Long COVID Is More Common in Bisexual and Trans People

https://www.them.us/story/long-covid-trans-and-bisexual-people-healthcare-disparities

There is nothing inherent about being queer or trans that predisposes people to chronic illness, including long COVID. Yet the interlocking network of structural healthcare disparities that queer and trans people face — such as lower access to doctors or stigma regarding their gender or sexuality — could partly explain the higher rates, alongside other LGBTQ+ health disparities faced by the community.

Long COVID is hard to diagnose, partly because it encompasses a broad constellation of possible health problems; it can manifest as cognitive impairment, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, and some 200 other symptoms. These post-COVID conditions can affect multiple organ systems, last for years, and have shown themselves to be alarmingly common.

In addition to showing higher rates of long COVID in younger adult populations and women, the Census Bureau survey also revealed that trans and bisexual adults are much more likely to report having the disease. Compared to 5% of cisgender men and 9% of cisgender women, 15% of trans adults in the U.S. say they are currently experiencing long COVID symptoms. Meanwhile, 12% of bisexual adults in the U.S. are living with post-COVID conditions, compared to 7% of straight, gay, and lesbian adults. Those rates mirror broader health disparities experienced by the trans and bisexual communities — and point to disconcerting ways our healthcare systems may be failing them.

In a world where transgender people are more likely to live with chronic illness in the first place, this may not seem so surprising. “Of course [trans people] have higher rates of long COVID,” says JD Davids, co-founder of the advocacy and policy group The Network for Long COVID Justice.

“We have lower rates of being treated as humans. ​​People who are denied access to health care, resources, or bodily safety are at higher risk of ill health outcomes, including this massive disabling event known as long COVID.” Davids has lived with long COVID since March 2021, and has also lived for decades with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), a similarly debilitating condition.

queer, trans, and bisexual adults might be overrepresented among people with long COVID is that they’re more likely to recognize what long COVID is in the first place. That’s because queer people are used to responding to health emergencies like the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which created a network of advocates who used their experience responding to that crisis in the wake of COVID-19, including by disseminating knowledge about acute and chronic COVID infection.

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid #YallMasking #DisabledLiberation #DisabilityJustice #HealthSelfDefense

.

AIR PURIFIERS FAQ

information of cleanairclub.org

Why should I care about air quality?

The pandemic, and respiratory diseases in general, have not impacted us all equally. Black and brown communities, low-income, and disabled people have been especially hard hit by the pandemic. Majority Black and brown neighborhoods in Chicago were already health-disadvantaged by disproportionate levels of pollution and low air quality due to the systemic and long-term racism that exists in Chicago’s infrastructural and zoning choices.

Now that Covid has been with us for years, we have seen the effects: low-income, POC, and disabled people have died at higher rates; have been hospitalized at higher rates; have suffered long-Covid at higher rates. Simply put, the pandemic has reproduced the very forms of racism, classism, and ableism that existed before it began.

What size purifier do i need?

It's important to choose the right purifier for the job! To do this, you will need to know how large your space is that you're aiming to purify (square footage and ceiling height).

Once you have this information, input it into the Healthy Buildings Calculator under Section 1: "Calculate by Room Size." In Section 2 of the calculator, input "0" (zero) if you do not know the Room Ventilation Rate. In Section 3, input "6" as your Target eACH. Click "Calculate".

The calculator will produce a recommended "CFM" for you - for example, the recommendation might say "200 CFM."

Using this number, look at the specs online of any air purifier that you're considering using. It must be at least the calculator's recommended CFM for it to be adequate for your space. Don't go based on the self-reported square footage that the brand claims the purifier is good for (this is often inflated). Make sure you find the CFM (usually posted under "CADR")!

Comparative list of purifiers with HEPA filters v1.03

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15k_f1kKytWtkU2i-xxbEvJxu2CuApgz2xEHundMQHpc/htmlview

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid #YallMasking #DisabledLiberation #DisabilityJustice #HealthSelfDefense

.

Mutual Aid Checkpoint Roundup 20/05/2026

https://wrzky.com/mutual-aid-checkpoint-roundup-20-05-2026/

Wir lösen unser Transparenzversprechen ein!

