This Isn’t My First Pandemic
Selfie of Diana picking raspberries, taken 2020.
This is not my first pandemic. As a teen of the 1980s who grew up to teach sex ed and advocate for HIV prevention, I've learned a lot from the pandemic of HIV/AIDS. I found myself telling someone earlier this year that masks are like condoms, and that we already know how to approach it. This article is good, clear and direct. Here is what I know.
Shame does not work - at all. My neighborhood convenience store requires folks to wear masks to enter, but instead of shaming folks who show up without them, they have a stack at the front door that folks can buy for cheap and put on to enter.
Make them accessible - in my house, there are condoms, Plan B and single use-lube packages in the powder room, and a variety of cloth masks by the front door. Anyone who needs a condom, etc. can access them privately. And anyone who needs a clean mask on their way out to door can grab and go.
Find the ones that work for you - My dear friend Carol makes amazing masks, and I got a bunch from her a while back. I love them, and one of my teens loves them. The other teen, not so much. So I’ve ordered more of the kind that he likes. Through trial and error, we're finding the one he’ll want to wear all day.