #HamOnt #ONPoli #CDNPoli #YHM

@anjali_menezes @EquityNetworkD @Mivasair @DesmondCole @TheBreachMedia @HamiltonARRC @ajesusjoseph So grateful for your principled heart 🙏

@LaurenLevitt8 Wow we are cited and we have our own chapter in the sae Palgrave textbook! 😲 ❤️ 😍

"Sex Worker Digital Zines: Political Organizing and Self-Representation" is now forthcoming in Critical Perspectives on Sex Work and Sex Tech!

Please consider buying tickets to my debut play which I wrote and directed! hftco.ca/events/victori… @HamFringeHFTco @GLBTHistory #HamOntFringe

Hi @KeaninLoomis @voteLoomis, what is your stance on AI data centres? #HamOnt #CDNPoli #ONPoli #YHMVote

@redumbrellaclub @XXXWorkers

Kitchener man wins lawsuit against stripper She claims most of the $13,425 he put in her bank account was a gift, but the deputy judge ruled it was a loan. A Kitchener man has been awarded $13,425 in a lawsuit against a stripper after a court ruled money he deposited into her bank account was a loan, not a gift. The man, an auto mechanic, frequented a strip club in Woodstock. The woman worked as “a dancer and sex worker in the VIP room,” Deputy Judge James Bennett said in a recent ruling in Kitchener small claims court. Bennett ruled she failed to prove that the money was a gift. If the man intended it to be a gift, he could have simply given her cash, but instead he “went to the trouble of depositing the monies into her bank account and keeping a record of those deposits,” Bennett said. “This in and of itself is evidence that he intended these deposits to be loans.” Deposits into her bank account coincided with her sending messages about her financial problems. “At no time when she receives these transfers of money from (him) into her account does she thank him for his generosity in making a ‘gift,’” Bennett said. He ordered her to pay him $13,425, plus interest, and $750 in costs. The man was represented by Kitchener paralegal Shaun Harvey. Read more: therecord.com/news/waterloo-…

Thank you again for bring this to my attention. My apologies again

. @demarjgrant @TheSpec I am the one that forced Antler Entertainment to announce their (hidden) cancellation and forced refunds. @StormyDaniels #HamOnt @CityofHamilton

. @SWAPHamilton Inc. Presents Victoria Schneider: Verified A New Play Written and Directed by Scarlett Gillespie With Crystal Rose Haygarth @LisaPezik, Rayna Trepanier, David Faulkner-Rundle As part of the 2026 Hamilton Fringe Festival (@HamFringeHFTco) Hosted at @TheWestdale Theatre 1014 King Street West, Hamilton Fri, July 17, at 8:30 PM Sat, July 18, at 3:30 PM Sun, July 19, at 12:00 PM Tues, July 21, at 7:45 PM Wed, July 22, at 9:30 PM Sat, July 25, at 8:00 PM Sun, July 26, at 12:00 PM Tickets available in June: HFTCO.ca #HamOntFringe #HamOnt #FringeFest #FringeFestival

Did anyone ask him if he had read the 88 page decision before commenting?

31 division never stops! Omg 1 of these men is in the community “integration” program and another works with youths!

The public should know. Here are their names: -Evan Glennie (a training constable), -Rich Rand (a plainclothes police constable), -Caglar Yigit (a constable).

3 Canadian police officers arrested for sexually assaulting a prostitute in a taxi in Barcelona “One of them is the one who allegedly sexually assaulted the woman, while another hit her in the face, and the third was the co-pilot of the vehicle.” europapress.es/catalunya/noti…

Today is International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexphobia and Transphobia #IDAHOBIT Trans and gender-identity hate crimes are on the rise (egale.ca/awareness/2024…).

Sex work and housing advocate planning to run for Hamilton mayor Scarlett Gillespie, also known as Jelena Vermilion @IsisIntrepid announced last week her intention to run for Mayor of Hamilton in the upcoming municipal elections. Sex work advocate Scarlett Gillespie, also known as Jelena Vermilion, is running for mayor of Hamilton in the upcoming municipal elections. Gillespie is a community activist, organizer and the Executive Director of the Sex Workers’ Action Program (SWAP) Hamilton. @swaphamilton works with sex workers of all walks of life, including those who are BIPOC, experiencing homelessness, undocumented, part of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and more. “I am running for mayor because I believe Hamilton needs leadership that understands the realities people are facing on the ground and is committed to building solutions that work for everyone,” she said in a statement. Gillespie has used the name Jelena Vermilion for many years, which allowed her to “advocate safely in difficult and often hostile environments,” she said. She said as she steps forwards as a candidate, she’s choosing to use her legal name publicly. People can officially sign up to run in the October municipal election for mayor, councillor or school trustee on May 1st. Nominations close Aug. 21st Source: cbc.ca/news/canada/ha…

My name is Scarlett Gillespie and I'm running for Mayor of the @CityofHamilton. I’m running to fight for a Hamilton that stays affordable, accountable, and livable for the people who call it home. Follow this account and retweet 🏙️ #HamOnt #ONPoli #CDNPoli #Hamilton #YHMVote

We wear 💜 to show survivors that it takes a community to end sexual violence and that no one asks for or deserves to experience sexual violence. Will you help us spread the word? Post your 💜 pics with #NoOneAsksForlt and tag @SACHAHamont to purple-fy social media UR Not alone!