Always a good day when #gloryholes is trending on Canada Twitter (new BC CDC* COVID-19 sex guidelines released)

*Yes, this is cool and good advice, but the BC CDC aren't heroes FYI

Seeing lots of #gloryhole tweets either beaming with nationalistic pride based on the classic narrative of Canada public health being sooo progressive, or tweets of homophobic kink shamers shocked that this even a thing.

Sex & drug related harm reduction practices & messages re: COVID-19 have been coming from queers since the start of the pandemic, having them be taken up by public health institutions isn't revolutionary. People were already doing this work. See: @fagdemic (insta also) #gloryhole

Canadian public health is not a progressive institution. Public health institutions in BC have actively worked with the police to target gay men with HIV, increasing stigma & surveillance.

Valorizing public health only reinforces the marginalization of queers, people with HIV, sex workers & drug users, who are constructed as not the public, but rather people from who the public is to be protected ( @GaryWKinsman). But we develop our own means of survival regardless.