#maskbans — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #maskbans, aggregated by home.social.
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THREAT MODEL: COVID 🦠
for Apr. 9th, 2026
by independent journalist @violetblue- New OECD analysis of the economics of #LongCovid
- How children may be at increased risk for BA.3.2 "Cicada"
- New study: Covid transmission in families with children is common
- #3Dprinting air purifiers
- The connection between Covid and "everyday antifascism"
- Eye symptoms may be a sign of higher-severity Long Covid
- Journalist @juliametraux of @motherjonesmag is looking to interview #StillCOVIDing folks about their experiences with mask harassment and #maskbans
...and much more.
✨THREAT MODEL is free to read -- please help keep it accessible to all by becoming a patron, even $1 a month makes a difference!✨
https://www.patreon.com/posts/covid-april-9-155159308
#ThreatModel #ThreatModelCovid #ThreatModelNewsletters #VioletBlue #COVIDnews #PublicHealth #CovidIsNotOver
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THREAT MODEL: COVID 🦠
for Apr. 9th, 2026
by independent journalist @violetblue- New OECD analysis of the economics of #LongCovid
- How children may be at increased risk for BA.3.2 "Cicada"
- New study: Covid transmission in families with children is common
- #3Dprinting air purifiers
- The connection between Covid and "everyday antifascism"
- Eye symptoms may be a sign of higher-severity Long Covid
- Journalist @juliametraux of @motherjonesmag is looking to interview #StillCOVIDing folks about their experiences with mask harassment and #maskbans
...and much more.
✨THREAT MODEL is free to read -- please help keep it accessible to all by becoming a patron, even $1 a month makes a difference!✨
https://www.patreon.com/posts/covid-april-9-155159308
#ThreatModel #ThreatModelCovid #ThreatModelNewsletters #VioletBlue #COVIDnews #PublicHealth #CovidIsNotOver
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Three #AntiProtestLaws recently passed in #Arizona, #Kentucky and #Texas
Source: https://www.icnl.org/usprotestlawtracker/
Arizona
HB 2880: Banning #protest #encampments on #campusBars protest encampments on the campuses of state colleges and universities. Under the new law, individuals or groups that establish an “encampment” are no longer lawfully present on campus for the purpose of speech protections under Arizona law; they are criminally liable to prosecution for trespass; and they are liable for any damage they cause, including the "direct and indirect costs" of removing the encampment and "restoring" campus. The new law defines “encampment” as “temporary shelter” installed on campus and used to stay overnight or “for a prolonged period of time.” The law requires colleges and universities to order individuals to dismantle and vacate any encampment; if the individuals refuse to comply, the institution is required to take disciplinary action and report the individuals to local law enforcement for trespassing. The sponsor of the new law said that it was motivated by #ProPalestine protests on college campuses.
Full bill text:
https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/83353Status: enacted
Introduced 12 Feb 2025; Approved by House 3 March 2025; Approved by Senate 30 April 2025; Signed by Governor Hobbs 7 May 2025
Issue(s): #CampusProtests, #Trespass, Camping
Kentucky
HB 399: New penalties for protesters at the capitolCreates serious new criminal offenses that can cover #PeacefulProtesters at the state capitol, as well as anyone who “conspires” with or otherwise supports them. The first new offense applies to someone who enters the capitol, or impedes access to the capitol by a legislator or legislative staff, with intent to disrupt or impede legislative business—regardless of whether legislative business was in fact “impeded.” “Conspir[ing]” to engage in such conduct or “facilitat[ing]” another person to engage in the conduct is subject to the same penalties as actually engaging in it. It is a Class B misdemeanor (punishable by up to 3 months in jail) for a first incident, and a Class A misdemeanor (up to one year in jail) for subsequent incident. The law creates a second, more serious offense for someone who engages in “disorderly or disruptive conduct” inside the Capitol with intent to disrupt or impede legislative business, if their conduct in fact “disrupts” or “impedes” the legislature’s business—even momentarily. As written, the offense could cover a demonstrator who shouts a single chant during a legislative hearing. “Conspir[ing]” to engage in such conduct or “facilitat[ing]” another person to engage in the conduct is subject to the same penalties as actually engaging in it. The offense would be a Class A misdemeanor (punishable by up to one year in jail) for the first incident, and a Class D felony (up to 5 years in prison) for third and subsequent incident. Prior to passing the bill, lawmakers added an amendment which provides that the law will not be construed "to prohibit... [a]ssembly in traditional public forums, including but not limited to the Capitol rotunda and outdoor areas of the Capitol grounds." While helpful, the amendment does not immunize all peaceful protest activity that the law could potentially punish, including protest organizing. When he vetoed the bill (later overridden), Governor Beshear noted the risks it poses to lawful #FirstAmendment activity.
Full bill text:
https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/25rs/hb399.htmlStatus: enacted
Introduced 6 Feb 2025; Approved by House 7 March 2025; Approved by Senate 13 March 2025; Vetoed by Governor Beshear 25 March 2025; Veto overridden 27 March 2025
Issue(s): Protest Supporters or Funders, Police Response
Texas
#SB2972: New restrictions on #CampusProtestsRequires public colleges and universities to adopt new limitations on campus protests that among other things would ban protest encampments, limit protesters’ ability to wear a mask, and restrict vigils and other demonstrations at night. Under the law—which revises Texas’s 2019 law on campus speech—all public colleges and universities in the state must have policies that among other things prohibit: a) erecting tents or otherwise “camping” on campus; b) wearing a mask or other disguise while engaging in “expressive activities” on campus with certain intent, including intent to “intimidate others;” c) engaging in “expressive activities” between 10pm and 8am; d) engaging in “expressive activities” in the last two weeks of a school term by inviting speakers or using sound amplification or drums; and e) using sound amplification while engaging in “expressive activities” during class hours if it “intimidate[s] others.” Preexisting provisions of the law define “expressive activities” broadly as “any speech or expressive conduct protected by the First Amendment,” including but not limited to assemblies, protests, speeches, carrying signs, or distributing written material. As such, colleges and universities would seemingly be required to ban all kinds of expression between 10pm and 8am, from conversations in the dining hall to someone sending a text or wearing expressive clothing. The law repeals a provision in the 2019 law that established all common outdoor areas of campus as traditional public forums where anyone could engage in First Amendment activity, and replaced it with a provision authorizing the governing boards of schools to designate select areas as public forums.
Full bill text: https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=SB2972Status: enacted
Introduced 14 Mar 2025; Approved by Senate 14 May 2025; Approved by House 28 May 2025; Signed by Governor Abbott 20 June 2025
Issue(s): Campus Protests, Face Covering, Camping
#USPol #CriminalizingProtest #CriminalizingDissent #AntiProtestLaws #TexasProtestLaws #KentuckyProtestLaws #ArizonaProtestLaws #ClothingBans #CollegeCampusProtests #MaskBans #EncampmentBans
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Three #AntiProtestLaws recently passed in #Arizona, #Kentucky and #Texas
Source: https://www.icnl.org/usprotestlawtracker/
Arizona
HB 2880: Banning #protest #encampments on #campusBars protest encampments on the campuses of state colleges and universities. Under the new law, individuals or groups that establish an “encampment” are no longer lawfully present on campus for the purpose of speech protections under Arizona law; they are criminally liable to prosecution for trespass; and they are liable for any damage they cause, including the "direct and indirect costs" of removing the encampment and "restoring" campus. The new law defines “encampment” as “temporary shelter” installed on campus and used to stay overnight or “for a prolonged period of time.” The law requires colleges and universities to order individuals to dismantle and vacate any encampment; if the individuals refuse to comply, the institution is required to take disciplinary action and report the individuals to local law enforcement for trespassing. The sponsor of the new law said that it was motivated by #ProPalestine protests on college campuses.
Full bill text:
https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/83353Status: enacted
Introduced 12 Feb 2025; Approved by House 3 March 2025; Approved by Senate 30 April 2025; Signed by Governor Hobbs 7 May 2025
Issue(s): #CampusProtests, #Trespass, Camping
Kentucky
HB 399: New penalties for protesters at the capitolCreates serious new criminal offenses that can cover #PeacefulProtesters at the state capitol, as well as anyone who “conspires” with or otherwise supports them. The first new offense applies to someone who enters the capitol, or impedes access to the capitol by a legislator or legislative staff, with intent to disrupt or impede legislative business—regardless of whether legislative business was in fact “impeded.” “Conspir[ing]” to engage in such conduct or “facilitat[ing]” another person to engage in the conduct is subject to the same penalties as actually engaging in it. It is a Class B misdemeanor (punishable by up to 3 months in jail) for a first incident, and a Class A misdemeanor (up to one year in jail) for subsequent incident. The law creates a second, more serious offense for someone who engages in “disorderly or disruptive conduct” inside the Capitol with intent to disrupt or impede legislative business, if their conduct in fact “disrupts” or “impedes” the legislature’s business—even momentarily. As written, the offense could cover a demonstrator who shouts a single chant during a legislative hearing. “Conspir[ing]” to engage in such conduct or “facilitat[ing]” another person to engage in the conduct is subject to the same penalties as actually engaging in it. The offense would be a Class A misdemeanor (punishable by up to one year in jail) for the first incident, and a Class D felony (up to 5 years in prison) for third and subsequent incident. Prior to passing the bill, lawmakers added an amendment which provides that the law will not be construed "to prohibit... [a]ssembly in traditional public forums, including but not limited to the Capitol rotunda and outdoor areas of the Capitol grounds." While helpful, the amendment does not immunize all peaceful protest activity that the law could potentially punish, including protest organizing. When he vetoed the bill (later overridden), Governor Beshear noted the risks it poses to lawful #FirstAmendment activity.
