Members of San Francisco’s LGBTQ community expressed frustration and anger at the government’s response as the city of San Francisco declared a state of emergency on Thursday over an increase in monkeypox.
Referring to the population most affected by the outbreak, officials said Thursday that officials “want to reaffirm our commitment to the health of LGBTQ communities in San Francisco, as we have historically done as a city.”
But among LGBTQ residents, hours-long wait lines for the vaccine and a lack of knowledge about best practices to prevent transmission, as well as vaccine shortages, were common complaints. The lack of centralized information on prescribing vaccinations was also a concern.
“Information is coming down the drain and it’s not getting to the people who really need it the most fast enough,” said drag performer and LGBTQ activist Juanita Mohr.
Monkey pox in the Bay Area
In the city’s spectacular scene, More, a well-known organizer, was able to make an appointment through his doctor to receive his first dose of the vaccine. But she said she worries that because of a lack of information, others in the nightlife community, as well as sex workers who are “always in contact with people,” are not being prioritized.
Anyone can contract monkeypox, but during the current outbreak, it was spread mainly through male-to-male sex.
SF Health Officer Dr. Susan Phillips (left), City Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax and Mayor of London Breed are fighting the monkey disease.
Scott Strazzante/ChronicleOutside the Castro District Health Center, which is run by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, Tom Lappin, 68, said he had hoped to get the vaccine Thursday — after his doctor urged him to do so because he has cancer — but by afternoon he was told there were more than 1,000 people on the waiting list.
“I’m worried,” Lappin said, adding that the lack of accurate information about the virus and the disorganized response are making her and her husband think twice about things like sharing washing machines with neighbors. He said many residents like him are hearing echoes of the AIDS crisis, and the current mindset is, “It’s just hitting gay people, and we don’t care, so why don’t we send vaccines?”
In a report Wednesday, San Francisco officials said 261 people had confirmed or possible monkeypox infections, more than 30% of which affected Latinos across the city. Health officials also said they expect more cases in the coming weeks.
Honey Mahogany, chairman of the San Francisco Democratic Party and candidate for county six supervisor, was blunt in her assessment of the official response:
“I think our government has really failed in its response to this epidemic,” he said before the state of emergency was declared.
“We should have learned a lesson from the HIV and AIDS crisis: just because it affects one community doesn’t mean it can’t spread quickly and affect others,” Mahogany said.
“Furthermore, I don’t think we’ve learned the lessons from COVID-19,” he said. “We’ve just gone through it, and many of these systems haven’t been completely dismantled. Why couldn’t we use these systems to get people vaccinated against monkeypox?’
After San Francisco’s subsequent announcement, he said federal action was needed: “It’s time! We need a local but also a national emergency so we can deal with this effectively. We know how to do it and we have the tools.”
While Tyler TerMeer, executive director of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, welcomed Thursday’s decision to declare monkeypox a public health emergency, he said the foundation and San Francisco’s queer community have been sounding the alarm about the rapid spread of monkeypox since May. , and vaccine availability is still seriously lacking.
More than 7,300 people are waiting for the vaccine at the foundation’s sexual health clinics in San Francisco, he said, adding that there is no limit to the demand.
Declaring a state of emergency “could be sooner, but at the end of the day I think it’s the right time,” TerMeer said. “Anything else would be too late.”
Juba Kalamka, director of public health services in St. Petersburg. James Infirmary, a San Francisco-based non-governmental health organization focused on sex workers in the Bay Area, said it appreciated the “urgency” of the declaration.
“The emergency situation gives us an opportunity to have a clear and meaningful conversation about monkey disease with people working with marginalized communities,” he said. “So I think that’s a good thing.”
Jupiter Peraza, director of Transgender County Social Justice Initiatives, also hailed the declaration as a positive development: “We are very pleased to hear that the City of San Francisco has officially declared a monkeypox emergency,” he said. “We feel this move should be made because of the city’s largest and most prominent LGBT population.”
Struth, the Castro District Health Center, provided resources during the monkey disease outbreak.
Ethan Swope / The Chronicle
The city’s announcement comes just days before Sunday’s “Up Your Alley” leather and fetish event, also known as Dore Alley because of its location south of the Market. On Monday, the Tubesteak Connection party, scheduled for Thursday night, has been postponed due to a vaccine shortage.
