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Gay SF men share monkeypox stories
Courtesy Governor’s office
Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday declared a state of emergency for the monkeypox outbreak.
Newsom declares monkeypox emergency in CA by Cynthia Laird
T
hree days after California public health officials declined to issue a state of emergency for the monkeypox outbreak, Governor Gavin Newsom did so late Monday afternoon. In an August 1 statement, Newsom said he was making the declaration to bolster the state’s vaccination efforts. The proclamation supports the work underway by the California Department of Public Health and others in the administration to coordinate a wholeof-government response to monkeypox, seek additional vaccines, and lead outreach and education efforts on accessing vaccines and treatment, Newsom’s release stated. “California is working urgently across all levels of government to slow the spread of monkeypox, leveraging our robust testing, contact tracing and community partnerships strengthened during the pandemic to ensure that those most at risk are our focus for vaccines, treatment and outreach,” stated Newsom. “We’ll continue to work with the federal government to secure more vaccines, raise awareness about reducing risk, and stand with the LGBTQ community fighting stigmatization.” San Francisco’s public health department declared a public health state of emergency July 29 because of the city’s rapidly growing monkeypox outbreak. New York state also did so, and over the weekend New York City followed suit. Most of the Golden State’s monkeypox cases, and the vast majority in San Francisco, have occurred among men who have sex with men. Last week, Dr. Tomás Aragón, director and state public health officer of the California Department of Public Health, declined to declare a statewide emergency during a teleconference with reporters, as the Bay Area Reporter reported. To expand vaccination efforts, Newsom’s proclamation enables Emergency Medical Services personnel to administer monkeypox See page 10 >>
Vol. 52 • No. 31 • August 4-10, 2022
by Eric Burkett
W Hangin’ on at Up Your Alley Gooch
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he Up Your Alley fetish and kink street fair returned in all its glory July 31 in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood. After being sidelined the past two summers due to the COVID pandemic, which is ongoing, this year’s attendees also had to confront the monkeypox outbreak, which has mainly affected men who have sex with men in the Bay Area. Public health staffers were on site with information about both viruses, and people managed to have a good time, as this rope suspension demonstration created by Twisted Windows shows. Next up on the kink and leather calendar will be the return of the Folsom Street Fair September 25.
ith 386 confirmed cases of monkeypox in San Francisco as of August 2, it’s getting to the point where probably just about everyone in the city’s LGBTQ community knows someone who has had or has the virus. The Bay Area Reporter interviewed several San Francisco gay men about their experiences with the virus and there were numerous common threads. From where many of them contracted it – likely June’s Pride weekend – to its initial flu-like symptoms, monkeypox is becoming more widespread among men who have sex with men in the LGBTQ community. Alarmingly, another thread, though not as common, was the initial reluctance of some medical professionals, even in the San Francisco Department of Public Health, to take the experiences of victims seriously. For one man, See page 10 >>
LGBTQ Asians push to stem hate crimes tide by Matthew S. Bajko
L
GBTQ Asian and Pacific Islander Californians are part of a coalition of community groups and state lawmakers pushing to stem a tide of hate crimes against API individuals and others that has been rising since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. They are focused this week on advancing two bills in the California Legislature collectively called the No Place for Hate Campaign. The first, authored by state Senator Dave Min (D-Costa Mesa), is Senate Bill 1161. Called “Improving Public Transit Ridership Safety” it aims to protect LGBTQ+ people, cisgender women, and other vulnerable public transit riders. The legislation would require California’s 10 largest transit agencies, including LA Metro, BART, and Orange County Transportation Authority, to recognize street harassment as a rider safety concern, gather data, and create non-carceral solutions to prevent hate and harassment that occurs in their vehicles or at transit stops. BART is among the bill’s supporters. The second is Assembly Bill 2448 by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) and is titled “Expanding Civil Rights Protections at Businesses.” If adopted, it would require large businesses to train their employees on how to protect, report, and respond to hate crimes for the safety of their customers.
Courtesy Andy Wong
Andy Wong, left, joined Shanti Elise Prasad and Nicholas Gee outside the state Capitol for the Ignite Advocacy Day.
“I would just have to say that now is the time for our state legislative leaders to act. This is such an important opportunity for them to combat such a widespread circumstance for our API community members who continue to face hate and harassment,” said Andy Wong, a gay Chinese American who is director of advocacy for Chinese for Affirmative Action. “We really need them to step up and make sure these bills are passed, so we have concrete tools to continue to combat street harassment that is impacting not
just the API community but women and girls, the LGBTQ community, and other impacted communities.” Janice Li, a queer woman who in January took over as director of the Coalition for Community Safety and Justice where she focuses on AAPI community-based safety initiatives, told the Bay Area Reporter she feels “as confident” as she can that the bills will become law.
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See page 10 >>