Full bill text:
https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/25rs/hb399.htmlStatus: enacted
Introduced 6 Feb 2025; Approved by House 7 March 2025; Approved by Senate 13 March 2025; Vetoed by Governor Beshear 25 March 2025; Veto overridden 27 March 2025
Issue(s): Protest Supporters or Funders, Police Response
Texas
#SB2972: New restrictions on #CampusProtestsRequires public colleges and universities to adopt new limitations on campus protests that among other things would ban protest encampments, limit protesters’ ability to wear a mask, and restrict vigils and other demonstrations at night. Under the law—which revises Texas’s 2019 law on campus speech—all public colleges and universities in the state must have policies that among other things prohibit: a) erecting tents or otherwise “camping” on campus; b) wearing a mask or other disguise while engaging in “expressive activities” on campus with certain intent, including intent to “intimidate others;” c) engaging in “expressive activities” between 10pm and 8am; d) engaging in “expressive activities” in the last two weeks of a school term by inviting speakers or using sound amplification or drums; and e) using sound amplification while engaging in “expressive activities” during class hours if it “intimidate[s] others.” Preexisting provisions of the law define “expressive activities” broadly as “any speech or expressive conduct protected by the First Amendment,” including but not limited to assemblies, protests, speeches, carrying signs, or distributing written material. As such, colleges and universities would seemingly be required to ban all kinds of expression between 10pm and 8am, from conversations in the dining hall to someone sending a text or wearing expressive clothing. The law repeals a provision in the 2019 law that established all common outdoor areas of campus as traditional public forums where anyone could engage in First Amendment activity, and replaced it with a provision authorizing the governing boards of schools to designate select areas as public forums.
Full bill text: https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=SB2972Status: enacted
Introduced 14 Mar 2025; Approved by Senate 14 May 2025; Approved by House 28 May 2025; Signed by Governor Abbott 20 June 2025
Issue(s): Campus Protests, Face Covering, Camping
#USPol #CriminalizingProtest #CriminalizingDissent #AntiProtestLaws #TexasProtestLaws #KentuckyProtestLaws #ArizonaProtestLaws #ClothingBans #CollegeCampusProtests #MaskBans #EncampmentBans
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State by State Pending and Recently Passed #AntiProtestLaws: #Iowa
SF 342: Heightened penalties for protesters convicted of "riot," "unlawful assembly," or blocking traffic, and immunity for #drivers who injure them
Introduces felony penalties for the offense of "riot," previously an aggravated misdemeanor, such that the offense is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and $7,500. Preexisting law defines "riot" as a group of three or more people assembled "in a violent manner," at least one of whom uses any unlawful force or violence against another person or causes property damage. The law also converts "unlawful assembly" from a simple to an aggravated misdemeanor. Preexisting law defines "unlawful assembly" as a group of three or more people, any of whom are acting "in a violent manner," and who intend that any of them will commit an offense. Under the law, it is a serious (rather than simple) misdemeanor, punishable by one year in jail and a $1,875 fine, to "obstruct" a sidewalk, street, or "other public way" with the intent to hinder its use by others. If an individual obstructs a sidewalk or street while "present during an unlawful assembly," it is an aggravated misdemeanor, punishable by 2 years in jail and a $6,250 fine. If an individual obstructs a sidewalk or street while "present during a riot," it is a Class D felony, punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a $7,500 fine. Under the law, a driver who injures someone who is participating in a "protest, demonstration, riot, or unlawful assembly," engaging in "disorderly conduct," and blocking traffic, is immune from civil liability as long as the driver was exercising "due care" and the protester did not have a permit to be in the street. The law would also allow law enforcement who experience a physical or other injury while on duty to pursue civil damages from a person, group, or organization. Finally, the law creates a new felony offense for "defacing" public property, "including a monument or statue." The offense, a Class D felony, is punishable by up to 5 years in prison, a $7,500, and mandatory restitution for any property damage. This law was introduced and passed by the Senate as SF 534, but passed by the House as an amendment to SF 342.
Full text of bill:
https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=89&ba=SF%20342Status: enacted
Introduced 1 Mar 2021; Approved by Senate 10 March 2021, Approved by House 14 April 2021, Signed by Governor 16 June 2021
Issue(s): Civil Liability, Protest Supporters or Funders, Driver Immunity, Riot, Traffic Interference
HF 952: Requiring state permission for protests in the capitol and on capitol grounds
Would require organizers to have a government sponsor in order to hold protests in or near the Iowa capitol. Under the bill, organizers cannot hold “events” in capitol buildings or on capitol grounds unless they have a “recommendation” either from a statewide elected official or by both a member of Iowa’s state senate and its house of representatives. The bill would also prohibit the same person from holding more than six “events” per year in or around the capitol. Neither the bill nor the relevant provisions of Iowa law define “events,” such that they could seemingly include public protests and demonstrations. As such, the bill would effectively give elected officials authority to allow or disallow protests near the capitol.
Full text of bill:
https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=HF%20952
Status: pendingIntroduced 12 Mar 2025.
HF 25: Heightened penalties for #MaskedProtesters
Would increase the penalty for any offense if committed by someone wearing a mask or other device that concealed their identity for the purpose of facilitating the offense. The bill provides #exemptions for masks worn in a number of contexts, including holiday costumes, medical masks, and “#hood[s]” or other “disguise[s]” worn by members of “a society, order, or organization while engaged in any parade, ritual” or “ceremony.” As such, for instance, members of the #KluKluxKlan would seemingly be exempt from enhanced penalties for illegally blocking traffic while parading in the street wearing hoods. The bill does not exempt masks worn during public protests, nor does it limit the enhanced penalties to violent crimes. Accordingly, a peaceful protester who committed a nonviolent offense while wearing a mask could face steeper penalties. A masked demonstrator engaged in a vigil who failed to disperse after being ordered to do so by police, for instance, could face up to a year in jail, rather than 30 days.
Full text of bill:
https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=hf25Status: pending
Introduced 14 Jan 2025.
Issue(s): #FaceCovering
#FirstAmendment #CriminalizingDissent
#Authoritarianism #Fascism #Clampdown #CriminalizingProtest
#CharacteristicsOfFascism #USPol #AntiProtestLaws #TrafficInterference #MaskBans #HoodsAreOK #HeatherHeyer #UniteTheRight #DrivingDownProtestors #LimitingProtests #RedTape -
State by State Pending and Recently Passed #AntiProtestLaws: #Iowa
SF 342: Heightened penalties for protesters convicted of "riot," "unlawful assembly," or blocking traffic, and immunity for #drivers who injure them
Introduces felony penalties for the offense of "riot," previously an aggravated misdemeanor, such that the offense is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and $7,500. Preexisting law defines "riot" as a group of three or more people assembled "in a violent manner," at least one of whom uses any unlawful force or violence against another person or causes property damage. The law also converts "unlawful assembly" from a simple to an aggravated misdemeanor. Preexisting law defines "unlawful assembly" as a group of three or more people, any of whom are acting "in a violent manner," and who intend that any of them will commit an offense. Under the law, it is a serious (rather than simple) misdemeanor, punishable by one year in jail and a $1,875 fine, to "obstruct" a sidewalk, street, or "other public way" with the intent to hinder its use by others. If an individual obstructs a sidewalk or street while "present during an unlawful assembly," it is an aggravated misdemeanor, punishable by 2 years in jail and a $6,250 fine. If an individual obstructs a sidewalk or street while "present during a riot," it is a Class D felony, punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a $7,500 fine. Under the law, a driver who injures someone who is participating in a "protest, demonstration, riot, or unlawful assembly," engaging in "disorderly conduct," and blocking traffic, is immune from civil liability as long as the driver was exercising "due care" and the protester did not have a permit to be in the street. The law would also allow law enforcement who experience a physical or other injury while on duty to pursue civil damages from a person, group, or organization. Finally, the law creates a new felony offense for "defacing" public property, "including a monument or statue." The offense, a Class D felony, is punishable by up to 5 years in prison, a $7,500, and mandatory restitution for any property damage. This law was introduced and passed by the Senate as SF 534, but passed by the House as an amendment to SF 342.
Full text of bill:
https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=89&ba=SF%20342Status: enacted
Introduced 1 Mar 2021; Approved by Senate 10 March 2021, Approved by House 14 April 2021, Signed by Governor 16 June 2021
Issue(s): Civil Liability, Protest Supporters or Funders, Driver Immunity, Riot, Traffic Interference
HF 952: Requiring state permission for protests in the capitol and on capitol grounds
Would require organizers to have a government sponsor in order to hold protests in or near the Iowa capitol. Under the bill, organizers cannot hold “events” in capitol buildings or on capitol grounds unless they have a “recommendation” either from a statewide elected official or by both a member of Iowa’s state senate and its house of representatives. The bill would also prohibit the same person from holding more than six “events” per year in or around the capitol. Neither the bill nor the relevant provisions of Iowa law define “events,” such that they could seemingly include public protests and demonstrations. As such, the bill would effectively give elected officials authority to allow or disallow protests near the capitol.
Full text of bill:
https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=HF%20952
Status: pendingIntroduced 12 Mar 2025.
