PRESS RELEASE: LGBTQAI2S+ Organizations Respond to MPox Outbreak in Multnomah County
LGBTQIA2S+ Community Response to hMPXV virus (also called “Monkeypox” or “MPox”)
August 17, 2022
To our community members,
As we see an increase in hMPXV virus (also called “Monkeypox” or “MPox”) transmissions throughout Portland and the United States, we also see language that both stigmatizes the LGBTQAI2S+ community , while failing to address the risk involved in others. The history of stigmatization of specific diseases by linking them to sidelined communities, and the consequent delays in care, are not lost on our community members or the organizations that serve them.
Anti-LGBTQ rhetoric has been sweeping the country and increasing at alarming rates over the last several years. Stigmatizing messaging related to the Mpox virus has already caused hate-fueled attacks on our community members including the attack on two gay men in Washington D.C. last week. Though the data shows that gay, bisexual, queer men and transgender people are the most affected in this moment, it is not an “if” but a “when” it will start affecting other communities.
While we demand and rightfully expect the resources to serve the health needs of our community - through both treatment and prevention protocols - we also understand that we must educate ourselves and our allies in practices that keep us safe.
Below, please find a list of facts, considerations and preventive measures that you can utilize to best protect yourself from an hMPXV virus transmission:
If you have skin, you are at risk. Plain and simple, skin to skin contact with the rash/sores of an individual with the hMPXV virus is the highest known transmission risk factor. hMPXV also spreads through large respiratory droplets as communicated through coughing/sneezing and talking closely.
hMPXV symptoms include:
• Fever
• Muscle aches
• Chills
• Headache
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Fatigue
• A rash that starts with pimple-like bumps and evolves into pus-filled lesions
Consider behaviors that put you at risk, understanding that some occur in our day-to-day activities. As we navigate the summer and record-breaking heat, shorts, sleeveless shirts, and other less covering clothing is commonplace. Is your bare skin either coming into greater contact with others or surfaces that may not be sanitized after usage? This could include but is not limited to:
• public transportation seats and handholds
• public gym equipment
• dance clubs
• handrails in public staircases
• other publicly shared spaces and surfaces
Consider a PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) plan that can reduce your risk of transmission.
Highest risk activities include massage, cuddling, kissing, talking closely, caregiving for someone infected by hMPXV, and sex.
If you are a sex worker, full-service or otherwise, please reference this site for safety and screening resources. This site is also a good resource for people in the kink and BDSM communities.
Vaccine allotments have been limited and are not yet widely available. As these resources are made more accessible, LGBTQ2SIA+ serving organizations like Equi Institute, Pride Northwest and Q Center will work to create accessible vaccine clinics, including working with ally organizations throughout the Portland metro area, to avoid barriers caused by geographic location.
In addition to continuing to work with health and governmental officials to ensure that outreach respects and does not stigmatize our community, we will work to disseminate more comprehensive and verified information as it becomes available. For additional information and figures, please follow the Equi Institute on social (@equiinstitute) and the OHA’s hMPXV website. We keep our community safer when we communicate factual information and offer implementation plans for protection.
For more information, please contact:
Katie Cox, Executive Director-The Equi Institute (katie@equi-institute.org)
Debra Porta, Executive Director-Pride Northwest, Inc. (debra.porta@pridenw.org)
Ian Morton, Executive Director-Q Center (ian@pdxqcenter.org)