About Us

  • Sex Workers Outreach Project Hawai'i (SWOP Hawaii) advocates for the rights, health, safety, and self-determination of sex workers across the islands. Grounded in healing justice, disability inclusion, harm reduction, and lived experience, SWOP Hawaii works to dismantle systems of oppression and eliminate the fear caused by criminalization, discrimination, and societal stigma.

     Led by and prioritizing BIPOC, MVPFAFF, TIGNC, and LGBQ2S+ current or former sex workers—a diverse community of artists, organizers, therapists, and skilled professionals. Because anti-prostitution laws and anti-trans legislation disproportionately harm low-income, migrant, trans, and non-binary individuals, SWOP Hawaii actively addresses these compounding barriers to housing, healthcare, and safety.

     SWOP Hawaii delivers direct resources, trauma-informed support, and culturally competent education to foster community resilience and agency. Through grassroots organizing, collaborative partnerships, and policy advocacy, the organization fights for systemic change, collective liberation, and a world where all adult consensual sex workers are valued, respected, and able to exercise autonomy.

  • We proudly identify as cultural organizers, mental health workers, service industry professionals, creators, artists, healers, connectors, and disruptors. As an intergenerational team, we operate within a non-hierarchical structure that creates inclusive opportunities for all who join us. Decision-making is rooted in collaboration, with each member’s voice valued equally and contributions uniquely celebrated. Instead of traditional top-down leadership, we emphasize consensus-building, mutual respect, and transparent communication. Regular team meetings provide spaces for discussion, reflection, and strategic planning—ensuring everyone’s voice influences our direction. We strive to foster a culture of trust, support, and open dialogue, welcoming feedback and viewing constructive criticism as a catalyst for growth.

  • SWOP Hawai'i was founded on O'ahu in 2018, with the support of Tracy Ryan (Rest in Power), Pam Vessels, Harm Reduction Hawai'i and Doug Upp, who were instrumental in guiding us through our early stages of the chapter. The chapter took a break during the onset of the pandemic and then re-started in 2021. Today, one of our original core organizers remains, and we have grown into a group of nine dedicated individuals.

    Our founding vision was to create a community where sex workers, particularly BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and D/Disabled community members, could access support without stigma or judgment and honor their existence as valuable community members worthy of rights, liberation and so much more. We began with street outreach in Waikiki and have since moved to downtown Honolulu, providing weekly hot meals, safer sex supplies, harm reduction items, clothing, hygiene, and other essential resources to engage with the community. Through this outreach, we  have created a safe, welcoming environment for community members to connect with us and seek support, learn about upcoming opportunities and share space together, building advocacy and self determination. Over the years, our work has also included legislative advocacy for the decriminalization of adult consensual sex work and directly related issues, direct financial aid, and coalition building with local and national partners to amplify our impact.

    As a non-hierarchical organization led by individuals with lived experience in the sex trades and BIPOC communities, we continue to grow our reach, prioritizing the voices of sex workers and survivors in all aspects of our work by being led by those with experience in the sex trade.