Gay travel: How LGBT travelers n stay safe as COVID travel picks up

Contents:

• WHAT PROVCETOWN’S GAY COMMUNY CAN TEACH US ABOUT CONTAG COVID
• HOW A GAY COMMUNY HELPED THE CDC SPOT A COVID OUTBREAK — AND LEARN MORE ABOUT DELTA
• TRAVEL SAFETY REPORT: 20 WORST PLAC FOR GAY TRAVELERS IN 2021
• CDC RELEAS REPORT CONFIRMG LBIAN, GAY AND BISEXUAL PEOPLE AT GREATER RISK OF COVID-19 ILLNS, CALLS FOR MORE DATA COLLECTN
• HOW A RORT TOWN FACG A COVID SPIKE IS DUCKG DISASTERHOLIDAY SCAREVACCATED PEOPLE WHO VISED CAPE COD ARE SPEAKG OUT ABOUT GETTG SICK WH COVID-19. WHAT GIV?PILAR MELENZSENR NATNAL REPORTERUPDATED JUL. 13, 2021 9:16PM EDT / PUBLISHED JUL. 13, 2021 8:52PM EDT MADDIE MEYER/GETTYABOUT TEN DAYS AFTER BILLY WENT WH HIS PARTNER AND A IEND TO PROVCETOWN, MASSACHETTS, A CAPE COD TOURIST HUB POPULAR WH THE LGBTQ+ MUNY AFFECTNATELY KNOWN AS “PTOWN,” TO CELEBRATE THE FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND, HE STARTED TO FEEL SICK.DPE GETTG HIS SEND JAB OF THE MORNA VACCE APRIL, THE 26-YEAR-OLD GROCERY STORE WORKER OM BOSTON—WHO ASKED HIS LAST NAME BE WHHELD FOR PROFSNAL REASONS—SAID HIS SYMPTOMS MIRRORED ALL THE DITORS OF THE NOVEL RONAVIS THAT HAS PLAGUED THE UNED STAT FOR OVER A YEAR. HE HAD A HEADACHE, FATIGUE, NSEA, NGTN, DIARRHEA, AND A SLIGHT UGH.TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, BILLY TOLD THE DAILY BEAST, HIS PARTNER WAS ALSO EXPERIENCG SYMPTOMS—ALONG WH OTHER PTOWN VISORS AND RINTS, SOME OF WHOM WERE GOG ONLE TO REPORT A POSIVE DIAGNOSIS AFTER THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND.“I LEFT WORK AND GOT TTED,” BILLY TOLD THE DAILY BEAST, NOTG THAT ONLY HE—AND NOT HIS PARTNER—TTED POSIVE FOR COVID-19. IT WAS JT ONE OF “SEVERAL” S THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS AMONG VISORS WHO SPENT TIME THE MASSACHETTS TOWN, ACRDG TO OUTER CAPE HEALTH SERVIC, A LOL GROUP OF MUNY HEALTH CENTERS. “GOG TO PTOWN [AND] BEG AROUND SO MANY YOUNG PEOPLE OM ALL ACROSS THE NEW ENGLAND REGN AND NYC, I KNEW WAS A RISK,” HE SAID TUDAY, ADDG THAT HE WAS STARTG TO FEEL BETTER ALREADY. “HOWEVER, ALL THE SYMPTOMS I’VE HAD, IF WE WERE A PRE-COVID WORLD, I WOULD’VE PROBABLY GONE TO WORK. THEY HAVEN’T BEEN BILATG AT ALL.”IN OTHER WORDS, THE VACCE IS WORKG. IN FACT, LOL OFFICIALS, HEALTH EXPERTS, AND PEOPLE WHO PASSED THROUGH PROVCETOWN DURG WHAT APPEARS TO BE A MOST SPIKE THERE ALMOST UNIVERSALLY SAY THE NEW S ARE NO E FOR GRAVE ALARM, AT LEAST NOT YET.THE REASON IS SIMPLE: PROVCETOWN CURRENTLY HAS ONE OF THE HIGHT VACCATN RAT THE STATE, AND THE SHOTS ARE HELPG PREVENT SUMMER VATNS OM TURNG TO A DISASTER.ACRDG TO THE BARNSTABLE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, AT LEAST 30 PEOPLE HAVE TTED POSIVE THE LAST WEEK—AND A MAJORY OF THOSE S ARE OM “FULLY VACCATED” DIVIDUALS. THAT REPRENTS AN UPTICK FOR THE UNTY THAT NSISTS OF ALL OF CAPE COD AND THE ASSOCIATED ISLAND, WHICH SAW ABOUT 20 