Current:Home > BackSome bars are playing a major role in fighting monkeypox in the LGBTQ community-LoTradeCoin
Some bars are playing a major role in fighting monkeypox in the LGBTQ community
View Date:2024-12-23 21:15:17
NEW YORK — When Eric Sosa and Michael Zuco, the owners of Brooklyn queer bars Good Judy and C'Mon Everybody, first heard about monkeypox, they had a familiar feeling.
"Here we go again," said Sosa.
They were frustrated to hear about another virus to deal with. But as people they knew and friends of friends got monkeypox, they realized their community was especially at risk.
"How do we help our community members?" Sosa asked.
Monkeypox is spreading primarily through close physical contact, mostly during sex. So far, the CDC says, the vast majority of cases in the United States are among gay and bisexual men.
Owners of queer bars, who serve this community, feel uniquely positioned to share information about the virus — without adding to rising stigma against LGBTQ people.
For Sosa and Zuco, the first step was sifting through social media to get accurate information about monkeypox. They also started going to town halls and posting what they learned on their bars' social media — vaccine updates and key city contacts to share concerns with — among memes, promos for drag shows, and drink specials.
Zuco said he was a little nervous at first about the bar doing so much public health messaging.
"Are people gonna just full stop, stop going out? Because they're worried about their health? But I think talking about it and providing information is a really great way to quell fear," Zuco said.
Sosa and Zuco wanted to get even more involved in fighting monkeypox. They asked if any of their social media followers had connections to the city's Department of Health (DOH). Eventually, someone from the DOH reached out about a pilot program.
The program sends health workers to community spaces, like bars, and schedules customers for otherwise hard-to-find vaccine appointments. C'Mon Everybody was the one location in Brooklyn chosen for the first round of the program.
"I'm actually also a registered nurse," Zuco said. "So for me it was really gratifying to see one of our bars being used in like a public health capacity."
Good Judy bartender Julian Diaz said his employer's proactive approach to monkeypox means he knew how to get a vaccine appointment and protect himself. He feels proud to work at a place taking action against monkeypox.
"I definitely feel like we've done really well. And played our part in the community," Diaz said.
In Chicago, bar owner Mark Liberson said he has been monitoring monkeypox so closely his employees also see him as a go-to resource on the virus.
"I'm inherently a Jewish mother. And so I will jump in, make calls, try to figure out how to get people scheduled in for appointments," he said.
Liberson worked with the city's health department to create posters and a video about monkeypox. The weekend of an LGBTQ festival, Market Days, he showed the video at one of his nightclubs, Hydrate.
He asked other bars to share the resources too. Liberson remembers how the AIDS crisis was handled and says he has a responsibility to protect his community.
"In our community, we have to recognize that there are people who don't care about us. There are people who actually are antagonistic toward us. It's really important that we are taking care of our own, just as we did back then," Liberson said.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Liberson asked an auto shop near one of his bars to help him host a large-scale vaccination clinic. He said he hopes something like that — getting hundreds vaccinated at a single location every day — will be possible soon for monkeypox.
veryGood! (25317)
Related
- Record-setting dry conditions threaten more US wildfires, drinking water supplies
- Here's what's open, closed on Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day 2024
- Country singer Brantley Gilbert pauses show as wife gives birth on tour bus
- Biden will survey Hurricane Milton damage in Florida, Harris attends church in North Carolina
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign chancellor to step down at end of academic year
- The DNC wants to woo NFL fans in battleground states. Here's how they'll try.
- CFP bracket projection: Texas stays on top, Oregon moves up and LSU returns to playoff
- Suspect in deadly Michigan home invasion arrested in Louisiana, authorities say
- Firefighters make progress, but Southern California wildfire rages on
- Sold! What did Sammy Hagar's custom Ferrari LaFerrari sell for at Arizona auction?
Ranking
- Cameron Brink set to make Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut
- Here's what's open, closed on Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day 2024
- Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet Spotted on Dinner Date in Rare Sighting
- Pennsylvania voters to decide key statewide races in fall election
- Katherine Schwarzenegger Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby No. 3 With Chris Pratt
- Sister Wives' Kody Brown Claims Ex Meri Brown Was Never Loyal to Me Ever in Marriage
- Trump’s campaign crowdfunded millions online in an untraditional approach to emergency relief
- Bath & Body Works Apologizes for Selling Candle That Shoppers Compared to KKK Hoods
Recommendation
-
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Mixed Use
-
Kamala Harris, Donald Trump face off on 'Family Feud' in 'SNL' cold open
-
Kansas tops AP Top 25 preseason men’s basketball poll ahead of Alabama, defending champion UConn
-
Trump’s campaign crowdfunded millions online in an untraditional approach to emergency relief
-
2 more escaped monkeys recaptured and enjoying peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in South Carolina
-
Chiefs' Harrison Butker Says It’s “Beautiful” for Women to Prioritize Family Over Career After Backlash
-
Another tough loss with Lincoln Riley has USC leading college football's Week 7 Misery Index
-
Spike Lee’s 1st trip, Michael Jordan’s welcome to newcomers and more from basketball Hall of Fame