HF 25: Heightened penalties for #MaskedProtesters
Would increase the penalty for any offense if committed by someone wearing a mask or other device that concealed their identity for the purpose of facilitating the offense. The bill provides #exemptions for masks worn in a number of contexts, including holiday costumes, medical masks, and “#hood[s]” or other “disguise[s]” worn by members of “a society, order, or organization while engaged in any parade, ritual” or “ceremony.” As such, for instance, members of the #KluKluxKlan would seemingly be exempt from enhanced penalties for illegally blocking traffic while parading in the street wearing hoods. The bill does not exempt masks worn during public protests, nor does it limit the enhanced penalties to violent crimes. Accordingly, a peaceful protester who committed a nonviolent offense while wearing a mask could face steeper penalties. A masked demonstrator engaged in a vigil who failed to disperse after being ordered to do so by police, for instance, could face up to a year in jail, rather than 30 days.
Full text of bill:
https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=hf25Status: pending
Introduced 14 Jan 2025.
Issue(s): #FaceCovering
#FirstAmendment #CriminalizingDissent
#Authoritarianism #Fascism #Clampdown #CriminalizingProtest
#CharacteristicsOfFascism #USPol #AntiProtestLaws #TrafficInterference #MaskBans #HoodsAreOK #HeatherHeyer #UniteTheRight #DrivingDownProtestors #LimitingProtests #RedTape -
State by State Pending and Recently Passed #AntiProtestLaws: #Indiana
SB 471: New penalties for protests near critical infrastructure
Heightens the potential penalties for protests near oil and gas #pipelines and other infrastructure by creating the offenses of "criminal #infrastructure facility #trespass" and "#CriticalInfrastructure facility mischief." The law provides that an individual who knowingly enters a critical infrastructure facility without permission commits critical infrastructure facility trespass, a Level 6 #felony punishable by up to 30 months in prison. Under the law, recklessly or knowingly defacing such a facility constitutes critical infrastructure facility mischief, punishable by up to six years in prison as a Level 5 felony. In either case, the individual may additionally be liable to the property owner for damages, costs, and attorney's fees. An individual found to have conspired with someone who commits either offense may also be liable for a fine of $100,000. The law newly defines "critical infrastructure facility" under Indiana law to include a range of oil, gas, electric, water, telecommunications, and railroad facilities, as well as any "facility that is substantially similar" to one of the listed facilities.
Full text of bill: https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2019/bills/senate/471
Status: enacted
Introduced 14 Jan 2019; Approved by Senate 7 Feb 2019; Approved by House 25 March 2019; Signed by Governor Holcomb on 6 May 2019
Issue(s): #ProtestSupporters or Funders, #Infrastructure
SB 286: New criminal penalties for masked protesters
Would create a new offense for attending a public assembly while wearing a mask, and elevate disorderly conduct and rioting to felony offenses if committed by someone wearing a mask. The bill creates exemptions for masks worn for holidays, theater, religious purposes, medical purposes if prescribed by a doctor, and athletic events, but not protests. Under the bill, someone who wears a mask “while present at a public assembly” would commit a Class C misdemeanor (punishable by up to 60 days in jail) for a first offense but a Class A misdemeanor (up to one year and $5,000) for second and subsequent offenses. As written, the offense could cover a demonstrator who chooses to wear a mask to avoid contagion, to avoid retaliation for their political speech, or for any other reason, and who did not otherwise act unlawfully or have any intent to break a law. The offense would also seemingly cover bystanders “present” at a protest while masked. The bill would convert disorderly conduct and rioting—both broadly defined by Indiana law and typically misdemeanor offenses—into Level 6 felonies (up to two and a half years in prison and $10,000) if committed by someone in a mask. “Disorderly conduct,” for instance, covers someone who recklessly, knowingly, or intentionally “makes unreasonable noise and continues to do so after being asked to stop.” As such, someone who chooses to wear a mask while participating in a peaceful but noisy protest could face felony charges.
Full text of bill:
https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2025/bills/senate/286/detailsStatus: pending
Introduced 13 Jan 2025.
Issue(s): Face Covering, Riot
#FirstAmendment #CriminalizingDissent
#Authoritarianism #Fascism #Clampdown #CriminalizingProtest
#CharacteristicsOfFascism #USPol #AntiProtestLaws #PipelineProtests #TrafficInterference #MaskBans -
State by State Pending and Recently Passed #AntiProtestLaws: #Indiana
SB 471: New penalties for protests near critical infrastructure
Heightens the potential penalties for protests near oil and gas #pipelines and other infrastructure by creating the offenses of "criminal #infrastructure facility #trespass" and "#CriticalInfrastructure facility mischief." The law provides that an individual who knowingly enters a critical infrastructure facility without permission commits critical infrastructure facility trespass, a Level 6 #felony punishable by up to 30 months in prison. Under the law, recklessly or knowingly defacing such a facility constitutes critical infrastructure facility mischief, punishable by up to six years in prison as a Level 5 felony. In either case, the individual may additionally be liable to the property owner for damages, costs, and attorney's fees. An individual found to have conspired with someone who commits either offense may also be liable for a fine of $100,000. The law newly defines "critical infrastructure facility" under Indiana law to include a range of oil, gas, electric, water, telecommunications, and railroad facilities, as well as any "facility that is substantially similar" to one of the listed facilities.
Full text of bill: https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2019/bills/senate/471
Status: enacted
Introduced 14 Jan 2019; Approved by Senate 7 Feb 2019; Approved by House 25 March 2019; Signed by Governor Holcomb on 6 May 2019
Issue(s): #ProtestSupporters or Funders, #Infrastructure
SB 286: New criminal penalties for masked protesters
Would create a new offense for attending a public assembly while wearing a mask, and elevate disorderly conduct and rioting to felony offenses if committed by someone wearing a mask. The bill creates exemptions for masks worn for holidays, theater, religious purposes, medical purposes if prescribed by a doctor, and athletic events, but not protests. Under the bill, someone who wears a mask “while present at a public assembly” would commit a Class C misdemeanor (punishable by up to 60 days in jail) for a first offense but a Class A misdemeanor (up to one year and $5,000) for second and subsequent offenses. As written, the offense could cover a demonstrator who chooses to wear a mask to avoid contagion, to avoid retaliation for their political speech, or for any other reason, and who did not otherwise act unlawfully or have any intent to break a law. The offense would also seemingly cover bystanders “present” at a protest while masked. The bill would convert disorderly conduct and rioting—both broadly defined by Indiana law and typically misdemeanor offenses—into Level 6 felonies (up to two and a half years in prison and $10,000) if committed by someone in a mask. “Disorderly conduct,” for instance, covers someone who recklessly, knowingly, or intentionally “makes unreasonable noise and continues to do so after being asked to stop.” As such, someone who chooses to wear a mask while participating in a peaceful but noisy protest could face felony charges.
Full text of bill:
https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2025/bills/senate/286/detailsStatus: pending
Introduced 13 Jan 2025.
Issue(s): Face Covering, Riot
#FirstAmendment #CriminalizingDissent
#Authoritarianism #Fascism #Clampdown #CriminalizingProtest
#CharacteristicsOfFascism #USPol #AntiProtestLaws #PipelineProtests #TrafficInterference #MaskBans -
Texas becomes the latest State to propose a mask ban (while in the midst of a measles outbreak that’s currently over 100 cases).
These are ugly laws. They’re discriminatory & push disabled people further out of society. They increase the likelihood of police harassment. They paint maskers as “bad”.
There’s an excellent document with scripts for how to call & fight back! 🧵 1/2
https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1704ui-FIcCqF97SX5uVnjP-Xi4A6m4WUXjce2ZonKEI/mobilebasic
#uspoli #maskbans #nomaskbans #uglylaws #infectioncontrol #publichealth #texas #measles #covidisairborne #covidisnotover #ableism #eugenics #disability
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Texas becomes the latest State to propose a mask ban (while in the midst of a measles outbreak that’s currently over 100 cases).
These are ugly laws. They’re discriminatory & push disabled people further out of society. They increase the likelihood of police harassment. They paint maskers as “bad”.
There’s an excellent document with scripts for how to call & fight back! 🧵 1/2
https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1704ui-FIcCqF97SX5uVnjP-Xi4A6m4WUXjce2ZonKEI/mobilebasic
#uspoli #maskbans #nomaskbans #uglylaws #infectioncontrol #publichealth #texas #measles #covidisairborne #covidisnotover #ableism #eugenics #disability
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I started wearing an N95 #respirator partly because of Delhi's record levels of air pollution, and partly because of mass surveillance and FRT.
It's pretty uncomfortable, but it turned out to have even more benefits. People living with me contracted all kinds of coughs and colds and fevers. I was singularly unaffected.
And then I learned from the Fediverse that #CovidIsNotOver.
Not wearing a mask in public now feels like being naked, and not in a good way.
#MaskBans? WTAF?
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The War on #Masks Has Taken on a New Meaning
This time, the masks have nothing to do with #COVID19.
By Henry Grabar
Feb 05, 20254:57 PM"Last month, state legislators in New York introduced a bill that would create a new crime: 'masked harassment.'
"That, the law explains, is when you wear a mask 'for the primary purpose of menacing or threatening violence against another person' or 'placing another person or group of persons in reasonable fear for their physical safety.'
"If that seems like a bit of a niche offense—threatening violence is already a crime, after all—it’s because the language has been watered down to attract political support. It’s a sign of New York Democrats’ cautious new approach over masks in public life, and a retreat from last spring, when anti-Israel protests, on top of a widespread urban crime panic, pushed leaders from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to consider mask bans.
"In its original form, the New York bill would have banned masks at public assemblies entirely. But the outcry from #DisabilityRights advocates, #CriminalJustice reformers, #HealthCareWorkers, and #CivilLiberties groups was swift, and so New York wound up with this bill on 'masked harassment' instead.
"Elsewhere, the pandemic-era leniency on masking in public is over. #NorthCarolina Republicans overrode a gubernatorial veto last summer to once again #BanPublicFaceCoverings, except to stop the spread of contagious diseases. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost dusted off an old law to threaten #StudentProtesters with #felonies. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has asked the state’s Senate to consider a bill to #unmask #protesters this year.