S TWO WEEKS PRR.IT IS NOT CLEAR HOW MANY OF THE POSIVE DIVIDUALS BARNSTABLE ARE BREAKTHROUGH S—MEANG THEY ARE EXHIBG SYMPTOMS SPE GETTG SHOTS. BUT PROVCETOWN HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND OUTER CAPE HEALTH SERVIC BOTH TOLD THE DAILY BEAST THEY WERE MONORG THE SUATN.THE NUMBERS ALSO DO NOT ACUNT FOR PEOPLE WHO VISED THE UNTY AND LATER TTED POSIVE THEIR HOMETOWNS—AND, OF URSE, LIKELY FAIL TO PTURE SOME VACCATED PEOPLE WHO BEME FECTED AND NEVER HAD SYMPTOMS. SOME OF THOSE PEOPLE, EVEN VACCATED ON, ULD THEORETILLY HAVE GONE ON TO FECT OTHERS—CLUDG YOUNG KIDS WHO NNOT GET VACCATED—THOUGH THE EVINCE SUGGTS THAT IS UNLIKELY. A SPOKPERSON FOR OUTER CAPE HEALTH SERVIC, MEANWHILE, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST THAT NO HOSPALIZATNS HAVE BEEN RERD ASSOCIATED WH THE POTENTIAL BREAKTHROUGH S.“BOTTOM LE: WE ARE NOT SEEG ANYTHG WE DIDN’T REALLY EXPECT,” PROVCETOWN TOWN MANAGER ALEX MORSE TOLD THE DAILY BEAST, NFIRMG THAT THE TOWN WAS MONORG POSIVE COVID S AMONG PEOPLE “ PTOWN OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS.”“IF ANYTHG, NFIRMS THE VACCE IS WORKG, WE ALWAYS KNEW WAS NOT 100 PERCENT EFFECTIVE. AND OM WHAT WE ARE SEEG, EVERYONE WHO HAS TTED POSIVE HAS A D SE,” HE ADD.THE SLIGHT SPIKE S BARNSTABLE COUNTY, HOWEVER, IS A MICROSM OF AN ONGOG NATNAL PROBLEM—ONE THAT ALMOST ENTIRELY FALLS ON UNVACCATED PEOPLE.ACRDG TO JOHNS HOPKS UNIVERSY, 34 STAT—CLUDG MASSACHETTS—HAVE SEEN A 50 PERCENT SPIKE OF NEW S THE LAST WEEK AS THE HIGHLY TRANSMISSIBLE DELTA VARIANT SWEEPS THE NATN. THE VAST MAJORY OF THOSE S, HOSPALIZATNS, AND ATHS STEM OM UNVACCATED RINTS.DR. AMH ADALJA, A SENR SCHOLAR AT THE JOHNS HOPKS CENTER FOR HEALTH SECURY AND A SPECIALIST FECT DISEAS, EXPLAED THAT WHILE BREAKTHROUGH S ARE GOG TO OCCUR, ALL S WOULD BE CREASED IF EVERYONE JT GOT THE VACCE ALREADY.PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANT, MI OUTBREAKS LIKE THIS ONE DO NOTHG TO NT THE CLEAR REALY THAT THE VACC ARE SAFE AND EFFECTIVE.“THE PEOPLE SOMEHOW BELIEVE THAT COVID IS GOG TO MAGILLY DISAPPEAR,” HE TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “WE ARE GOG TO BE HAVG COVID S TEN YEARS OM NOW. AND BREAKTHROUGH S WILL OCCUR NO MATTER WHAT.”IN PROVCETOWN, ALMOST ALL PART-TIME AND PERMANENT RINTS ARE FULLY OCULATED WH ONE OF THREE COVID-19 VACC. FURTHER, MANY BARS AND CLUBS THE CAPE COD TOWN REQUIRE VACCATN RDS FOR ENTRY—AND THREE PAST VISORS TOLD THE DAILY BEAST THAT SOME TABLISHMENTS STILL HAVE A MASK POLICY.FOR JEREMY COX, A 39-YEAR-OLD PROGRAM MANAGER, THE ONGOG THREAT OF THE RONAVIS AND THE DELTA VARIANT HAS NOT YET MA HIM PSE ON HIS EQUENT TRIPS TO PROVCETOWN. HE TOLD THE DAILY BEAST THAT SCE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, HE HAS GONE MULTIPLE TIM—AND HAS NEVER HAD A MOMENT OF UNEASS BEE “PEOPLE ARE REQUIRED TO BE VACCATED TO GET TO PLAC” AND MASK-E IS STILL ENURAGED.