A prominent local activist and former sex worker has thrown her hat into the 2026 Hamilton mayoral race, marking a rare moment of unconventional candidacy in the city’s municipal politics.Scarlett Gillespie — better known by her performance name Jelena Vermilion, a well‑known sex workers’ rights advocate, artist and executive director of the Sex Worker Action Program (SWAP) Hamilton — has formally declared her bid for mayor, challenging incumbents and veteran politicians in the Ontario city.Gillespie is a trans woman whose advocacy work in Hamilton earned her recognition, including being named one of the city’s YWCA Women of Distinction. In her campaign launch this month, she said she would run under her legal name while acknowledging the reputation she built as Vermilion.Her platform focuses on housing, tenant protections, climate justice, community‑led safety initiatives, stronger local arts and increased accountability and transparency at city hall. Gillespie’s entrance adds a distinctive voice to a crowded field that includes incumbent Andrea Horwath, councillor Rob Cooper and former candidate Keanin Loomis, among others vying to lead Canada’s ninth largest city.
