Marchers in front of the iconic ‘Grain Belt Beer’ sign in Minneapolis.
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On the afternoon of June 2, sex workers and allies marched the streets of downtown Minneapolis for “Dancing in the Streets,” in honor of International Sex Worker’s Day, or International Whores Day, for its 50th anniversary. This year’s march was themed “Saints and Sluts” with attendees dressed in feathered angel wings, nuns habits, and sparkly devil horns. The marchers were met with supportive honks from passing pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles, including a postal service truck driver and a Metro Transit bus driver.
The sex workers and their allies marched to honor the legacy of sex worker rights activists and continue the fight for dignity and worker protections. Andi Snow, an executive director of the Minneapolis chapter of Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP), told the crowd, “We’re here today celebrating victories past, present, and yet to be won!”
In 1975, in Lyon, France hundreds of sex workers occupied a plaza after two sex workers were murdered on the job. The protesters argued that marginalization by police made working conditions more dangerous, which led to the deaths of their colleagues. The French sex workers also demanded an end to racial profiling and stereotypes that all trans women are sex workers. Today, International Sex Workers’ Day is celebrated in cities across the world.
In the event’s flyer from SWOP MPLS, the organization states, “This is about reclaiming space, celebrating survival, and demanding a world where sex workers are free”.
In an interview with Workday Magazine, Bianca Black, a dominatrix and online sex worker, shared, “SWOP’s mission is to decriminalize sex work in Minnesota and in Minneapolis. Our focus here is to make it so that strippers can have access to healthcare, even though they’re independent contractors.” Black gestures air quotation marks sarcastically as she says “independent contractors,” referencing the prevalent worker misclassification in the stripping industry.
“We want to make it so that they can feel safe at the club,” Black underscores, “so that workers can feel safe on the streets, and feel safe anywhere that they are.”
Isabela Escalona
Bianca Black, a dominatrix and online sex worker, poses before the start of the march.
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Two friends hold up signs, one reads, “Decrim sex work”, a central demand of SWOP MPLS, and the other reads, “I love whores”.
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Two parade goers pose for a photo in front of the parade’s truck that reads, “No bad whores, just bad laws”.
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Two parade goers pose for a photo with a sign against police, transphobia, and anti sex worker bias.
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An executive director of the Minneapolis chapter of SWOP MPLS, Andi Snow (left), and other SWOP members lead the march wearing nuns’ habits and an angel halo in honor of the parade’s theme, ‘Saints and Sluts’.
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Janette Zahia Corcelius, an organizer with the Minneapolis Teachers Union and Athena Papagiannopoulos, the executive director SWOP MPLS, smile for a photo.
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Two parade-goers pose for a photo with a sign that reads, “If I had a dick you would call me an entrepreneur”.
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The truck that led the march with SWOP members and supporters, playing music, dancing, and leading chants in support of sex workers.
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The march as it turned onto Washington Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. One sign in pink reads, “Rights not rescue”.
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Marchers make their way down the street with a smiling attendee with a sign that reads “Sluts” and a bible tucked into their shorts.
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Marchers dance as the parade makes its way through the corner of Washington Avenue and Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis.
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A marcher holds up a sign that reads, “Sex workers have always been on the frontlines”.
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Marchers take breaks to dance throughout the parade.
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A marcher with a red umbrella with dollar bills hanging from its parasols. The red umbrella is a symbol for solidarity with sex workers.
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Marchers sing chants and blow bubbles for a festive atmosphere throughout the parade.
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One march goer cracked a whip in the style of a dominatrix throughout the parade.
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Two marchers lead the pack as the parade makes its way onto the Hennepin Avenue bridge.
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Two friends chat as the parade makes its way onto Hennepin Avenue Bridge.
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SWOP hosted a wet t-shirt contest during the parade.
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Marchers in front of the iconic ‘Grain Belt Beer’ sign in Minneapolis.
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A marcher holds up a sign that reads, “Fuck SESTA/FOSTA”, referencing the 2018 legislative bill “Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act and the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act” that many sex workers and advocates criticize for its infringement on freedom of speech and expression and further pushing sex worker to operate in the shadows with less protections.
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Athena Papagiannopoulos, an executive director with SWOP, holds up a sign that reads, “Stigma kills”.