“I THK THE PANIC OM PEOPLE EXPECTG THE VACCE TO BE MAGIC AND ALSO THKG WOULDN’T BE THEM TERMS OF BEG A BREAKTHROUGH SE,” HE SAID, ADDG THAT HE KNEW WHILE AT THE TOURIST SPOT THAT “IF I WENT ANYWHERE WHOUT A MASK, THEN I AM RPONSIBLE FOR MY ACTNS.”COX, HOWEVER, DID ADM THAT HE WAS SURPRISED WHEN HE LEARNED THAT THREE OF HIS IENDS WHO WERE WH HIM DURG THE JULY 4TH WEEKEND HAD TTED POSIVE FOR COVID-19 SPE BEG FULLY VACCATED. HE SAID HE WAS EVEN MORE SHOCKED WHEN HE SAW ON SOCIAL MEDIA THAT A SLEW OF PEOPLE WHO WENT TO PROVCETOWN—AND ULD HAVE BEEN AROUND HIM AT HOLIDAY EVENTS—WERE SPEAKG OUT ABOUT HOW THEY HAD TTED POSIVE, WH SYMPTOMS, SPE THEIR VACCATN STAT.“I WAS A B SURPRISED, BUT ONLY BEE LIKELY MEANS THAT SOMEONE SHARG HO WEREN’T VACCATED AND THEN HUNG OUT WH OTHERS WHO HUNG OUT WH OTHERS,” HE SAID, NOTG THAT WHILE HE SHARED A HOE WH THREE OTHER PEOPLE, HE SAID HE WAS “ALWAYS WH OTHER PEOPLE, WHETHER WAS AT THEIR HO, DNER OR DANCG.”LOL HEALTH OFFICIALS UTNED THAT THEY HAVE NOT YET TERMED THE ORIGS OR E OF THE PROVCETOWN UPTICK.“I THK EVERYONE JT NEEDS TO ACCEPT THE SCIENCE AND LOOK AT THE SYMPTOMS THE NEWLY FECTED ARE HAVG,” COX TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “MY IENDS WHO HAVE ARE SAYG ’S JT A HEAD LD—IF THAT. THOSE WHO ARE SAYG THEY’RE HAVG STRONGER SYMPTOMS ARE THE OUTLIERS HERE TERMS OF THE BODY’S REACTN TO BEG FECTED WHILE VACCATED.”ADALJA ALSO STRSED THAT THE VACCE “SENTIALLY FANGS THE RONAVIS,” AND WARNED AGAST SOCIAL-MEDIA HYSTERIA ABOUT SPIK RORT TOWNS.WORRIED THAT OVERTTG ULD HAVE A CHILLG EFFECT ON THOSE WHO MAY HAVE BEEN ON THE FENCE ABOUT GETTG THE VACCE, THE DOCTOR STRSED THAT IS IMPORTANT FOR ONLY PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT VACCATED OR PEOPLE WHO HAVE SYMPTOMS TO GET TTED FOR THE RONAVIS.“FULLY VACCATED PEOPLE WH NO SYMPTOMS SHOULD NOT BE TTED. PERD,” HE ADD.STILL, DR. GRAHAM WALKER, AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN SAN FRANCIS WHO HAS TREATED COVID-19 PATIENTS, BELIEV THAT THE UPTICK S SHOULD ENURAGE PEOPLE TO E “SLIGHTLY MORE UTN… AS WE FD SOME NEW NORMAL AFTER VACCATNS.”“SOME PEOPLE THK THEY MAY BE MORE PROTECTED THAN THEY ARE,” WALKER SAID. “NOBODY THE PTOWN GROUP HAS BEEN HOSPALIZED, BUT WE DON’T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL HAVE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OM THE VIS.”WHILE WALKER STRS THAT THOSE WHO WENT TO PROVCETOWN VACCATED “DID NOTHG WRONG” AND SHOULD NOT BE “BLAMED FOR FOLLOWG THE CDC GUIL AND GOG OUT TO CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAY,” THE CLTER SHOULD BE A WAKE-UP LL.“THIS WAS NOT A SUPERSPREAR EVENT, THIS IS JT A NUMBERS GAME,” HE SAID. “EVEN IF THERE WASN’T A DELTA VARIANT, WE WOULD STILL GET BREAKOUT S. THE VACCE ISN’T 100 PERCENT EFFECTIVE. DO THE MATH. SOMEONE HAD TO GET .” PILAR MELENZ
• 6 OF THE TOP GAY-IENDLY RORTS AROUND THE WORLD
• GAY TRAVEL TOURS & TRIPS
• AFFORDABLE GAY VATN TOWNS

