SWAN Waterloo

The Sex Workers Action Network (SWAN) of Waterloo Region is a group committed to recognizing and honouring individuals working in sex work in Waterloo Region.

[SWAN Waterloo @SWAN_Waterloo]

https://t.co/vOM8f4739l

[CBC Hamilton @CBCHamilton]

Some mayoral candidates in Hamilton say they're unhappy with the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce and the Hamilton Club for hosting debates where not every candidate was invited to participate. https://t.co/hTUQXDrlRC

[Scarlett Gillespie AKA Jelena Vermilion @IsisIntrepid]

@MaritStiles, Leader of the @OntarioNDP and Leader of the Official Opposition, has responded to the concerns I raised on behalf of @SWAPHamilton.

I appreciate Marit taking the time to acknowledge the distinction between workers and the owners of businesses, and to recognize the marginalization, precarity, stigma, and safety risks that many sex workers face. She has now clarified that her concerns were about government accountability, and not about sex workers or the legitimacy of their work.

Most importantly, she reaffirms something I have always believed: solidarity means standing up for the dignity, safety, and protection of all workers, including sex workers. She also recognizes the need for safer workplaces, better working conditions, and stronger labour protections, particularly for the most vulnerable workers.

This is why I have spent over a decade advocating for sex workers' liberation. It has never been about one issue or one community. It is about a fundamental working-class value: every person who works deserves dignity, equality, safety, respect, and the ability to live with economic security.

My advocacy for sex workers is inseparable from my unwavering support for working-class people. Whether you are working in a steel mill, a restaurant, a warehouse, a salon, an office, a construction site - or in the sex industry - you deserve a government that sees you as a person, not a statistic or a political talking point.

That is the kind of mayor I intend to be for the @CityofHamilton.

I believe in listening to people, taking their concerns seriously, and then taking action. I believe in standing with workers when they are being ignored. And I believe Hamilton should be a city where working people, not just the powerful and well-connected, have a voice in the decisions that shape their lives.

Thank you to Marit Stiles for responding, and thank you to everyone who continues to stand with SWAP Hamilton and with sex workers.

My campaign is about working-class Hamilton. And I will never stop standing up for working people. ❤️

#HamOnt #CDNPoli #ONPoli #CityofHamilton #HamiltonOntario @ndpcanada @HamiltonLabour @onfedlab

[Scarlett Gillespie AKA Jelena Vermilion @IsisIntrepid]

I am honoured to be mentioned in this article.

Daze Jefferies: an overflown chorus https://t.co/nLNbb1jmX6

[Scarlett Gillespie AKA Jelena Vermilion @IsisIntrepid]

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

[Scarlett Gillespie AKA Jelena Vermilion @IsisIntrepid]

Please consider buying tickets to my debut play which I wrote and directed!

https://t.co/nCo76VHEXn

@HamFringeHFTco @GLBTHistory #HamOntFringe

[Scarlett Gillespie AKA Jelena Vermilion @IsisIntrepid]

. @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: https://t.co/kK1e1z0epA

#HamOntFringe #HamOnt #FringeFest #FringeFestival

[Triple-X Workers @XXXWorkers]

“The RCMP’s statement said that the operation ‘highlighted that many individuals likely did not realize that purchasing sex is illegal, and part of our role as police is to educate the public about the law and the risks associated with this behaviour.’”
https://t.co/R3KuRPiMd7

[Scarlett Gillespie AKA Jelena Vermilion @IsisIntrepid]

Sex Worker Diaries: Spoken and Sung is a bold, participant-led action research musical project funded by Canada’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

Performance Location and Showtimes:

Live at the Performing Arts Lodges (@PAL_Canada), 110 The Esplanade, @CityofToronto

-April 10, 11, 17, 18: doors at 7 PM, show at 8 PM

-April 12 and 19: doors at 3 PM, show at 4 PM

FREE ADMISSION (TICKETS): https://t.co/haWxAaQnsq

Part creative performance, part public scholarship, this production emerges from the research initiative Sex Work – The Musical: Altering Societal Perceptions of Sex Work Through Audience Engagement with a Musical Play.

Drawing on in-depth interviews with 52 sex workers across Canada, this project explores how stigma shapes occupational health & safety, stigma, social relationships, and everyday life.

Their words become lyrics. Their experiences become narrative. Their realities take the stage.

We invite you to listen, witness, and engage. Join us for an evening that centres lived experience, challenges assumptions, and reimagines how stories about sex work are told and heard ✨️

CC: @GlobalSexWork @KathleenCherri1

[Scarlett Gillespie AKA Jelena Vermilion @IsisIntrepid]

Today is International Sex Workers' Rights Day, observed annually on March 3 to highlight the rights, dignity, and safety of sex workers globally.

