With that in mind, Keuroghlian says it’s important to focus on risk-mitigation techniques, and recognize most people are going to negotiate their own rules. The HIV/AIDS crisis taught us the futility of abstinence-only messaging, and the dangers of stigmatizing pleasure. That’s where harm reduction strategies come into play. “How do you do that in a pandemic in a way that doesn't put you in harm’s way, or the ones that you care about and that you love in harm’s way? I don't think anyone has figured out a great solution to that.” “There is a need for spaces to gather and to have community,” said Justin Smith, director of the Campaign to End AIDS at Positive Impact Health Centers. They speak to our desire for companionship. “It sounds like gatherings like that realistically won’t be safe or advisable before fall 2021, unfortunately.”īut there’s more to these semi-clandestine circuit raves than reckless revelers. “Large in-person gatherings aren’t going to be safe for some time,” said Alex Keuroghlian, director of the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center at the Fenway Institute, a community health center in Boston where half of the patients are LGBTQ. With restrictions prematurely loosening in many states, we’re experiencing a resurgence in cases nationwide. There is an ugly element of privilege to this behavior, and even worse, it goes against every public health guideline. At the start of the new year, #GaysOverCovid accounts started popping up all over social media, outing circuit queens and InstaThots for their drug-fueled rendezvous to tropical meccas like Puerto Vallarta and Rio de Janeiro. Since the start of COVID, gays have been blasted for attending raucous raves and beach parties, with the conflict bubbling over into an online gay civil war. Going to parties, and going to gatherings have helped me be able to be at my 100 percent, and be able to help others through this difficult time.”
How could you consider nightlife so important?,’” he said. “I know people are like, ‘You guys are so shallow. So when Jay started reading about parties taking place outside of LA, he was tempted to go, and finally, he did. It is demanding work, and pre-COVID, Jay would find his nirvana on the dance floor. All day long, he fielded calls from LA’s most vulnerable residents, pleading for food and services. Entrapped in his studio apartment, the Los Angeles-based social worker was on the mental brink. Through the early months of lockdown, Jay represented those statistics. While these struggles aren’t unique to gay people, it’s important to remember that gay men “come to this pandemic with disproportionate rates of mental health issues,” says Ian Holloway, a UCLA associate professor of social welfare and the study’s lead author. One study of 10,000 gay men in 20 countries aged 18-34 found those who only left their homes for essentials during the first COVID lockdowns were 37 percent more likely to feel anxious than those who didn’t, and 36 percent more likely to feel lonely. “And we just don't know when or if those things are coming back.” “Pride events, summer parties, these are things that members of the community who might feel a little disconnected in their daily life look forward to,” Storholm said. Above all, there’s a profound sense of loneliness in the community. While Storholm is sensing more optimism among his clients these days, there still aren’t many social events on their calendars. “People get their hopes up, so I think people are just canceling things to be on the safe side.” Clements said. There’s still no timetable for when bars and clubs can operate again in Boston, and the city’s Pride parade was recently postponed. But that might not be for a while, even with vaccination rates rising. Whenever Boston lifts restrictions on nightlife, Clements expects to be there, and is confident business will thrive. “I mean, we didn't make a ton of money, but we kept the business alive.” The place was packed for drag brunch every Sunday. James Clements, co-owner of Blend, an LGBTQ lounge in Boston, took COVID as an opportunity to modernize his kitchen and patio space.
Places that have been able to invest in kitchens are also finding ways to stay afloat, creating new revenue streams in the process. While queer bars have struggled for a while, gay nightlife has continued to thrive in the form of standing parties and off-the-grid events.