WHAT PROVCETOWN’S GAY COMMUNY CAN TEACH US ABOUT CONTAG COVID

What Provcetown’s Gay Communy Can Teach Us About Contag Covid. In that sense, the succs story of this outbreak is how well was documented and reported by the muny of people, large part gay men, who’d been Provcetown at the time.

Disclosg tails about your health, rg for one another your muny, and advotg for your own healthre has been tegral to gay culture sce the HIV/AIDS panmic began the 1980s.

He thks there’s somethg special about the town’s legacy gay culture, too. Daskalakis isn’t surprised at all this group of gay men stepped up.

HOW A GAY COMMUNY HELPED THE CDC SPOT A COVID OUTBREAK — AND LEARN MORE ABOUT DELTA

“Gay and other men who have sex wh men’s relatnship wh public health has been tempered by fire to a new kd of tst, ” he says. The speed of the vtigatn — and the exceptnal participatn om the mostly gay men volved the outbreak — helped the CDC learn new rmatn about the lta variant.

TRAVEL SAFETY REPORT: 20 WORST PLAC FOR GAY TRAVELERS IN 2021

As they do every year, thoands of gay men arrived for the holiday this ltle artist muny on the tip of Cape Cod to rent ttag, go to the beach and drag shows and rtrants, and crowd to nightclubs to dance.

CDC RELEAS REPORT CONFIRMG LBIAN, GAY AND BISEXUAL PEOPLE AT GREATER RISK OF COVID-19 ILLNS, CALLS FOR MORE DATA COLLECTN

He started thkg to himself, he says, that given that vaccatn rat were really high among the gay muny and Provcetown, "the odds don't really add up. "The norms of the gay muny say: Share your medil history, share your risks wh other people so that they n be rponsible and take re of themselv as well, " he says. On lls wh public health officials, Donnelly says he and LeVassr tried to expla, not jt their spreadsheet and analysis, but the ntext of what Provcetown is like durg the annual gay pilgrimage weeks.

"Even for — even for gay men who have been the gay nightlife scene for years and years, 's not the easit thg the world to go to a meetg wh 10 CDC epimlogy experts and expla the trici of Circu Week vers Bear Week and jt how many hundreds of people they n squeeze to those spac wh terrible mic, " Donnelly lghs. Gay men's relatnship to public health has been "tempered by fire bee of HIV, " the CDC's Daskalakis says. Las Vegas, Nevada2/11The Entertament Capal of the World ntu to be a h wh gay, lbian and LGBTQ travelers, boastg a plethora of clive bars and hangouts as well as hostg stellar shows prr to the panmic.