Established in 2001, when 25,000 sex workers in Kolkata, India, rose up to protest against police harassment and to advocate for their social, legal, and labour rights, and to end stigma and discrimination against them.

To commemorate the occasion, please enjoy a film from @Carol_leigh "Outlaw Poverty, Not Prostitution" with permission from her best friend and executor of her estate.

[Scarlett Gillespie AKA Jelena Vermilion @IsisIntrepid]

Video produced by @RedUmbrellaFund and @GlobalSexWork

On March 3rd, Celebrate International Sex Workers’ Rights Day!

On March 3, 2021, over 25,000 sex workers gathered in India for a festival. The festival was organized by Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee (DMSC @Durbar_DMSC) a Calcutta based group with over 50,000 members.

DMSC successfully resisted efforts by prohibitionist groups that pressured the government to revoke the permits.

Learn more about the Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee at https://t.co/Oo90MsEZYt

Learn more about sex worker days and other upcoming events at https://t.co/hcLIHuo3Ha (@GlobalSexWork)

The Red Umbrella Fund is proud to support DMSC and 63 other sex worker-led organisations around the world, including @SWAPHamilton.

Follow us as we uplift sex workers’ rights celebrations around the world during the week of March 3rd.

Tomorrow, SWAP Hamilton will post films from Carol Leigh (with permission) for the March 3rd celebration and commemorative date.

[Amber Meow @NugsMugs85394]

Forgot to tag @corasottawa in this thread..

[Amber Meow @NugsMugs85394]

Maeve is now pretending to be a victim when being called out for their actions towards a vulnerable and marginalized sex worker - including feeding into the trope of painting trans women as aggressive. In Maeve's efforts to be the victim, she ended up doxxing said sex worker

[Naomi Sayers 💕 @kwetoday]

Indigenous Lawyer (Naomi Sayers) Files Divisional Court Challenge Over Police Database Abuse Investigation

[Link in stories]: https://t.co/VipnNbcGkN

cc @MichaelMotala

[Siobhan Morris @siomoCTV]

BREAKING: Ontario’s inspector general of policing is launching a province-wide inspection into police corruption at all municipal services and the OPP https://t.co/KkZqbb3JZL

[Scarlett Gillespie AKA Jelena Vermilion @IsisIntrepid]

The funny thing about outing a sex work archivist's legal name is that the archivist instinctually documents the transgression.

The record is indelible and if you continue to fraudulently claim legitimacy in the sex worker non-profit space again, the evidence will resurface.

[Scarlett Gillespie AKA Jelena Vermilion @IsisIntrepid]

Just a heads up that @corasottawa is a sham and is trying to make money off of the backs of sex workers while pretending to be a non-profit. Do not trust them. I brought up concerns to them and they immediately blocked me and pretending to be diplomatic.

Not trustworthy.

[Scarlett Gillespie AKA Jelena Vermilion @IsisIntrepid]

We're looking for students in a music program or performing arts school to audition for a musical. It is a research project (@InformaticsChic is the project director)

Please share widely, thanks! (Non-students are also welcome.)

@SWAPHamilton is the cultural community partner.

[Scarlett Gillespie AKA Jelena Vermilion @IsisIntrepid]

This shortened URL ( https://t.co/w8KUQfK1za ) will take you directly to the Signature Page for e-Petition 7027.

Thank you in advance for signing it.

Question: Can I sign the petition if I don't live in Canada?

Answer: To sign the petition itself, you need to be a Canadian citizen or a Canadian resident, as the House of Commons requires that for all parliamentary petitions.

All signatures are reviewed, and only eligible ones are counted. That said, people outside Canada can still help in meaningful ways by sharing the petition and helping spread the word to their Canadian friends, relatives, or contacts.

[Scarlett Gillespie AKA Jelena Vermilion @IsisIntrepid]

Could you stop using the stigma against strip clubs and sex workers in your PR stunt? @kwetoday and I already gave you a cease and desist and a letter regarding your purposeful use of language meant to weaponize stigma for your @OntarioNDP PR goals. It is not feminist. STOP! ✋️

[Scarlett Gillespie AKA Jelena Vermilion @IsisIntrepid]

Thank you to @ChrisrHampton from @CBCArts for speaking with me about my donation of two of the original Lusty Lady marquee signs to the Worker's Arts and Heritage Centre (@WAHC) - Canada's only labour history museum. CC: @TaraBursey

https://t.co/jtFVIh9htg