MANCHESTER, N.H. — The New Hampshire chapter of the Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP NH) will host an open house dinner June 29 in honor of Pride Month.
June was chosen for Pride Month to commemorate the Stonewall Uprising in New York City. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the event, which inspired the formation of gay rights advocacy groups around the world. Pride month both recognizes the impact members of the LGBTQIA community have had on history and memorializes lives lost to HIV/AIDS and hate-driven violence.
“As the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, this year serves as an important reminder of all that has been sacrificed in the fight for equality and that we still have a long way to go,” said SWOP NH President Ashley Fires. “In marking Pride Month, we draw on the lessons of the past to combat the misinformation and stereotypes which continue to contribute to the stigmatization of the LGBTQIA community.”
Celebrations of Pride Month include a wide variety of parades, concerts, workshops, parties and other gatherings around the world.
SWOP NH Treasurer Angie Rowntree said the upcoming dinner is an opportunity for her organization to express solidarity with the LGBTQIA community, of which many sex workers are part of.
“A big part of the SWOP NH mission is to support and help draw attention to parallel social justice movements,” Fires added. “The gay rights movement and sex worker outreach really go hand in hand, not just because there are many LGBTQIA sex workers, but because the manner of discrimination and stereotyping faced by both communities is so similar.”
More information about the June 29 dinner and SWOP NH can be found at SWOPNH.org or by emailing newhampshire@swopusa.org.
