How gay neighborhoods used HIV trauma to help American cities fight the coronavirus

Through the pandemic, the local neighborhood is critical Well documented The role of American communities and businesses in providing the health and social services they need to survive and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The gay neighborhood was particularly well equipped To address this challenge, according to the latest research on These communities..

We, Experienced lessons learned and trauma early in the HIV / AIDS pandemic helped Urban gay areas respond quickly and effectively to COVID-19 – Especially in the face of early federal paralysis.

How gay neighborhoods fought HIV / AIDS

Gay neighborhood We welcome lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transsexuals, queers and other sexual minorities – A group commonly referred to as the abbreviation LGBTQ +. Well-known examples include the Castro district of San Francisco, Dupont Circle in Washington, and Greenwich Village and Chelsea in New York City.

“Gay Bohood” grew during the sexual liberation movements of the 1960s and 1970s and provided escape for LGTBQ people and their allies. Widespread discrimination and prejudice.. In these areas, sexual minorities are free to rent apartments, interact at bars, and express themselves freely in like-minded and compassionate communities.

Even if LGBTQ people in the US start living more openly, gay neighborhoods really Combined around the HIV / AIDS pandemic..

When the mysterious new illness began to devastate the LGBTQ communities in the 1980s, the US government turned its back on them rather than on them. Essential support for the fight against HIV – medical grants for uninsured people Funding for treatments and research on treatments – – Was not offered at first.. Information given Government remarks on the transmission and treatment of the disease were inconsistent and sometimes inaccurate.

Government neglect has blamed people infected with HIV and has resulted in many avoidable deaths.So as we revealed Our latest bookThe gay neighborhood filled the void where governments and mainstream organizations failed. They fought the AIDS pandemic and eventually became the winning battlefield.

Homosexual neighbors have developed community organizations and systems to provide health care and mental health services, provide social support to LGBTQ + people, and support LGBTQ-friendly businesses.

Public health organizations like New York City Gay men’s health crisis Also, many doctors intervened to do what they didn’t do. They shared information about delaying or stopping the spread of HIV, distributed condoms, conducted free HIV tests, and helped those who tested positive.

Overcome the crisis and build a community

COVID-19 Pandemic Share many similarities Reminiscent of the early days of the HIV / AIDS pandemic.

With both HIV / AIDS and COVID-19 A disjointed and confused government response that endangered life and created both fears And stigma..Even some of the leaders appointed by the same government were stationed: both Dr. Anthony Fauci Dr. Deborah Birx worked on marshalling government resources in the 1990s to lead the medical response to HIV.

With COVID-19, as with HIV / AIDS, City and state governments were not ready to fight the outbreak of illness.. They lacked both planning and infrastructure to effectively combat the rapidly accelerating public health threat.

As a result, some US states have sought help from gay neighborhood organizations, Neighboring LGBTQ + Healthcare Organization To help support them COVID-19 pandemic reaction..

For example, in New York, the Erie County Health Department requested: Evergreen Health – LGBTQ community group originally established in the 1980s as a volunteer activity to fight HIV – Responsible HIV test inside A COVID-19 pandemic that allows the county government to focus on COVID-19 testing.Evergreen too Drive-through COVID-19 test center opened Spring 2020 – 40 years after introducing HIV testing in the Buffalo region.

Through the COVID-19 pandemic, Evergreen Health has not only continued to provide healthcare and other support services to the LGBTQ community in Buffalo, but has expanded its offerings to better serve them. Inadequately serviced ethnic minority neighborhoods In town. at that time, New York was the epicenter of the world COVID-19 Pandemic.

Used by activists in Chicago and other cities LGBTQ + urban social and professional networks Established during HIV / AIDS pandemic To tackle this latest illness. The queer community disseminates information about COVID-19 to its neighbors Distributed face masks and other protective equipment, Just as they once shared information about HIV infection and handed out condoms.

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Lessons learned

States that have major grassroots activities in the HIV crisis have also applied lessons from that era. Overcome incorrect information And Fear of infectious disease..

For example, New York State used a network of small laboratories to process COVID-19 testing and administer vaccines – Models pioneered during the emergence of the HIV / AIDS pandemic When a large central laboratory was initially nervous about handling HIV-positive blood samples. Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, this allowed New York to react effectively and process the COVID-19 test relatively quickly.

New York, followed by California, was one of the first states in the United States to have a COVID-19 infection. These state governments Set the test procedure, They used the testing methods established during the HIV / AIDS pandemic... The HIV / AIDS experience in both New York and California has helped, at least in part, establish a robust test network during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The· British governmentMeanwhile, he chose a centralized laboratory to handle the tests and rejected the proposal to create a complementary network of small local providers.That decision Tests can be complicated and results can be slow And contact tracing, Sky News reports..

Even in our survey A gay neighborhood united to meet the needs of a wider community..

Activist Mutual aid network Formed within “Gay Bohood” decades ago, it brings peer-to-peer mobile technology. Help feed a locked down sick person – Not just within the LGBTQ community.

Many of these efforts to fight COVID-19, Like the action taken Fight HIV / AIDS, It was done quietly without fanfare.The neighbor’s approach to help this neighbor Leadership characteristics It can be found in gay neighborhoods – Experienced rescuer At the time of crisis.