HOW A RORT TOWN FACG A COVID SPIKE IS DUCKG DISASTERHOLIDAY SCAREVACCATED PEOPLE WHO VISED CAPE COD ARE SPEAKG OUT ABOUT GETTG SICK WH COVID-19. WHAT GIV?PILAR MELENZSENR NATNAL REPORTERUPDATED JUL. 13, 2021 9:16PM EDT / PUBLISHED JUL. 13, 2021 8:52PM EDT MADDIE MEYER/GETTYABOUT TEN DAYS AFTER BILLY WENT WH HIS PARTNER AND A IEND TO PROVCETOWN, MASSACHETTS, A CAPE COD TOURIST HUB POPULAR WH THE LGBTQ+ MUNY AFFECTNATELY KNOWN AS “PTOWN,” TO CELEBRATE THE FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND, HE STARTED TO FEEL SICK.DPE GETTG HIS SEND JAB OF THE MORNA VACCE APRIL, THE 26-YEAR-OLD GROCERY STORE WORKER OM BOSTON—WHO ASKED HIS LAST NAME BE WHHELD FOR PROFSNAL REASONS—SAID HIS SYMPTOMS MIRRORED ALL THE DITORS OF THE NOVEL RONAVIS THAT HAS PLAGUED THE UNED STAT FOR OVER A YEAR. HE HAD A HEADACHE, FATIGUE, NSEA, NGTN, DIARRHEA, AND A SLIGHT UGH.TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, BILLY TOLD THE DAILY BEAST, HIS PARTNER WAS ALSO EXPERIENCG SYMPTOMS—ALONG WH OTHER PTOWN VISORS AND RINTS, SOME OF WHOM WERE GOG ONLE TO REPORT A POSIVE DIAGNOSIS AFTER THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND.“I LEFT WORK AND GOT TTED,” BILLY TOLD THE DAILY BEAST, NOTG THAT ONLY HE—AND NOT HIS PARTNER—TTED POSIVE FOR COVID-19. IT WAS JT ONE OF “SEVERAL” S THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS AMONG VISORS WHO SPENT TIME THE MASSACHETTS TOWN, ACRDG TO OUTER CAPE HEALTH SERVIC, A LOL GROUP OF MUNY HEALTH CENTERS. “GOG TO PTOWN [AND] BEG AROUND SO MANY YOUNG PEOPLE OM ALL ACROSS THE NEW ENGLAND REGN AND NYC, I KNEW WAS A RISK,” HE SAID TUDAY, ADDG THAT HE WAS STARTG TO FEEL BETTER ALREADY. “HOWEVER, ALL THE SYMPTOMS I’VE HAD, IF WE WERE A PRE-COVID WORLD, I WOULD’VE PROBABLY GONE TO WORK. THEY HAVEN’T BEEN BILATG AT ALL.”IN OTHER WORDS, THE VACCE IS WORKG. IN FACT, LOL OFFICIALS, HEALTH EXPERTS, AND PEOPLE WHO PASSED THROUGH PROVCETOWN DURG WHAT APPEARS TO BE A MOST SPIKE THERE ALMOST UNIVERSALLY SAY THE NEW S ARE NO E FOR GRAVE ALARM, AT LEAST NOT YET.THE REASON IS SIMPLE: PROVCETOWN CURRENTLY HAS ONE OF THE HIGHT VACCATN RAT THE STATE, AND THE SHOTS ARE HELPG PREVENT SUMMER VATNS OM TURNG TO A DISASTER.ACRDG TO THE BARNSTABLE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, AT LEAST 30 PEOPLE HAVE TTED POSIVE THE LAST WEEK—AND A MAJORY OF THOSE S ARE OM “FULLY VACCATED” DIVIDUALS. THAT REPRENTS AN UPTICK FOR THE UNTY THAT NSISTS OF ALL OF CAPE COD AND THE ASSOCIATED ISLAND, WHICH SAW ABOUT 20 S TWO WEEKS PRR.IT IS NOT CLEAR HOW MANY OF THE POSIVE DIVIDUALS BARNSTABLE ARE BREAKTHROUGH S—MEANG THEY ARE EXHIBG SYMPTOMS SPE GETTG SHOTS. BUT PROVCETOWN HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND OUTER CAPE HEALTH SERVIC BOTH