"For Republicans, it’s a chance to kill two birds with one stone. They can strike back against the perceived overreach of pandemic-era #HealthDirectives and make it easier to arrest #demonstrators at the same time.
"In #Ohio and North Carolina, the original statutes were written in the 1950s to stop demonstrations by the #KuKluxKlan, but had been ignored or suspended during the #pandemic and the #GeorgeFloydProtests. Many lawmakers have cited the recent demonstrations in defense of #Gaza as a reason to crack down again. Defending the proposed mask ban in New York, Anti-Defamation League [#ADL] president Jonathan Greenblatt said the demonstrators were using '#KKK tactics' to intimidate Jewish New Yorkers.
"That instinct was bolstered by the sense among many city residents and elected leaders that widespread masking was a factor behind the pandemic-era crime spike. That led to #Philadelphia banning #SkiMasks in parks, on trains, and in public buildings. A more recent, high-profile example came in December with the Midtown Manhattan killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO #BrianThompson by a #MaskedAssassin, which prompted New York Mayor Eric Adams to call for cab drivers and business owners to ask customers to remove their masks. The new New York bill has won over the liberal Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who endorsed the 'tailored' approach. As the police say: #NoFaceNoCase.
"For what it’s worth, there are too many confounding variables and too little data to be sure if mask-wearing is associated with crime, said Ernesto Lopez at the Council for Criminal Justice, which collects crime reporting statistics from various cities. 'From a theoretical statement it makes sense that could occur, but it has not been demonstrated that’s the case,' he told me.
"But if all that weighed in favor of more mask bans, there was also widespread resistance. Disability advocates mobilized to defend the right to mask; North Carolina had to write a medical exemption into their bill at the insistence of a GOP House member. #PoliceReformers observed that #MaskBans have often been used for pretextual #policing and racial profiling against #BlackAmericans. (#AtlantaGeorgia tabled a mask ban for that reason.)
"What looms largest, as the second Trump administration begins, is the role of protest. As Semafor’s Dave Weigel has noted, masks have become a badge of left-wing protest culture. That’s in part an extension of politicized COVID-era concerns about health and civility, but at this point it is mostly a tactic to preserve anonymity in an era of #FacialRecognition, streaming video, and #doxing. Last year, the anonymous #ProIsrael website the #CanaryMission posted photographs of hundreds of students and faculty at campus protests and posted their names and photos online, labeling some as supporters of terrorism.
"'The concern takes on new urgency as Donald Trump pledges to revoke the visas of pro-Palestine protesters, and the Trump-Musk GOP embraces the naming and shaming of otherwise private citizens. A conservative group called the American Accountability Foundation has begun circulating lists of federal workers, many of them Black, who should be
'targets' for their alleged involvement in #DEI initiatives at work."Clearly, the masked protest does not always sit well with an older generation, many of whom cut their teeth in the protests of the pre-internet age. As Georgetown professor Michael Kazin told the New York Times last year: 'I do think if you are going to demonstrate, and it’s something you feel deeply about, you should be willing to stand up and be counted.'"
Source:
https://slate.com/business/2025/02/mask-bans-new-york-los-angeles-crime-protests-criminalize-face-coverings.html?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
#Fascism #AuthoritarianRule #BigBrother #BigBrotherIsWatchingYou #SurveillanceState #SilencingDissent -
The War on #Masks Has Taken on a New Meaning
This time, the masks have nothing to do with #COVID19.
By Henry Grabar
Feb 05, 20254:57 PM"Last month, state legislators in New York introduced a bill that would create a new crime: 'masked harassment.'
"That, the law explains, is when you wear a mask 'for the primary purpose of menacing or threatening violence against another person' or 'placing another person or group of persons in reasonable fear for their physical safety.'
"If that seems like a bit of a niche offense—threatening violence is already a crime, after all—it’s because the language has been watered down to attract political support. It’s a sign of New York Democrats’ cautious new approach over masks in public life, and a retreat from last spring, when anti-Israel protests, on top of a widespread urban crime panic, pushed leaders from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to consider mask bans.
"In its original form, the New York bill would have banned masks at public assemblies entirely. But the outcry from #DisabilityRights advocates, #CriminalJustice reformers, #HealthCareWorkers, and #CivilLiberties groups was swift, and so New York wound up with this bill on 'masked harassment' instead.
"Elsewhere, the pandemic-era leniency on masking in public is over. #NorthCarolina Republicans overrode a gubernatorial veto last summer to once again #BanPublicFaceCoverings, except to stop the spread of contagious diseases. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost dusted off an old law to threaten #StudentProtesters with #felonies. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has asked the state’s Senate to consider a bill to #unmask #protesters this year.
"For Republicans, it’s a chance to kill two birds with one stone. They can strike back against the perceived overreach of pandemic-era #HealthDirectives and make it easier to arrest #demonstrators at the same time.
"In #Ohio and North Carolina, the original statutes were written in the 1950s to stop demonstrations by the #KuKluxKlan, but had been ignored or suspended during the #pandemic and the #GeorgeFloydProtests. Many lawmakers have cited the recent demonstrations in defense of #Gaza as a reason to crack down again. Defending the proposed mask ban in New York, Anti-Defamation League [#ADL] president Jonathan Greenblatt said the demonstrators were using '#KKK tactics' to intimidate Jewish New Yorkers.
"That instinct was bolstered by the sense among many city residents and elected leaders that widespread masking was a factor behind the pandemic-era crime spike. That led to #Philadelphia banning #SkiMasks in parks, on trains, and in public buildings. A more recent, high-profile example came in December with the Midtown Manhattan killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO #BrianThompson by a #MaskedAssassin, which prompted New York Mayor Eric Adams to call for cab drivers and business owners to ask customers to remove their masks. The new New York bill has won over the liberal Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who endorsed the 'tailored' approach. As the police say: #NoFaceNoCase.
"For what it’s worth, there are too many confounding variables and too little data to be sure if mask-wearing is associated with crime, said Ernesto Lopez at the Council for Criminal Justice, which collects crime reporting statistics from various cities. 'From a theoretical statement it makes sense that could occur, but it has not been demonstrated that’s the case,' he told me.
"But if all that weighed in favor of more mask bans, there was also widespread resistance. Disability advocates mobilized to defend the right to mask; North Carolina had to write a medical exemption into their bill at the insistence of a GOP House member. #PoliceReformers observed that #MaskBans have often been used for pretextual #policing and racial profiling against #BlackAmericans. (#AtlantaGeorgia tabled a mask ban for that reason.)
"What looms largest, as the second Trump administration begins, is the role of protest. As Semafor’s Dave Weigel has noted, masks have become a badge of left-wing protest culture. That’s in part an extension of politicized COVID-era concerns about health and civility, but at this point it is mostly a tactic to preserve anonymity in an era of #FacialRecognition, streaming video, and #doxing. Last year, the anonymous #ProIsrael website the #CanaryMission posted photographs of hundreds of students and faculty at campus protests and posted their names and photos online, labeling some as supporters of terrorism.
"'The concern takes on new urgency as Donald Trump pledges to revoke the visas of pro-Palestine protesters, and the Trump-Musk GOP embraces the naming and shaming of otherwise private citizens. A conservative group called the American Accountability Foundation has begun circulating lists of federal workers, many of them Black, who should be
'targets' for their alleged involvement in #DEI initiatives at work."Clearly, the masked protest does not always sit well with an older generation, many of whom cut their teeth in the protests of the pre-internet age. As Georgetown professor Michael Kazin told the New York Times last year: 'I do think if you are going to demonstrate, and it’s something you feel deeply about, you should be willing to stand up and be counted.'"
Source:
https://slate.com/business/2025/02/mask-bans-new-york-los-angeles-crime-protests-criminalize-face-coverings.html?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
#Fascism #AuthoritarianRule #BigBrother #BigBrotherIsWatchingYou #SurveillanceState #SilencingDissent -
The War on #Masks Has Taken on a New Meaning
This time, the masks have nothing to do with #COVID19.
By Henry Grabar
Feb 05, 20254:57 PM"Last month, state legislators in New York introduced a bill that would create a new crime: 'masked harassment.'
"That, the law explains, is when you wear a mask 'for the primary purpose of menacing or threatening violence against another person' or 'placing another person or group of persons in reasonable fear for their physical safety.'
"If that seems like a bit of a niche offense—threatening violence is already a crime, after all—it’s because the language has been watered down to attract political support. It’s a sign of New York Democrats’ cautious new approach over masks in public life, and a retreat from last spring, when anti-Israel protests, on top of a widespread urban crime panic, pushed leaders from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to consider mask bans.
"In its original form, the New York bill would have banned masks at public assemblies entirely. But the outcry from #DisabilityRights advocates, #CriminalJustice reformers, #HealthCareWorkers, and #CivilLiberties groups was swift, and so New York wound up with this bill on 'masked harassment' instead.
"Elsewhere, the pandemic-era leniency on masking in public is over. #NorthCarolina Republicans overrode a gubernatorial veto last summer to once again #BanPublicFaceCoverings, except to stop the spread of contagious diseases. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost dusted off an old law to threaten #StudentProtesters with #felonies. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has asked the state’s Senate to consider a bill to #unmask #protesters this year.
"For Republicans, it’s a chance to kill two birds with one stone. They can strike back against the perceived overreach of pandemic-era #HealthDirectives and make it easier to arrest #demonstrators at the same time.
