The Sunday Quick Post: Monkeypox isn’t a gay disease
Stigma lies just about everywhere these days and fortunately, education is helping us remove stigmas from a lot of issues, but what happens when old stigmas come back?
Monkeypox is something that’s been well covered by now and just like the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980’s, it’s now being thought that it’s spread by gay and bisexual men.
Monkeypox is not an STI
Let’s get something straight. Monkeypox is not a gay disease and saying it is, is irresponsible and dangerous.
Monkeypox is not a sexual disease, meaning people do not have to have sexual contact with someone to get it. They just must have close physical contact. In fact, the spread rate is higher in households where there are a lot of people living together. Both heterosexual and homosexual. So, why is it getting tied to homosexual and bisexual men? The recent reported cases were of men transmitting it to other men in other countries and this happened to be *98% of gay and bisexual men in the countries a study was done in. The best way to understand why this isn’t a homosexual disease is education.
How is it transmitted?
Monkeypox can be transmitted from anywhere on the body and on linens. It has a higher rate of contraction through sexual contact because more of the body is exposed during these intimate moments. It just happens to be that the highest reported cases of Monkeypox were amongst gay and bisexual men, therefore making people believe it’s an STD among gay men, which it is not.
How to stay safe.
What can you do to stay safe? Check out this fact sheet from the www.glaad.org site and remember, while condoms are extremely important for use in any sex act, they won’t necessarily protect from MPV. While there is a vaccination, they aren’t always available due to supply.