According to the World Health Organization, men who engage in intercourse with other men continue to be, by far, the group that is most commonly afflicted with monkeypox. And this has made it more difficult to communicate the importance of personal protection to the public. There is a risk that further stigmatising homosexual and bisexual males will result from everything from how we refer to the virus to the advice we give on preventing transmission.
However, scientists stressed that despite this risk, it’s crucial to keep sex at the forefront of the monkeypox discussion.
Epidemiologist Chris Beyrer, the new director of Duke Global Health Institute, stated that “you have to be explicit about who’s genuinely at risk and what are the transmission mechanisms.”
Even while it is possible to contract monkeypox other than through intercourse, such as through touching clothing that has been used by someone who has the disease, such occurrences are still extremely uncommon. It’s crucial to remember that, at least so far in the current outbreak, sexual contact between men is still the main method of transmission, particularly when vaccine supplies are low. In a time of vaccine shortage, Beyrer advised trying to utilise vaccines to break up transmission chains.It’s crucial to make an effort to stop the outbreak by increasing population immunity in the networks where it’s spreading.
The restriction of harmful sex-related behaviour has been one of the largest public health issues, according to Beyrer. instructing homosexual and queer individuals to limit their sexual partners and stay away from close interaction with strangers.
messaging that is reminiscent of the early HIV/AIDS messaging
In addition, Beyrer noted that “many felt it to have elements of homophobia and anti-sex when sexuality is a very large component of identity.”
How to Get Sexual in an Epidemic
At the University of Illinois Chicago, Jennifer Brier specialises on HIV/AIDS history. There have been discussions over how to communicate about monkey pox, such as whether it counts as a STI. She referred back to one of the foundational works of public health, titled How to Have Sex in an Epidemic, to explain how we should respond to those who misrepresent the situation by calling it a “gay sickness.” Two men, Michael Callen and Richard Berkowitz, wrote the article in response to the lack of information provided by the government.
Although the booklet eventually evolved into a tirade headlined “We Know Who We Are: Two Gay Men Declare War on Promiscuity,” it originally offered straightforward and in-depth information about the risks of sex during the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Brier remarked, “And people went bananas over that piece. “You’re attacking gay liberation, and that’s who we are, sort of thing. And to some extent, I comprehend that. However, they were also attempting to develop a harm reduction paradigm prior to its existence.”
People are still taking notes from this playbook today. RESPND-MI, a community-driven initiative to anonymously gather information about sexual networks among queer and trans persons in New York City, has Nick Diamond as a co-investigator. And in July, Diamond co-wrote a report titled “Six Ways We Can Have Safer Sex in the Time of Monkeypox” in reaction to a lack of information about the disease from local, state, and federal agencies.
I’ll be the first to admit that, in order to establish these initiatives around our response to monkeypox, we have relied on AIDS response activists, Diamond added.
He does, however, emphasise that it’s a difficult line to draw. HIV/AIDS was significantly more deadly and first appeared at a time when politics were very different. Despite this, Diamond claims that it is still difficult for individuals to discuss queer and trans sex.
“When we discuss monkey pox, we must also discuss sex. Although I believe these are awkward conversations, they are crucial to our rights and health “Diamond stated.
And when doing so, it’s crucial to discuss human sexuality as a whole. Although the current monkeypox outbreak is primarily affecting guys who have sex with other men, HIV/AIDS historian Jennifer Brier claims that particular phrase can be constricting. Men who engage in sexual activity with other men do so in both directions.
She claimed that “our sexual aspirations and behaviours are considerably more complex than any term can provide us.
(Source: Social Health Agency)