"In #Ohio and North Carolina, the original statutes were written in the 1950s to stop demonstrations by the #KuKluxKlan, but had been ignored or suspended during the #pandemic and the #GeorgeFloydProtests. Many lawmakers have cited the recent demonstrations in defense of #Gaza as a reason to crack down again. Defending the proposed mask ban in New York, Anti-Defamation League [#ADL] president Jonathan Greenblatt said the demonstrators were using '#KKK tactics' to intimidate Jewish New Yorkers.
"That instinct was bolstered by the sense among many city residents and elected leaders that widespread masking was a factor behind the pandemic-era crime spike. That led to #Philadelphia banning #SkiMasks in parks, on trains, and in public buildings. A more recent, high-profile example came in December with the Midtown Manhattan killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO #BrianThompson by a #MaskedAssassin, which prompted New York Mayor Eric Adams to call for cab drivers and business owners to ask customers to remove their masks. The new New York bill has won over the liberal Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who endorsed the 'tailored' approach. As the police say: #NoFaceNoCase.
"For what it’s worth, there are too many confounding variables and too little data to be sure if mask-wearing is associated with crime, said Ernesto Lopez at the Council for Criminal Justice, which collects crime reporting statistics from various cities. 'From a theoretical statement it makes sense that could occur, but it has not been demonstrated that’s the case,' he told me.
"But if all that weighed in favor of more mask bans, there was also widespread resistance. Disability advocates mobilized to defend the right to mask; North Carolina had to write a medical exemption into their bill at the insistence of a GOP House member. #PoliceReformers observed that #MaskBans have often been used for pretextual #policing and racial profiling against #BlackAmericans. (#AtlantaGeorgia tabled a mask ban for that reason.)
"What looms largest, as the second Trump administration begins, is the role of protest. As Semafor’s Dave Weigel has noted, masks have become a badge of left-wing protest culture. That’s in part an extension of politicized COVID-era concerns about health and civility, but at this point it is mostly a tactic to preserve anonymity in an era of #FacialRecognition, streaming video, and #doxing. Last year, the anonymous #ProIsrael website the #CanaryMission posted photographs of hundreds of students and faculty at campus protests and posted their names and photos online, labeling some as supporters of terrorism.
"'The concern takes on new urgency as Donald Trump pledges to revoke the visas of pro-Palestine protesters, and the Trump-Musk GOP embraces the naming and shaming of otherwise private citizens. A conservative group called the American Accountability Foundation has begun circulating lists of federal workers, many of them Black, who should be
'targets' for their alleged involvement in #DEI initiatives at work."Clearly, the masked protest does not always sit well with an older generation, many of whom cut their teeth in the protests of the pre-internet age. As Georgetown professor Michael Kazin told the New York Times last year: 'I do think if you are going to demonstrate, and it’s something you feel deeply about, you should be willing to stand up and be counted.'"
Source:
https://slate.com/business/2025/02/mask-bans-new-york-los-angeles-crime-protests-criminalize-face-coverings.html?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
#Fascism #AuthoritarianRule #BigBrother #BigBrotherIsWatchingYou #SurveillanceState #SilencingDissent -
The War on #Masks Has Taken on a New Meaning
This time, the masks have nothing to do with #COVID19.
By Henry Grabar
Feb 05, 20254:57 PM"Last month, state legislators in New York introduced a bill that would create a new crime: 'masked harassment.'
"That, the law explains, is when you wear a mask 'for the primary purpose of menacing or threatening violence against another person' or 'placing another person or group of persons in reasonable fear for their physical safety.'
"If that seems like a bit of a niche offense—threatening violence is already a crime, after all—it’s because the language has been watered down to attract political support. It’s a sign of New York Democrats’ cautious new approach over masks in public life, and a retreat from last spring, when anti-Israel protests, on top of a widespread urban crime panic, pushed leaders from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to consider mask bans.
"In its original form, the New York bill would have banned masks at public assemblies entirely. But the outcry from #DisabilityRights advocates, #CriminalJustice reformers, #HealthCareWorkers, and #CivilLiberties groups was swift, and so New York wound up with this bill on 'masked harassment' instead.
"Elsewhere, the pandemic-era leniency on masking in public is over. #NorthCarolina Republicans overrode a gubernatorial veto last summer to once again #BanPublicFaceCoverings, except to stop the spread of contagious diseases. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost dusted off an old law to threaten #StudentProtesters with #felonies. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has asked the state’s Senate to consider a bill to #unmask #protesters this year.
"For Republicans, it’s a chance to kill two birds with one stone. They can strike back against the perceived overreach of pandemic-era #HealthDirectives and make it easier to arrest #demonstrators at the same time.
"In #Ohio and North Carolina, the original statutes were written in the 1950s to stop demonstrations by the #KuKluxKlan, but had been ignored or suspended during the #pandemic and the #GeorgeFloydProtests. Many lawmakers have cited the recent demonstrations in defense of #Gaza as a reason to crack down again. Defending the proposed mask ban in New York, Anti-Defamation League [#ADL] president Jonathan Greenblatt said the demonstrators were using '#KKK tactics' to intimidate Jewish New Yorkers.
"That instinct was bolstered by the sense among many city residents and elected leaders that widespread masking was a factor behind the pandemic-era crime spike. That led to #Philadelphia banning #SkiMasks in parks, on trains, and in public buildings. A more recent, high-profile example came in December with the Midtown Manhattan killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO #BrianThompson by a #MaskedAssassin, which prompted New York Mayor Eric Adams to call for cab drivers and business owners to ask customers to remove their masks. The new New York bill has won over the liberal Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who endorsed the 'tailored' approach. As the police say: #NoFaceNoCase.
"For what it’s worth, there are too many confounding variables and too little data to be sure if mask-wearing is associated with crime, said Ernesto Lopez at the Council for Criminal Justice, which collects crime reporting statistics from various cities. 'From a theoretical statement it makes sense that could occur, but it has not been demonstrated that’s the case,' he told me.
"But if all that weighed in favor of more mask bans, there was also widespread resistance. Disability advocates mobilized to defend the right to mask; North Carolina had to write a medical exemption into their bill at the insistence of a GOP House member. #PoliceReformers observed that #MaskBans have often been used for pretextual #policing and racial profiling against #BlackAmericans. (#AtlantaGeorgia tabled a mask ban for that reason.)
"What looms largest, as the second Trump administration begins, is the role of protest. As Semafor’s Dave Weigel has noted, masks have become a badge of left-wing protest culture. That’s in part an extension of politicized COVID-era concerns about health and civility, but at this point it is mostly a tactic to preserve anonymity in an era of #FacialRecognition, streaming video, and #doxing. Last year, the anonymous #ProIsrael website the #CanaryMission posted photographs of hundreds of students and faculty at campus protests and posted their names and photos online, labeling some as supporters of terrorism.
"'The concern takes on new urgency as Donald Trump pledges to revoke the visas of pro-Palestine protesters, and the Trump-Musk GOP embraces the naming and shaming of otherwise private citizens. A conservative group called the American Accountability Foundation has begun circulating lists of federal workers, many of them Black, who should be
'targets' for their alleged involvement in #DEI initiatives at work."Clearly, the masked protest does not always sit well with an older generation, many of whom cut their teeth in the protests of the pre-internet age. As Georgetown professor Michael Kazin told the New York Times last year: 'I do think if you are going to demonstrate, and it’s something you feel deeply about, you should be willing to stand up and be counted.'"
Source:
https://slate.com/business/2025/02/mask-bans-new-york-los-angeles-crime-protests-criminalize-face-coverings.html?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
#Fascism #AuthoritarianRule #BigBrother #BigBrotherIsWatchingYou #SurveillanceState #SilencingDissent -
The War on #Masks Has Taken on a New Meaning
This time, the masks have nothing to do with #COVID19.
By Henry Grabar
Feb 05, 20254:57 PM"Last month, state legislators in New York introduced a bill that would create a new crime: 'masked harassment.'
"That, the law explains, is when you wear a mask 'for the primary purpose of menacing or threatening violence against another person' or 'placing another person or group of persons in reasonable fear for their physical safety.'
"If that seems like a bit of a niche offense—threatening violence is already a crime, after all—it’s because the language has been watered down to attract political support. It’s a sign of New York Democrats’ cautious new approach over masks in public life, and a retreat from last spring, when anti-Israel protests, on top of a widespread urban crime panic, pushed leaders from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to consider mask bans.
"In its original form, the New York bill would have banned masks at public assemblies entirely. But the outcry from #DisabilityRights advocates, #CriminalJustice reformers, #HealthCareWorkers, and #CivilLiberties groups was swift, and so New York wound up with this bill on 'masked harassment' instead.
"Elsewhere, the pandemic-era leniency on masking in public is over. #NorthCarolina Republicans overrode a gubernatorial veto last summer to once again #BanPublicFaceCoverings, except to stop the spread of contagious diseases. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost dusted off an old law to threaten #StudentProtesters with #felonies. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has asked the state’s Senate to consider a bill to #unmask #protesters this year.
"For Republicans, it’s a chance to kill two birds with one stone. They can strike back against the perceived overreach of pandemic-era #HealthDirectives and make it easier to arrest #demonstrators at the same time.
"In #Ohio and North Carolina, the original statutes were written in the 1950s to stop demonstrations by the #KuKluxKlan, but had been ignored or suspended during the #pandemic and the #GeorgeFloydProtests. Many lawmakers have cited the recent demonstrations in defense of #Gaza as a reason to crack down again. Defending the proposed mask ban in New York, Anti-Defamation League [#ADL] president Jonathan Greenblatt said the demonstrators were using '#KKK tactics' to intimidate Jewish New Yorkers.