TOLD THE DAILY BEAST THEY WERE MONORG THE SUATN.THE NUMBERS ALSO DO NOT ACUNT FOR PEOPLE WHO VISED THE UNTY AND LATER TTED POSIVE THEIR HOMETOWNS—AND, OF URSE, LIKELY FAIL TO PTURE SOME VACCATED PEOPLE WHO BEME FECTED AND NEVER HAD SYMPTOMS. SOME OF THOSE PEOPLE, EVEN VACCATED ON, ULD THEORETILLY HAVE GONE ON TO FECT OTHERS—CLUDG YOUNG KIDS WHO NNOT GET VACCATED—THOUGH THE EVINCE SUGGTS THAT IS UNLIKELY. A SPOKPERSON FOR OUTER CAPE HEALTH SERVIC, MEANWHILE, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST THAT NO HOSPALIZATNS HAVE BEEN RERD ASSOCIATED WH THE POTENTIAL BREAKTHROUGH S.“BOTTOM LE: WE ARE NOT SEEG ANYTHG WE DIDN’T REALLY EXPECT,” PROVCETOWN TOWN MANAGER ALEX MORSE TOLD THE DAILY BEAST, NFIRMG THAT THE TOWN WAS MONORG POSIVE COVID S AMONG PEOPLE “ PTOWN OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS.”“IF ANYTHG, NFIRMS THE VACCE IS WORKG, WE ALWAYS KNEW WAS NOT 100 PERCENT EFFECTIVE. AND OM WHAT WE ARE SEEG, EVERYONE WHO HAS TTED POSIVE HAS A D SE,” HE ADD.THE SLIGHT SPIKE S BARNSTABLE COUNTY, HOWEVER, IS A MICROSM OF AN ONGOG NATNAL PROBLEM—ONE THAT ALMOST ENTIRELY FALLS ON UNVACCATED PEOPLE.ACRDG TO JOHNS HOPKS UNIVERSY, 34 STAT—CLUDG MASSACHETTS—HAVE SEEN A 50 PERCENT SPIKE OF NEW S THE LAST WEEK AS THE HIGHLY TRANSMISSIBLE DELTA VARIANT SWEEPS THE NATN. THE VAST MAJORY OF THOSE S, HOSPALIZATNS, AND ATHS STEM OM UNVACCATED RINTS.DR. AMH ADALJA, A SENR SCHOLAR AT THE JOHNS HOPKS CENTER FOR HEALTH SECURY AND A SPECIALIST FECT DISEAS, EXPLAED THAT WHILE BREAKTHROUGH S ARE GOG TO OCCUR, ALL S WOULD BE CREASED IF EVERYONE JT GOT THE VACCE ALREADY.PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANT, MI OUTBREAKS LIKE THIS ONE DO NOTHG TO NT THE CLEAR REALY THAT THE VACC ARE SAFE AND EFFECTIVE.“THE PEOPLE SOMEHOW BELIEVE THAT COVID IS GOG TO MAGILLY DISAPPEAR,” HE TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “WE ARE GOG TO BE HAVG COVID S TEN YEARS OM NOW. AND BREAKTHROUGH S WILL OCCUR NO MATTER WHAT.”IN PROVCETOWN, ALMOST ALL PART-TIME AND PERMANENT RINTS ARE FULLY OCULATED WH ONE OF THREE COVID-19 VACC. FURTHER, MANY BARS AND CLUBS THE CAPE COD TOWN REQUIRE VACCATN RDS FOR ENTRY—AND THREE PAST VISORS TOLD THE DAILY BEAST THAT SOME TABLISHMENTS STILL HAVE A MASK POLICY.FOR JEREMY COX, A 39-YEAR-OLD PROGRAM MANAGER, THE ONGOG THREAT OF THE RONAVIS AND THE DELTA VARIANT HAS NOT YET MA HIM PSE ON HIS EQUENT TRIPS TO PROVCETOWN. HE TOLD THE DAILY BEAST THAT SCE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, HE HAS GONE MULTIPLE TIM—AND HAS NEVER HAD A MOMENT OF UNEASS BEE “PEOPLE ARE REQUIRED TO BE VACCATED TO GET TO PLAC” AND MASK-E IS STILL ENURAGED.