Organizers of Saturday’s Sneaks party at Club Six advised guests on their email: “Take care of yourself, think about the level of risk you’re comfortable with, pay attention to symptoms and, unfortunately, if you suspect exposure or infection, take care not to spread it to others.” While they didn’t cancel the event, they did note that “We’ll issue a refund – if you’re not feeling well, stay home, see you next time.”
Bob Goldfarb, executive director of the South of Market Leather and LGBTQ Cultural District, said the organization is using its social media accounts to spread awareness about the virus ahead of this weekend’s Dore Alley events.
“I think there’s a lot of confusion about the methods of transmission and the true impact of infection,” Goldfarb said. “The Department of Health recommends that if you’re going to be in large crowds, you should be fully clothed and covered to avoid skin-to-skin contact, which is the main mode of transmission.”
While Goldfarb noted that there will be gatherings and dance parties this weekend, he said it’s “out of the ordinary to be fully clothed,” and he’s spoken to people with varying degrees of caution.
“Some people run away from events, and some people … dive in carelessly like before. (But we’re) very happy to see people taking precautions to reduce the risk of skin-to-skin contact and transmission.
Todd Janzen, 60, said he planned to go to the Dore Alley fair on Sunday, but added that his risk assessment felt different because he was no longer in the “meat market” as a married man.
Ethan Swope / The ChronicleTodd Janzen, 60, of Diamond Heights, said he plans to go to the Main Street Fair to “Up Your Alley” on Sunday, but added that his risk assessment feels different now that he’s no longer in the “meat market” as a married man.
Still, the confusion surrounding the outbreak was reminiscent of the AIDS crisis in San Francisco in the 1980s, he said.
“I lost some very close friends,” Janzen said. “For me, it was a much scarier moment. We didn’t know. We had no idea. People were dropping like flies.”
The fact that monkeypox is rarely fatal has been a reasonable comfort to many other San Franciscans who remember the AIDS crisis and the city’s response so bitterly.
Lower Haight resident Jack Davis, 71, said he and his friends are wondering if this will be the third pandemic they’ll have to go through — the last two they’ve dealt with PTSD.
“This isn’t our first rodeo,” said Davis, who now worries about the virus spreading and is asking friends if they can give them hugs. “Everybody I talk to knows about it and is concerned about it. “Some people change their sexual behavior, some don’t.”
Responding to the emergency message, podcast host and adult film executive Christopher Weston said he was pleased the increase in cases was now being handled.
“I’ve noticed a lot of gay men trying to find out where they can get the vaccine or at least get their first dose,” Weston said. “I also noticed that a few of the events this weekend were out of caution.”
The Castro district of San Francisco has a high number of gay men who are particularly affected by monkeypox.
Ethan Swope / The ChronicleWhile he’s seen some confusion surrounding the spread of vaccinations and the spread of the virus, he believes the LGBTQ community is better off getting the message out as quickly as possible. Weston got a shot because he’s still going to Dore Ellie, but he’s changing his plans a bit.
“I stay away from skin-to-skin stories like sweaty, shirtless men,” Weston said. “I’m not too worried about the fair itself because it’s outside and I can cover it up if I want to. I’m not too worried about accidentally picking it up in a crowd.”
Immediately after Thursday’s announcement, the atmosphere on Castro Street seemed as cheerful as any other day.
Groups gathered for afternoon ales in the district’s high-rise saloons and bars, tourists gawked at the abundance of phallic cookies on the street, famous San Francisco porn star Harvey Milk strolled toward the Plaza, and two men effectively plastered posters around the block. “X-Rated,” a Dore Alley party is scheduled for Saturday night at Space 550.
While Cleve Jones, an LGBTQ activist and founder of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, is disappointed by the federal response to the virus, he believes San Francisco has “done a relatively good job.”
But what worries Jones is the frivolous nomenclature associated with the term “monkeypox” and the labeling of the virus as a “gay disease.”
“It empowers those who want to ignore it or make fun of it in a way that only other people can,” Jones said.
“Because we think of HIV as a gay disease, you have millions of heterosexual men and women and their children losing their lives,” he said. “The stigma associated with it is strong, it gives people an excuse not to worry, it gives people an excuse not to take precautions. This gives government leaders an excuse to hesitate and stall. “
“We’re already seeing a lot of things coming from the right wing,” he added. “Every time we have a public health crisis, there seem to be certain elements who want to do nothing more than make fun of the people who are suffering in order to minimize the emergency.”
Tony Bravo and Annie Weinstein of the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: tbravo@sfchronicle.com, avainshtein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TonyBravoSF, @annievain