"That instinct was bolstered by the sense among many city residents and elected leaders that widespread masking was a factor behind the pandemic-era crime spike. That led to #Philadelphia banning #SkiMasks in parks, on trains, and in public buildings. A more recent, high-profile example came in December with the Midtown Manhattan killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO #BrianThompson by a #MaskedAssassin, which prompted New York Mayor Eric Adams to call for cab drivers and business owners to ask customers to remove their masks. The new New York bill has won over the liberal Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who endorsed the 'tailored' approach. As the police say: #NoFaceNoCase.
"For what it’s worth, there are too many confounding variables and too little data to be sure if mask-wearing is associated with crime, said Ernesto Lopez at the Council for Criminal Justice, which collects crime reporting statistics from various cities. 'From a theoretical statement it makes sense that could occur, but it has not been demonstrated that’s the case,' he told me.
"But if all that weighed in favor of more mask bans, there was also widespread resistance. Disability advocates mobilized to defend the right to mask; North Carolina had to write a medical exemption into their bill at the insistence of a GOP House member. #PoliceReformers observed that #MaskBans have often been used for pretextual #policing and racial profiling against #BlackAmericans. (#AtlantaGeorgia tabled a mask ban for that reason.)
"What looms largest, as the second Trump administration begins, is the role of protest. As Semafor’s Dave Weigel has noted, masks have become a badge of left-wing protest culture. That’s in part an extension of politicized COVID-era concerns about health and civility, but at this point it is mostly a tactic to preserve anonymity in an era of #FacialRecognition, streaming video, and #doxing. Last year, the anonymous #ProIsrael website the #CanaryMission posted photographs of hundreds of students and faculty at campus protests and posted their names and photos online, labeling some as supporters of terrorism.
"'The concern takes on new urgency as Donald Trump pledges to revoke the visas of pro-Palestine protesters, and the Trump-Musk GOP embraces the naming and shaming of otherwise private citizens. A conservative group called the American Accountability Foundation has begun circulating lists of federal workers, many of them Black, who should be
'targets' for their alleged involvement in #DEI initiatives at work."Clearly, the masked protest does not always sit well with an older generation, many of whom cut their teeth in the protests of the pre-internet age. As Georgetown professor Michael Kazin told the New York Times last year: 'I do think if you are going to demonstrate, and it’s something you feel deeply about, you should be willing to stand up and be counted.'"
Source:
https://slate.com/business/2025/02/mask-bans-new-york-los-angeles-crime-protests-criminalize-face-coverings.html?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
#Fascism #AuthoritarianRule #BigBrother #BigBrotherIsWatchingYou #SurveillanceState #SilencingDissent -
A study came out recently that showed a single COVID infection increases your risk of serious cardiovascular events for 3 years post infection.
That’s terrifying - but there’s a bigger discussion being missed.
That finding means a Covid infection makes you a “vulnerable”.
First off - the study didn't show that after three years your risk returns to pre-COVID levels. It's three years because that's all the data we have.
For all we know your risk never goes back to where it was before.
The increased risk factor was after ONE infection. Now I don't know about everyone else - but I don't know many people who are stopping at one infection.
Most have had it at LEAST three times - and because we aren't mitigating it at all - are getting it annually (or more frequently than that).
In time I'm sure we will see studies that make it clear how much risk reinfections pose - but if we know ONE infection raises your risk for three years - it's safe to assume multiple infections aren't doing your heart any favours.
There's also the fact that the increased risk applies even for those who had "mild" acute infections - once again proving that there really is no such thing as "mild COVID."
You may be asymptomatic. You may recover quickly. It’s still damaging your body in a myriad of ways.
"Only the vulnerable" need to worry.
Wrong again. The study showed that increased cardiovascular risk impacted everyone who had Covid - not JUST the vulnerable.
There's also decent odds you're now IN the vulnerable category because you had Covid.
Don't understand what I mean? Think it's fear mongering?
What makes someone vulnerable? Preexisting conditions, old age, compromised immune systems.
When a study finds an increased risk of severe cardiac issues - that means you have a comorbid condition!That "increased risk" is because you now have cardiovascular issues. High blood pressure, narrowed arteries, increased clotting etc.
Congratulations - you're now one of the “vulnerable" for at least the next three years!
We've also seen a number of studies showing that COVID impairs the immune system. We even know it prematurely AGES you.
So you "feel" fine. You think you had a “mild" case. But the reality is you're immune compromised AND have cardiovascular disease.
You may actually be more "vulnerable" than disabled people like me who you look down.
Why? Because I know l'm vulnerable so I do everything I can to avoid COVID infections.
I'm not repeatedly stressing my body with constant reinfections. 1/2 🧵#CovidIsAirborne #CovidCautious #CovidIsNotOver #CleanAir #WearaMask #Disability #LongCovid #Ableism #Denial #CleanAir #Pandemic #PublicHealth #InfectionControl #Eugenics #SafeHealthcare #N95 #Respirators #MasksWork #MaskUp #Spoonie #Discrimination #Dysautonomia #mecfs #pots #mcas #communitycare #wearamask #chronicillness #keepmasksinhealthcare #MaskBans #NoMaskBans #silentkiller
-
A study came out recently that showed a single COVID infection increases your risk of serious cardiovascular events for 3 years post infection.
That’s terrifying - but there’s a bigger discussion being missed.
That finding means a Covid infection makes you a “vulnerable”.
First off - the study didn't show that after three years your risk returns to pre-COVID levels. It's three years because that's all the data we have.
For all we know your risk never goes back to where it was before.
The increased risk factor was after ONE infection. Now I don't know about everyone else - but I don't know many people who are stopping at one infection.
Most have had it at LEAST three times - and because we aren't mitigating it at all - are getting it annually (or more frequently than that).
In time I'm sure we will see studies that make it clear how much risk reinfections pose - but if we know ONE infection raises your risk for three years - it's safe to assume multiple infections aren't doing your heart any favours.
There's also the fact that the increased risk applies even for those who had "mild" acute infections - once again proving that there really is no such thing as "mild COVID."
You may be asymptomatic. You may recover quickly. It’s still damaging your body in a myriad of ways.
"Only the vulnerable" need to worry.
Wrong again. The study showed that increased cardiovascular risk impacted everyone who had Covid - not JUST the vulnerable.
There's also decent odds you're now IN the vulnerable category because you had Covid.
Don't understand what I mean? Think it's fear mongering?
What makes someone vulnerable? Preexisting conditions, old age, compromised immune systems.
When a study finds an increased risk of severe cardiac issues - that means you have a comorbid condition!That "increased risk" is because you now have cardiovascular issues. High blood pressure, narrowed arteries, increased clotting etc.
Congratulations - you're now one of the “vulnerable" for at least the next three years!
We've also seen a number of studies showing that COVID impairs the immune system. We even know it prematurely AGES you.
So you "feel" fine. You think you had a “mild" case. But the reality is you're immune compromised AND have cardiovascular disease.
You may actually be more "vulnerable" than disabled people like me who you look down.
Why? Because I know l'm vulnerable so I do everything I can to avoid COVID infections.
I'm not repeatedly stressing my body with constant reinfections. 1/2 🧵#CovidIsAirborne #CovidCautious #CovidIsNotOver #CleanAir #WearaMask #Disability #LongCovid #Ableism #Denial #CleanAir #Pandemic #PublicHealth #InfectionControl #Eugenics #SafeHealthcare #N95 #Respirators #MasksWork #MaskUp #Spoonie #Discrimination #Dysautonomia #mecfs #pots #mcas #communitycare #wearamask #chronicillness #keepmasksinhealthcare #MaskBans #NoMaskBans #silentkiller
-
A study came out recently that showed a single COVID infection increases your risk of serious cardiovascular events for 3 years post infection.
That’s terrifying - but there’s a bigger discussion being missed.
That finding means a Covid infection makes you a “vulnerable”.
First off - the study didn't show that after three years your risk returns to pre-COVID levels. It's three years because that's all the data we have.
For all we know your risk never goes back to where it was before.
The increased risk factor was after ONE infection. Now I don't know about everyone else - but I don't know many people who are stopping at one infection.
Most have had it at LEAST three times - and because we aren't mitigating it at all - are getting it annually (or more frequently than that).
In time I'm sure we will see studies that make it clear how much risk reinfections pose - but if we know ONE infection raises your risk for three years - it's safe to assume multiple infections aren't doing your heart any favours.
There's also the fact that the increased risk applies even for those who had "mild" acute infections - once again proving that there really is no such thing as "mild COVID."
You may be asymptomatic. You may recover quickly. It’s still damaging your body in a myriad of ways.
"Only the vulnerable" need to worry.
Wrong again. The study showed that increased cardiovascular risk impacted everyone who had Covid - not JUST the vulnerable.
There's also decent odds you're now IN the vulnerable category because you had Covid.
Don't understand what I mean? Think it's fear mongering?
What makes someone vulnerable? Preexisting conditions, old age, compromised immune systems.
When a study finds an increased risk of severe cardiac issues - that means you have a comorbid condition!That "increased risk" is because you now have cardiovascular issues. High blood pressure, narrowed arteries, increased clotting etc.
Congratulations - you're now one of the “vulnerable" for at least the next three years!
We've also seen a number of studies showing that COVID impairs the immune system. We even know it prematurely AGES you.
So you "feel" fine. You think you had a “mild" case. But the reality is you're immune compromised AND have cardiovascular disease.
You may actually be more "vulnerable" than disabled people like me who you look down.
Why? Because I know l'm vulnerable so I do everything I can to avoid COVID infections.