“I THK THE PANIC OM PEOPLE EXPECTG THE VACCE TO BE MAGIC AND ALSO THKG WOULDN’T BE THEM TERMS OF BEG A BREAKTHROUGH SE,” HE SAID, ADDG THAT HE KNEW WHILE AT THE TOURIST SPOT THAT “IF I WENT ANYWHERE WHOUT A MASK, THEN I AM RPONSIBLE FOR MY ACTNS.”COX, HOWEVER, DID ADM THAT HE WAS SURPRISED WHEN HE LEARNED THAT THREE OF HIS IENDS WHO WERE WH HIM DURG THE JULY 4TH WEEKEND HAD TTED POSIVE FOR COVID-19 SPE BEG FULLY VACCATED. HE SAID HE WAS EVEN MORE SHOCKED WHEN HE SAW ON SOCIAL MEDIA THAT A SLEW OF PEOPLE WHO WENT TO PROVCETOWN—AND ULD HAVE BEEN AROUND HIM AT HOLIDAY EVENTS—WERE SPEAKG OUT ABOUT HOW THEY HAD TTED POSIVE, WH SYMPTOMS, SPE THEIR VACCATN STAT.“I WAS A B SURPRISED, BUT ONLY BEE LIKELY MEANS THAT SOMEONE SHARG HO WEREN’T VACCATED AND THEN HUNG OUT WH OTHERS WHO HUNG OUT WH OTHERS,” HE SAID, NOTG THAT WHILE HE SHARED A HOE WH THREE OTHER PEOPLE, HE SAID HE WAS “ALWAYS WH OTHER PEOPLE, WHETHER WAS AT THEIR HO, DNER OR DANCG.”LOL HEALTH OFFICIALS UTNED THAT THEY HAVE NOT YET TERMED THE ORIGS OR E OF THE PROVCETOWN UPTICK.“I THK EVERYONE JT NEEDS TO ACCEPT THE SCIENCE AND LOOK AT THE SYMPTOMS THE NEWLY FECTED ARE HAVG,” COX TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “MY IENDS WHO HAVE ARE SAYG ’S JT A HEAD LD—IF THAT. THOSE WHO ARE SAYG THEY’RE HAVG STRONGER SYMPTOMS ARE THE OUTLIERS HERE TERMS OF THE BODY’S REACTN TO BEG FECTED WHILE VACCATED.”ADALJA ALSO STRSED THAT THE VACCE “SENTIALLY FANGS THE RONAVIS,” AND WARNED AGAST SOCIAL-MEDIA HYSTERIA ABOUT SPIK RORT TOWNS.WORRIED THAT OVERTTG ULD HAVE A CHILLG EFFECT ON THOSE WHO MAY HAVE BEEN ON THE FENCE ABOUT GETTG THE VACCE, THE DOCTOR STRSED THAT IS IMPORTANT FOR ONLY PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT VACCATED OR PEOPLE WHO HAVE SYMPTOMS TO GET TTED FOR THE RONAVIS.“FULLY VACCATED PEOPLE WH NO SYMPTOMS SHOULD NOT BE TTED. PERD,” HE ADD.STILL, DR. GRAHAM WALKER, AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN SAN FRANCIS WHO HAS TREATED COVID-19 PATIENTS, BELIEV THAT THE UPTICK S SHOULD ENURAGE PEOPLE TO E “SLIGHTLY MORE UTN… AS WE FD SOME NEW NORMAL AFTER VACCATNS.”“SOME PEOPLE THK THEY MAY BE MORE PROTECTED THAN THEY ARE,” WALKER SAID. “NOBODY THE PTOWN GROUP HAS BEEN HOSPALIZED, BUT WE DON’T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL HAVE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OM THE VIS.”WHILE WALKER STRS THAT THOSE WHO WENT TO PROVCETOWN VACCATED “DID NOTHG WRONG” AND SHOULD NOT BE “BLAMED FOR FOLLOWG THE CDC GUIL AND GOG OUT TO CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAY,” THE CLTER SHOULD BE A WAKE-UP LL.“THIS WAS NOT A SUPERSPREAR EVENT, THIS IS JT A NUMBERS GAME,” HE SAID. “EVEN IF THERE WASN’T A DELTA VARIANT, WE WOULD STILL GET BREAKOUT S. THE VACCE ISN’T 100 PERCENT EFFECTIVE. DO THE MATH. SOMEONE HAD TO GET .” PILAR MELENZ

