Do Monkeypox Concerns Affect New York’s Pride Weekend?

The last Friday of June is usually a fun day for LGBTQ people in New York City. The streets are booming with clear signs of a festive weekend, including music, dancing, kissing, and the occasional road of sparkling confetti.

But this year, the atmosphere was different during the city’s biggest pride event. The Friday morning news of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the Roe v. Wade case quickly changed the mindset of the weekend event. In many circles, group chats a few days ago, which focused on party planning, have switched to coordinating protest plans. Further complicating the attitudes of people heading for the weekend are the questions and concerns surrounding monkeypox, a virus that is disproportionately affecting gay men.

On Thursday, New York City health officials Increased access to monkeypox vaccineOffers to men who have multiple or anonymous male sexual partners in the last 14 days. As of Friday, 39 people in New York City tested positive for the orthopox virus. Department of Health and Mental HealthHe added that all 39 cases were believed to be monkeypox.

According to the World Health Organization, Monkeypox is transmitted from person to person through close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminants. The virus usually begins with flu-like symptoms such as fever and swollen lymph nodes and progresses to a painful rash.

Anyone can get a virus, Currently spreading Officials said, primarily through a community of men who have sex with men.

Some New Yorkers when photos of long lines of people waiting to be vaccinated at Manhattan’s Sexual Health Clinic spread on social media, and when news of monkeypox cases spread around the world. Has begun to rethink its plans for Pride Weekend.

Joseph OsmundsonA clinical assistant professor of biology at New York University and an advocate of bizarre health care, growing concerns about monkeypox have influenced the “almost everyone” pride program he knows.

“If you go to a circuit party, you have everything from being in the middle of the dance floor or to the side, to the type of sex,” says Dr. Osmundson. 39, said in a telephone interview.

He said people generally think that they are “making risk-aware decisions,” but they are still creating space for “dating, joy, community, and leaving home.”

Filmmaking assistant Finley King, 24, said both monkeypox concerns and Roe’s news have influenced his plans this weekend, but he attended protests and stood bystanders or outdoors. He said it was relatively comfortable to go to parties.

“In terms of worry, I’m 4 out of 10 on the panic scale.,“He added that he had never seen many of his friends discuss the illness. “Most of the time, I think people around my age either know and don’t care about monkeypox, or they don’t know at all.”

Outside the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village on Friday, 59-year-old Rusty Fox said that he was a little worried about monkeypox, probably only because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I’m a bit paranoid just because we’re following right behind Covid,” he said. “That’s why paranoia is a little bit.”

Data scientist Michael Donnelly has complained that this year’s pride festival has been colored by another virus after the pandemic has drastically upset the celebrations of the last two years.

“It’s really stinking that we have to deal with yet another infectious disease that is spreading within our community and we have to deal with additional risks that we didn’t anticipate,” he says. I did. But for 37-year-old Donnelly, Thursday’s “huge demand” for the monkeypox vaccine showed a silver lining.

“We are proud to have a community that communicates about our health and science and is willing to get vaccines to keep ourselves and the community safe,” he said.

This month, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Released guidance To reduce the chance of monkeypox, festivals, concerts and other events where participants are likely to be fully dressed include minimally dressed rave, saunas, sex clubs, etc. Please note that it is safer than the space of.

Some, like Chris Pierce, 26, are convinced that personal precautions are sufficient.

“It’s definitely something people should worry about, especially when we’re in closed rooms or walls, but being outside is probably my number one goal this weekend,” he said.

Manhattan’s Municipal Chelsea Sexual Health Clinic, the only facility in New York to administer the vaccine, had to start alienating people shortly after starting vaccination of eligible New Yorkers on Thursday.

“I was one of the few lucky people to get vaccinated, so I got some relief,” Donnelly said of the plans for this weekend.

Content creator and podcast host Jonathan Valdes, 36, said his friend was happy to miss New York City’s pride for the first time because of concerns about monkeypox. “Many people are afraid since this weekend, and the numbers will grow significantly,” Valdes said.

Jeremy Allen Report that contributed.