I'm not repeatedly stressing my body with constant reinfections. 1/2 🧵#CovidIsAirborne #CovidCautious #CovidIsNotOver #CleanAir #WearaMask #Disability #LongCovid #Ableism #Denial #CleanAir #Pandemic #PublicHealth #InfectionControl #Eugenics #SafeHealthcare #N95 #Respirators #MasksWork #MaskUp #Spoonie #Discrimination #Dysautonomia #mecfs #pots #mcas #communitycare #wearamask #chronicillness #keepmasksinhealthcare #MaskBans #NoMaskBans #silentkiller
-
A study came out recently that showed a single COVID infection increases your risk of serious cardiovascular events for 3 years post infection.
That’s terrifying - but there’s a bigger discussion being missed.
That finding means a Covid infection makes you a “vulnerable”.
First off - the study didn't show that after three years your risk returns to pre-COVID levels. It's three years because that's all the data we have.
For all we know your risk never goes back to where it was before.
The increased risk factor was after ONE infection. Now I don't know about everyone else - but I don't know many people who are stopping at one infection.
Most have had it at LEAST three times - and because we aren't mitigating it at all - are getting it annually (or more frequently than that).
In time I'm sure we will see studies that make it clear how much risk reinfections pose - but if we know ONE infection raises your risk for three years - it's safe to assume multiple infections aren't doing your heart any favours.
There's also the fact that the increased risk applies even for those who had "mild" acute infections - once again proving that there really is no such thing as "mild COVID."
You may be asymptomatic. You may recover quickly. It’s still damaging your body in a myriad of ways.
"Only the vulnerable" need to worry.
Wrong again. The study showed that increased cardiovascular risk impacted everyone who had Covid - not JUST the vulnerable.
There's also decent odds you're now IN the vulnerable category because you had Covid.
Don't understand what I mean? Think it's fear mongering?
What makes someone vulnerable? Preexisting conditions, old age, compromised immune systems.
When a study finds an increased risk of severe cardiac issues - that means you have a comorbid condition!That "increased risk" is because you now have cardiovascular issues. High blood pressure, narrowed arteries, increased clotting etc.
Congratulations - you're now one of the “vulnerable" for at least the next three years!
We've also seen a number of studies showing that COVID impairs the immune system. We even know it prematurely AGES you.
So you "feel" fine. You think you had a “mild" case. But the reality is you're immune compromised AND have cardiovascular disease.
You may actually be more "vulnerable" than disabled people like me who you look down.
Why? Because I know l'm vulnerable so I do everything I can to avoid COVID infections.
I'm not repeatedly stressing my body with constant reinfections. 1/2 🧵#CovidIsAirborne #CovidCautious #CovidIsNotOver #CleanAir #WearaMask #Disability #LongCovid #Ableism #Denial #CleanAir #Pandemic #PublicHealth #InfectionControl #Eugenics #SafeHealthcare #N95 #Respirators #MasksWork #MaskUp #Spoonie #Discrimination #Dysautonomia #mecfs #pots #mcas #communitycare #wearamask #chronicillness #keepmasksinhealthcare #MaskBans #NoMaskBans #silentkiller
-
A study came out recently that showed a single COVID infection increases your risk of serious cardiovascular events for 3 years post infection.
That’s terrifying - but there’s a bigger discussion being missed.
That finding means a Covid infection makes you a “vulnerable”.
First off - the study didn't show that after three years your risk returns to pre-COVID levels. It's three years because that's all the data we have.
For all we know your risk never goes back to where it was before.
The increased risk factor was after ONE infection. Now I don't know about everyone else - but I don't know many people who are stopping at one infection.
Most have had it at LEAST three times - and because we aren't mitigating it at all - are getting it annually (or more frequently than that).
In time I'm sure we will see studies that make it clear how much risk reinfections pose - but if we know ONE infection raises your risk for three years - it's safe to assume multiple infections aren't doing your heart any favours.
There's also the fact that the increased risk applies even for those who had "mild" acute infections - once again proving that there really is no such thing as "mild COVID."
You may be asymptomatic. You may recover quickly. It’s still damaging your body in a myriad of ways.
"Only the vulnerable" need to worry.
Wrong again. The study showed that increased cardiovascular risk impacted everyone who had Covid - not JUST the vulnerable.
There's also decent odds you're now IN the vulnerable category because you had Covid.
Don't understand what I mean? Think it's fear mongering?
What makes someone vulnerable? Preexisting conditions, old age, compromised immune systems.
When a study finds an increased risk of severe cardiac issues - that means you have a comorbid condition!That "increased risk" is because you now have cardiovascular issues. High blood pressure, narrowed arteries, increased clotting etc.
Congratulations - you're now one of the “vulnerable" for at least the next three years!
We've also seen a number of studies showing that COVID impairs the immune system. We even know it prematurely AGES you.
So you "feel" fine. You think you had a “mild" case. But the reality is you're immune compromised AND have cardiovascular disease.
You may actually be more "vulnerable" than disabled people like me who you look down.
Why? Because I know l'm vulnerable so I do everything I can to avoid COVID infections.
I'm not repeatedly stressing my body with constant reinfections. 1/2 🧵#CovidIsAirborne #CovidCautious #CovidIsNotOver #CleanAir #WearaMask #Disability #LongCovid #Ableism #Denial #CleanAir #Pandemic #PublicHealth #InfectionControl #Eugenics #SafeHealthcare #N95 #Respirators #MasksWork #MaskUp #Spoonie #Discrimination #Dysautonomia #mecfs #pots #mcas #communitycare #wearamask #chronicillness #keepmasksinhealthcare #MaskBans #NoMaskBans #silentkiller
-
People make insensitive comments about disability ALL the time. Implying we’re “lucky” that we don’t have to work, that they wish they could “lay around” etc.
They don’t understand the “crip tax”.
It’s expensive being chronically ill. And no one teaches you HOW to cope.
Even if you’re fortunate to have good insurance and/or live somewhere with universal healthcare (like Canada)… the costs add up quick.
Take Canada for example - seeing a doctor is covered - medications, dental and vision aren’t.
If you have complex chronic illness - prescription costs alone can quickly spiral out of control.
Even if you have private coverage - many things aren’t covered. Almost half of what I take wouldn’t be covered by insurance - even with specialist prescription.
Other costs people don’t consider:
💰 Special diet (mine is incredibly restrictive)
💰 Medical and first aid supplies, home healthcare supplies etc
💰 Delivery, homecare, cleaning services, transportation, mobility aids.
If you have MCAS and/or Long Covid or are covid cautious … you can add a whole bunch more expenses to the list:
💰Air purifiers
💰Specialized body & oral care products
💰MCAS safe cleaning products
💰Respirators
💰Rapid testsThe bottom line is being disabled is expensive. Losing your autonomy and independence costs money.
Juggling everything we need to stay alive and maintain a baseline while also trying to ensure we keep a roof over our heads is a full time job.
As if that wasn’t enough - we also have to chase down doctors, follow up on tests, deal with medical gaslighting, covid risk in hospitals, HCWs who won’t mask etc. We do this while suffering the pain of being abandoned by family, friends & society.
It’s not lucky. It’s hard.
There’s other costs people never even consider - like the cost of relying on delivery services that more often than not get it wrong.
In my case - my diet is so restrictive that if a shopper brings the wrong item - it’s going to go to waste.
When you only have about ten safe foods and your delivery screws up five of them - you’re either going to go hungry for a week OR you have to place another order.
But orders have minimum spends and you have to tip a shopper twice. That adds up FAST.
I can’t tell you how much I miss being able to just pop to the store and get my own groceries. Grab a single ingredient without having to meet a minimum spend.
Many non disabled people see grocery shopping as a chore - I see it as a luxury I no longer have.
These are the types of issues you have to deal with when you become disabled that NO ONE teaches you about. 1/2 🧵
#CovidIsAirborne #CovidCautious #CovidIsNotOver #CleanAir #WearaMask #Disability #LongCovid #Ableism #Denial #CleanAir #Pandemic #PublicHealth #InfectionControl #Eugenics #SafeHealthcare #N95 #Respirators #MasksWork #MaskUp #Spoonie #Discrimination #Dysautonomia #mecfs #pots #mcas #communitycare #wearamask #chronicillness #keepmasksinhealthcare #MaskBans #NoMaskBans #bullying #CleanAirClassrooms #criptax
-
People make insensitive comments about disability ALL the time. Implying we’re “lucky” that we don’t have to work, that they wish they could “lay around” etc.
They don’t understand the “crip tax”.
It’s expensive being chronically ill. And no one teaches you HOW to cope.
Even if you’re fortunate to have good insurance and/or live somewhere with universal healthcare (like Canada)… the costs add up quick.
Take Canada for example - seeing a doctor is covered - medications, dental and vision aren’t.
If you have complex chronic illness - prescription costs alone can quickly spiral out of control.
Even if you have private coverage - many things aren’t covered. Almost half of what I take wouldn’t be covered by insurance - even with specialist prescription.
Other costs people don’t consider:
💰 Special diet (mine is incredibly restrictive)
💰 Medical and first aid supplies, home healthcare supplies etc
💰 Delivery, homecare, cleaning services, transportation, mobility aids.
If you have MCAS and/or Long Covid or are covid cautious … you can add a whole bunch more expenses to the list:
💰Air purifiers
💰Specialized body & oral care products
💰MCAS safe cleaning products
💰Respirators
💰Rapid testsThe bottom line is being disabled is expensive. Losing your autonomy and independence costs money.
Juggling everything we need to stay alive and maintain a baseline while also trying to ensure we keep a roof over our heads is a full time job.