New Orleans, Louisiana4/11The Big Easy is home to one of the largt LGBTQ populatns the untry and hosts dozens of gay-iendly events and ftivals, none more inic than Mardi Gras. San Francis, California5/11The LGBTQ muny the Bay Area is one of the largt anywhere the world, makg San Francis an easy choice for gay, lbian and LGBTQ travelers explorg the Wt Coast. Dubbed the Gay Beach Capal of Mexi, this seasi rort town boasts a welg atmosphere addn to unrivaled nightlife that draws vatners of all typ.

Consired Florida's Gay Capal, Fort Lrdale offers stellar beach as well as dozens of electric gay bars and dance clubs and one-of-a-kd attractns like the Stonewall Natnal Mm & Archiv, the largt gay library and archive the U.

6 OF THE TOP GAY-IENDLY RORTS AROUND THE WORLD

New York, New York9/11Like so many other ci on this list, New York Cy is home to one of the world's largt LGBTQ populatns so mak sense that s also among the most popular plac to vis for LGBTQ Amerins who n celebrate queer culture at plenty of gay-iendly bars, art galleri and historic s throughout the five LGBTQ love isn't limed to Fort Lrdale.

GAY TRAVEL TOURS & TRIPS

The Sunshe State as a whole is among the most popular statn for gay and lbian Amerins, pecially those lookg to soak up the sun om one of the state's untls beach or experience any one of the bt theme parks on the pla.

Know the LGBTQ laws of the landHomosexualy is still illegal and even punishable by ath parts of the world. Some of the anti-LGBTQ laws entail toothls legislative holdovers, like Sgapore's Penal Co Sectn 377A, which remas on the books spe ongog legal challeng and an open, even thrivg lol gay scene (and entertaers like “Drag Race Thailand” queen Vanda Miss Joaquim) of April, untri wh the ath penalty on the books for same-sex relatns clu Iran, Sdi Arabia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northwt Ai's Mrania, Nigeria, Somalia, Yemen and the Uned Arab the personal safety issue, there's also the qutn of whether to spend money plac hospable to LGBTQ people, eher socially or polilly, like Arkansas, Jamai or Poland.

But one night, sually takg photos a Kraków gay bar, a young gay Pole lunged at me om across the room (he actually dove unrneath a table, like a submare missile, to make a straight beele), askg why I was shootg his directn, enraged. That was the last photo I took a gay space. State Department boasts a fantastic rource page for LGBTI (lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and tersex) ternatnal travelers.

AFFORDABLE GAY VATN TOWNS

Embassi and nsulat while abroad (“Consular officers will protect your privacy and will not make generalizatns, assumptns, or pass judgment, ” promis) and a Transportatn Secury Admistratn rmatn page for transgenr where you're gog before bookg ticketsGooglg your statn and “anti-gay” uld produce up-to-the mute news velopments that may rm your plans. A Molotov cktail attack a Laguna Beach, California, gay bar mid-2020, for example, is a pretty clear "maybe not right now.

"Egypt has long been an LGBTQ travel fave, but the past few years, the untry saw an crease of disturbg anti-gay and anti-trans vlence, harassment and tament by the police. Siarly, Indonia keeps seeg wav of polil crackdowns on and vilifitn of LGBTQ people – cludg raids of Jakarta bathho and, jt this past Augt, a private gay party – while Indonia's Aceh provce is led by Sharia law and se public lashgs and life-stroyg shamgs. Show rpect and be smart about PDALife isn't always a gay cise or a stt down Santa Moni some cultur, public display of affectn between people of any genr or sexual inty is pletely owned upon and offensive, so look that up and, even better, look around you once you arrive.

Watch (nonchalantly, not some creepy way) how lols behave before dulgg PDA (don't be surprised to see men affectnately holdg hands like "Sex and the Cy" girliends Arab untri or India; 's a cultural norm, spe the homophobia). Conversely, if you're a known gayborhood like Tokyo's Shju Ni-chome or Mexi Cy's Zona Rosa, live out loud and flash the gayt se you up cril documents on iCloud, Dropbox or Google DriveI've never been pickpocketed (and probably jxed myself wrg that), but if this ever happens or you misplace important documents, a wallet, etc., have pi ready the cloud, cludg bookg numbers and, of urse, travel surance policy.