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Some thoughts and feelings about @gaysovercovid as a queer ID and HIV provider who champions harm reduction for their patients. A thread 
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This holiday weekend welcomed multiple, large, underground parties in Puerto Vallarta, Rio di Janeiro, Houston, LA, Miami, and more. Of what has been publicized, many of these were circuit parties catered to gay men. 2/
This isn’t the first time the queer community has had to reconcile this sort of conflict during the pandemic. 3/
A secret July 4th circuit party in the Pines drew national ire and ignited conversations around shame and stigma, two concepts well known to queer folks. 4/
https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2020/07/06/packed-july-4th-parties-on-fire-island-draw-ire-over-lack-of-social-distancing-masks-dumb-and-unacceptable/ http://www.newnownext.com/fire-island-pines-pandemic-parties-coronavirus/07/2020/
https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2020/07/06/packed-july-4th-parties-on-fire-island-draw-ire-over-lack-of-social-distancing-masks-dumb-and-unacceptable/ http://www.newnownext.com/fire-island-pines-pandemic-parties-coronavirus/07/2020/
Experts in sexual health and HIV/STI prevention agree that an “abstinence-only” approach to social gatherings during this pandemic is not sustainable. And that openly shaming folks who don’t wear masks or comply with restrictions may elicit an opposing effect. 5/
@julialmarcus has written several brilliant pieces on how we can exercise harm reduction through practical guidance during this pandemic and that “health is about more than simply remaining free of coronavirus infection” 6/ https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/05/no-one-telling-americans-how-reopen-their-lives/612172/
Sexual health providers, myself included, have worked to provide harm reduction-centered guidance to our patients on how to date and have intimacy during a pandemic. We have worked tirelessly to keep our sexual health clinics running despite monumental challenges. 7/
So what about these pictures of videos of parties in PV and Rio? What harm or risk is reduced in traveling across the world, attending parties with hundreds of others, and returning home amidst the worst surge we have seen yet? 8/
There are also the issues of gender, race, and class to reconcile. Predominantly affluent, white, gay, cis-gender men traveling to Mexico and Brazil, flouting the country’s health guidance and rules, paints an ugly colonialist metaphor that is difficult to ignore. 9/
I do, however, disagree with this “name and shame” approach. However appealing it is to scroll @gaysovercovid (comparable to the likes of Gossip Girl or Lady Whistledown), I do not know what sort of resolution is brought through this schadenfreude. 10/
I think many of us have found ourselves in situations where have “broken rules” these past 10 months and it is important for us to extend ourselves some grace. However, these images out of PV and Rio while US hospitals are bursting at the seams is vexing. 11/
Masks, tight social/sexual bubbles, use of outdoors/ventilation, testing and presumptive quarantine are all forms of harm reduction during this pandemic. But harm/risk is also tied to case positivity, gatherings and travel today is exponentially risker than 6 months ago. 12/
While risk is not binary, the spectrum of risk is condensed when case positivity is as high as it is now, particularly with a fluctuating R0 in the setting of new variants. 13/
We are in the darkest days of the pandemic compounded by ongoing inadequate federal leadership, testing shortages, vaccination delays, and #covidfatigue. 14/
Shame and self-righteousness will not yield accountability. However not acknowledging the impact of our actions is a sign of privilege and entitlement which only serve to worsen the current inequities of this pandemic. End/
