Concerns about stigmatizing queer communities grow as Monkeypox comes to New Brunswick

Monkeypox messaging worries queer community With New Brunswick reporting their first confirmed case of Monkeypox, local LGBTQ+ individuals are concerned about messaging.

New Brunswick's first confirmed Monkeypox case came out just ahead of the weekend – the same weekend when most major centers will be celebrating pride.

"Right now, what we're seeing is the majority of the cases in Canada and globally are among men having sex with men,” Dr. Jennifer Russell told CTV in an interview on Saturday.

Fredericton's Pride committee wants everyone to remain vigilant in their health care.

"Right now it's being primarily targeted as a queer issue but unfortunately it's a virus and viruses don't care,” said John Ortiz, Fredericton Pride committee chair. Large events are fine because it has to be with intimate contact and since there's no intimate contact at a dance… there is no ability for it to transmit.”

“We need to be concerned because it's not a specific community or a specific male or female issue it is a person issue and so everyone should be concerned if they're looking to have intimate relations with people that they may or may not know,” he added.

In New Brunswick, vaccinations have so far been reserved for close contacts of cases and positive cases.

Locally, LGBTQ+ people fear the messaging is coming across as targeting the queer community, similar to former HIV/AIDS messaging.

"I am older and I do recall being a teenager in the 80s, it was always targeted towards the gay community, but again it was something that was spread not because you were gay but because you were in an intimate relationship,” Ortiz said.