Sex Workers Outreach Project

SWOP-Chicago and our Red Lightbulb Van are out on the street across Chicago every week, distributing harm-reduction supplies like condoms and needles, along with food, clothing, hygiene products, and other essentials, to our fellow sex workers and their communities.

This work continues 52 weeks a year, rain, shine, or polar vortex notwithstanding! 

We always need more supplies to keep our outreach program going. Your tax-deductible contribution to our ongoing campaign will help us keep the harm reduction coming all year!

SWOP-Chicago is a grassroots organization dedicated to improving the lives of current and former sex workers in the Chicago area, both on and off the job.

More information about Sex Workers Outreach Project (Swop): Sex Workers Outreach Project-USA is a national social justice network dedicated to the fundamental human rights of sex workers and their communities, focusing on ending violence and stigma through education and advocacy.

Examining the Effects of Criminalization on the Sex Trade

(Pictured: A graduation cap designed and worn by Faith Zimmerle at the 2019 UC Davis Commencement Ceremony)


The Sex Workers Outreach Project Sacramento (SWOP) in conjunction with Safer Alternatives through Networking and Education (S.A.N.E.) will be conducting a needs analysis evaluating the methods that law enforcement uses when dealing with Sex Workers. Our goal is to understand and evaluate how sex work is addressed in the Sacramento Valley. Issues that we will be exploring include arrest techniques, impact on arrestees, sexual and physical abuse by law enforcement in the sex worker community, mental and physical health of those who have had encounters with law enforcement, and the effects of current law enforcement actions on the greater community. We will also be examining the correlation between homelessness and sex work. 

Our first joint needs analysis has been used by medical professionals (UC Davis Medical Center, Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, etc) and learning institutions in addition to politicians in the California State Legislature in passing legislation; such as the newly passed SB233, which will allow sex workers to carry condoms with out fear of arrest and to report violent offenders with complete immunity from sex worker and minor drug offenses. We are hoping that this new study will allow us to collect data to better advocated for our most marginalized. 

According to arrest records in Sacramento County, over the last few years the vast majority of arrests for solicitation and loitering with intent to commit prostitution have been young women of color and trans workers. We want to examine the end effects of a clearly broken justice system and learn what other actions could be taken to reduce harm and create a safer environment for our most marginalized.

Hello all! The time of year has come for our annual fundraiser. As we grow as an organization, so our costs and goals. We have gained momentum in our advocacy and membership, and we are so hopeful for our future—and we need your help. Concretely, we are looking for funding to help expand our street outreach to more neighborhoods, host a memorial for the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, and fund our members to attend conferences relevant to harm reduction and sex work. Our vision is to cultivate spaces to heal, expand, and deepen our strength as a community. We cannot do that without your material support, so even if it’s $10, please show your support. We are up against so much, and we need each other more than ever.