The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) has publicly stated that monkeypox is believed to be spreading through sexual encounters between gay men. Common sense would generally dictate that gay pride parades in June pose a significant risk for new outbreaks, but the W.H.O. is encouraging people to participate in pride month festivities anyway. These events, they say, are not a concern despite a growing understanding of how monkeypox is being spread.
W.H.O. says pride parades are fine despite the risks
The W.H.O. insists that pride parades go on as usual this year without any cancellations or delays caused by fears of monkeypox.
The organization stresses that it has learned a lot from HIV that can be applied to the monkeypox response, specifically related to messaging and communication with the public.
The importance of advising people to stay away from the kind of events that could produce a major outbreak is unsurprisingly not one of the lessons the W.H.O. has adopted.
The more important lessons are related to minimizing stigmas and homophobic stereotypes, a priority that makes cancelling pride parades unthinkable.
If this sounds familiar it may be because it is almost identical to the “expert” response to the BLM protests of 2020, which were miraculously immune from COVID-19 restrictions because of their political purpose.
Monkeypox is not expected to become a major epidemic, but it has appeared in multiple countries under similar conditions stemming from “social events.”
Multiple outbreaks already linked to events
The types of “social events” involved in these outbreaks can be conjectured from the fact that the virus is being spread through sexual contact which disproportionately involves gay men.
The W.H.O. claims that pride parades are different as they are “family friendly” outdoor events which will not result in the same kinds of close physical contact that has already spread monkeypox.
A pride event in Europe, however, is already linked to one outbreak and a barrage of pride events in major cities throughout June could spark a new wave of outbreaks throughout the United States.
The W.H.O. is desperately trying to avoid contributing to any stigma or suggesting that monkeypox is a “gay disease ” despite the fact that most cases have appeared in that demographic.
It is becoming clear that the virus is spreading mostly through gay events, but the W.H.O. will not even contemplate the possibility of advising a halt on promiscuous gatherings during pride month.
The end result will likely be more infections throughout June thanks to the organization’s refusal to offer any warnings that may earn accusations of homophobia.
