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”.