As if that wasn’t enough - we also have to chase down doctors, follow up on tests, deal with medical gaslighting, covid risk in hospitals, HCWs who won’t mask etc. We do this while suffering the pain of being abandoned by family, friends & society.
It’s not lucky. It’s hard.
There’s other costs people never even consider - like the cost of relying on delivery services that more often than not get it wrong.
In my case - my diet is so restrictive that if a shopper brings the wrong item - it’s going to go to waste.
When you only have about ten safe foods and your delivery screws up five of them - you’re either going to go hungry for a week OR you have to place another order.
But orders have minimum spends and you have to tip a shopper twice. That adds up FAST.
I can’t tell you how much I miss being able to just pop to the store and get my own groceries. Grab a single ingredient without having to meet a minimum spend.
Many non disabled people see grocery shopping as a chore - I see it as a luxury I no longer have.
These are the types of issues you have to deal with when you become disabled that NO ONE teaches you about. 1/2 🧵
#CovidIsAirborne #CovidCautious #CovidIsNotOver #CleanAir #WearaMask #Disability #LongCovid #Ableism #Denial #CleanAir #Pandemic #PublicHealth #InfectionControl #Eugenics #SafeHealthcare #N95 #Respirators #MasksWork #MaskUp #Spoonie #Discrimination #Dysautonomia #mecfs #pots #mcas #communitycare #wearamask #chronicillness #keepmasksinhealthcare #MaskBans #NoMaskBans #bullying #CleanAirClassrooms #criptax
-
People make insensitive comments about disability ALL the time. Implying we’re “lucky” that we don’t have to work, that they wish they could “lay around” etc.
They don’t understand the “crip tax”.
It’s expensive being chronically ill. And no one teaches you HOW to cope.
Even if you’re fortunate to have good insurance and/or live somewhere with universal healthcare (like Canada)… the costs add up quick.
Take Canada for example - seeing a doctor is covered - medications, dental and vision aren’t.
If you have complex chronic illness - prescription costs alone can quickly spiral out of control.
Even if you have private coverage - many things aren’t covered. Almost half of what I take wouldn’t be covered by insurance - even with specialist prescription.
Other costs people don’t consider:
💰 Special diet (mine is incredibly restrictive)
💰 Medical and first aid supplies, home healthcare supplies etc
💰 Delivery, homecare, cleaning services, transportation, mobility aids.
If you have MCAS and/or Long Covid or are covid cautious … you can add a whole bunch more expenses to the list:
💰Air purifiers
💰Specialized body & oral care products
💰MCAS safe cleaning products
💰Respirators
💰Rapid testsThe bottom line is being disabled is expensive. Losing your autonomy and independence costs money.
Juggling everything we need to stay alive and maintain a baseline while also trying to ensure we keep a roof over our heads is a full time job.
As if that wasn’t enough - we also have to chase down doctors, follow up on tests, deal with medical gaslighting, covid risk in hospitals, HCWs who won’t mask etc. We do this while suffering the pain of being abandoned by family, friends & society.
It’s not lucky. It’s hard.
There’s other costs people never even consider - like the cost of relying on delivery services that more often than not get it wrong.
In my case - my diet is so restrictive that if a shopper brings the wrong item - it’s going to go to waste.
When you only have about ten safe foods and your delivery screws up five of them - you’re either going to go hungry for a week OR you have to place another order.
But orders have minimum spends and you have to tip a shopper twice. That adds up FAST.
I can’t tell you how much I miss being able to just pop to the store and get my own groceries. Grab a single ingredient without having to meet a minimum spend.
Many non disabled people see grocery shopping as a chore - I see it as a luxury I no longer have.
These are the types of issues you have to deal with when you become disabled that NO ONE teaches you about. 1/2 🧵
#CovidIsAirborne #CovidCautious #CovidIsNotOver #CleanAir #WearaMask #Disability #LongCovid #Ableism #Denial #CleanAir #Pandemic #PublicHealth #InfectionControl #Eugenics #SafeHealthcare #N95 #Respirators #MasksWork #MaskUp #Spoonie #Discrimination #Dysautonomia #mecfs #pots #mcas #communitycare #wearamask #chronicillness #keepmasksinhealthcare #MaskBans #NoMaskBans #bullying #CleanAirClassrooms #criptax
-
People make insensitive comments about disability ALL the time. Implying we’re “lucky” that we don’t have to work, that they wish they could “lay around” etc.
They don’t understand the “crip tax”.
It’s expensive being chronically ill. And no one teaches you HOW to cope.
Even if you’re fortunate to have good insurance and/or live somewhere with universal healthcare (like Canada)… the costs add up quick.
Take Canada for example - seeing a doctor is covered - medications, dental and vision aren’t.
If you have complex chronic illness - prescription costs alone can quickly spiral out of control.
Even if you have private coverage - many things aren’t covered. Almost half of what I take wouldn’t be covered by insurance - even with specialist prescription.
Other costs people don’t consider:
💰 Special diet (mine is incredibly restrictive)
💰 Medical and first aid supplies, home healthcare supplies etc
💰 Delivery, homecare, cleaning services, transportation, mobility aids.
If you have MCAS and/or Long Covid or are covid cautious … you can add a whole bunch more expenses to the list:
💰Air purifiers
💰Specialized body & oral care products
💰MCAS safe cleaning products
💰Respirators
💰Rapid testsThe bottom line is being disabled is expensive. Losing your autonomy and independence costs money.
Juggling everything we need to stay alive and maintain a baseline while also trying to ensure we keep a roof over our heads is a full time job.
As if that wasn’t enough - we also have to chase down doctors, follow up on tests, deal with medical gaslighting, covid risk in hospitals, HCWs who won’t mask etc. We do this while suffering the pain of being abandoned by family, friends & society.
It’s not lucky. It’s hard.
There’s other costs people never even consider - like the cost of relying on delivery services that more often than not get it wrong.
In my case - my diet is so restrictive that if a shopper brings the wrong item - it’s going to go to waste.
When you only have about ten safe foods and your delivery screws up five of them - you’re either going to go hungry for a week OR you have to place another order.
But orders have minimum spends and you have to tip a shopper twice. That adds up FAST.
I can’t tell you how much I miss being able to just pop to the store and get my own groceries. Grab a single ingredient without having to meet a minimum spend.
Many non disabled people see grocery shopping as a chore - I see it as a luxury I no longer have.
These are the types of issues you have to deal with when you become disabled that NO ONE teaches you about. 1/2 🧵
#CovidIsAirborne #CovidCautious #CovidIsNotOver #CleanAir #WearaMask #Disability #LongCovid #Ableism #Denial #CleanAir #Pandemic #PublicHealth #InfectionControl #Eugenics #SafeHealthcare #N95 #Respirators #MasksWork #MaskUp #Spoonie #Discrimination #Dysautonomia #mecfs #pots #mcas #communitycare #wearamask #chronicillness #keepmasksinhealthcare #MaskBans #NoMaskBans #bullying #CleanAirClassrooms #criptax
-
People make insensitive comments about disability ALL the time. Implying we’re “lucky” that we don’t have to work, that they wish they could “lay around” etc.
They don’t understand the “crip tax”.
It’s expensive being chronically ill. And no one teaches you HOW to cope.
Even if you’re fortunate to have good insurance and/or live somewhere with universal healthcare (like Canada)… the costs add up quick.
Take Canada for example - seeing a doctor is covered - medications, dental and vision aren’t.
If you have complex chronic illness - prescription costs alone can quickly spiral out of control.
Even if you have private coverage - many things aren’t covered. Almost half of what I take wouldn’t be covered by insurance - even with specialist prescription.
Other costs people don’t consider:
💰 Special diet (mine is incredibly restrictive)
💰 Medical and first aid supplies, home healthcare supplies etc
💰 Delivery, homecare, cleaning services, transportation, mobility aids.
If you have MCAS and/or Long Covid or are covid cautious … you can add a whole bunch more expenses to the list:
💰Air purifiers
💰Specialized body & oral care products
💰MCAS safe cleaning products
💰Respirators
💰Rapid testsThe bottom line is being disabled is expensive. Losing your autonomy and independence costs money.
Juggling everything we need to stay alive and maintain a baseline while also trying to ensure we keep a roof over our heads is a full time job.
As if that wasn’t enough - we also have to chase down doctors, follow up on tests, deal with medical gaslighting, covid risk in hospitals, HCWs who won’t mask etc. We do this while suffering the pain of being abandoned by family, friends & society.
It’s not lucky. It’s hard.
There’s other costs people never even consider - like the cost of relying on delivery services that more often than not get it wrong.
In my case - my diet is so restrictive that if a shopper brings the wrong item - it’s going to go to waste.
When you only have about ten safe foods and your delivery screws up five of them - you’re either going to go hungry for a week OR you have to place another order.
But orders have minimum spends and you have to tip a shopper twice. That adds up FAST.
I can’t tell you how much I miss being able to just pop to the store and get my own groceries. Grab a single ingredient without having to meet a minimum spend.
Many non disabled people see grocery shopping as a chore - I see it as a luxury I no longer have.
These are the types of issues you have to deal with when you become disabled that NO ONE teaches you about. 1/2 🧵
#CovidIsAirborne #CovidCautious #CovidIsNotOver #CleanAir #WearaMask #Disability #LongCovid #Ableism #Denial #CleanAir #Pandemic #PublicHealth #InfectionControl #Eugenics #SafeHealthcare #N95 #Respirators #MasksWork #MaskUp #Spoonie #Discrimination #Dysautonomia #mecfs #pots #mcas #communitycare #wearamask #chronicillness #keepmasksinhealthcare #MaskBans #NoMaskBans #bullying #CleanAirClassrooms #criptax
