Corona Virus has definitely made an impact on our lives, more than many of us ever thought would be imaginable. So many of us are convinced that we will one day get back to a pre-corona routine. The sad truth is that the damage of this disease has already been done and we have learned there is much about how we used to do things are now irrelevant. We have seen that we can be a mostly cashless society, make our purchases online easily, and have just about every need and whim delivered right to our doorstep. For our day to day, it seems we are already heading for that kind of change. It is the social aspects that seem to be lagging.
Wear Your Masks
We have all heard this repeated over and over again. But why is it so hard for us to do? Many countries around the world had already adopted the mentality that if you were sick, you wear some kind of protective covering to keep others safe. This country is ripe with Kens and Karens claiming about how wearing a mask violates their freedoms or is unconstitutional. Granted, it has been a minute since it was my senior year of highschool but I think I remember enough of it to know there are no privisos in there about “thou shalt not maketh Murican’s wearth masks.” There is a rub in that the Constitution, itself, provides no rights to the individual. That part solely comes from the Bill of Rights and even when we look at them, there is little mention of true “individual rights.” By default, many tout that the First Amendment’s Right to Free Speech can allow them to not wear a mask. This simply is not the case. Freedom of speech, also called free speech, means the free and public expression of opinions without censorship, interference and restraint by the government. Nothing about masks there..
Mass Gatherings Banned
Corona not only has affected how we interact with people, it is slowly starting to shape our ways of social and recreational interactions. As the country quickly shuttered to help slow the rampant spread of the virus, we watched as bars closed, movie theaters stopped showing movies, and our favorite venues canceled the events we loved to go to. Limiting gatherings to only ten people, truly reshaped where we can do and what we can do. My boyfriend and I had plans to leave the country for a much needed vacation and to go to a few concerts that we both had excitedly drooled over. He watched as the points he used for hotel reservations werent refunded. We witnessed the concerts we wanted to attend be postponed and then tragically put off indefinitely.
This new environment has left many to start doing virtual shows. We have watched as sports teams play to empty arenas and broadcast the shows to their fans. There have been concerts done this way as well. In the LGBTQ community, this has really impacted the drag community. They thrived off being able to host shows at bars and have crowds turn out to support them. I have watched several virtual Drag shows. While the concept is the same, the connection isnt there. You miss the in the moment realness of attending a live show. And it hasnt just hurt the fans. Tipping is a big part of a drag show. After all, many performers use this as a means to either supplement or fully cover their incomes. Virtual shows lead to using cash apps like Venno or even PayPal. Its hard enough to focus on watching something online with all the distractions you have at your fingertips, but having to tie your personal bank account to some random app just to tip your favorite performer can leave your stomach in knots for the security nightmares.
Getting Back to Normality
We do all these things with the hopes of being able to get back to whatever we thought of as “normal.” Truth be told, that ship has already set sail. There is no looking back, as they say. We are left trying to adapt to the changes this virus has caused. Doing so is important for any future outbreak that may occur. We have to reshape how we think and interact. We have to find the ways of adapting and moving forward. The most important thing, for right now, is to simply do you part. Sure, it is an inconvenience to wear a mask and there are even people who cannot for health reasons. It comes to the point that if you can, you should wear it. Think of it as a condom for your face. Sure, you can say there are still plenty of people who do not wear condoms, but those are people that are putting themselves and others at risk with they behaviors.
We simply need to do what we can at this point, until better and more proactive options are put into place. We all want to get back to travelling, going to our favorite concerts, hanging out at a bar, and simply going to our favorite restaurant. Until American can get its numbers down, it may be a while before we are at that point. Remember to be the change you want to see.
Gay in the CLE 