Ab jetzt gibt es hier regelmäßig ungefilterte Einblicke in unsere Arbeit im Bezirksausschuss, mit allen Erfolgen und Hürden.

Die gute Nachricht zuerst: Wir sitzen in allen Unterausschüssen! Das wird Kraft kosten, aber wir nehmen diese Aufgabe für euch ernst.⬇️

#Kommunalpolitik #DieLinke #Bezirksausschuss #München #Studium #Wohnen #Selbstvertretung #Inklusion #Transparenz #SozialeGerechtigkeit #DisabilityJustice #NotAboutUsWithoutUs

Any mask bloc/comrade in Canada or USA needs plus life tests?

I am in Spain and I can receive the tests and/or machine and send it to you! You will need to cover the costs of shipping via paypal!

[email protected]

https://pad.riseup.net/p/r.433c781a61969faa6b5eb250215db630

Sending pluslife to comrades in USA or Canada:
To coordinate this, we need to have a call because it's more practical, and because English is my first language, it's best to call to avoid any confusion.
Signal: demian.86
Telegram: demianmasks
Send a message before you call because I don’t have any notification if I don’t accept the message fist!

I need you to read this information:
• I prefer calls, for accessibility. I get lost in translation and also calls are more practical.
• Call without warning me. I’m available from 9am-7:30pm (Spanish time).
• I can get calls literally every day, but when it comes to messages, I try to check them every 2 weeks, though sometimes it takes me a little longer. I always let people know that if there's a really important message they need to see, they can mention me or just give me a missed call so I can check it as soon as possible.

For the shipping: I did this with a group from the United States, and everything went quite well.

1) I'll give you my address so you can buy it through the website and have it shipped directly to me.
2) Once I receive it, I'll put it in a package where the brand isn't visible and send it to you.

I need this information from you.

Name:
Email:
Phone:
Address:
Recipient Tax ID:

This is the info I will use for sending the package:
Shipment Category: Gift
Commercial Invoice info
Package value: 40 euros
Description: Playing cards. Childrens products as defined in
15 U.S.C §2052
HTS Code: 9504.40

That’s what we used the last time and it worked!

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid #YallMasking #DisabledLiberation #DisabilityJustice #HealthSelfDefense

.

I have another article out as well. I wrote several and now I'm getting around to posting them all.

This one is about why the idea of an autistic-only colony is harmful. It's something I've seen people say before, usually as a joke but it's still worth unpacking. We can do better.

https://open.substack.com/pub/diseco/p/beyond-the-island-deconstructing

#ActuallyAutistic #DisabilityJustice #Colony #Escapism #Nationalism #Isolationism #Utopia #Neurodiversity #Substack #Blog #Article

Ok, now that I've had a lil wee rant about it all, as per:

https://disabled.social/@vlrny/116591893236335923

Let's talk pragmatics.

#spoonie and other marginalized friends, drop suggestions below of what you wish your neighbourhood or community would do for you.

The rest of ya'll take some notes and brain storm what you can do in YOUR hood.

#community #disabilityJustice #teamApocalypse #neighbouring

Another #new #article on my #substack, about #AI #development for #surveillance, #disinformation, and #SocialControl (also deconstructing the #PaxJudaica #ConspiracyTheory):

https://open.substack.com/pub/diseco/p/the-digital-prison-ai-surveillance

#USA #Israel #MIC #tech #biometrics #drones #blog #data #privacy #imperialism #SocialEcology #DisabilityJustice

2025: looking back on a year of ME/CFS research

In 2025, scientists made a significant step towards understanding the pathophysiology of ME/CFS. It may not be a breakthrough, but we’re uncovering more pieces of the puzzle. It’s like fitting the corners and outer layer: we cannot yet see what the puzzle is, but we’re starting to get a glimpse of what it will show.

https://mecfsscience.org/2025-looking-back-on-a-year-of-me-cfs-research/

DecodeME
2025 was the year of the gene. We had genetic studies on natural killer cell receptors, herpesviruses, metabolism, cytokines, and the Olduvai domain. There was one study, however, that dwarfed all others: DecodeME.
DecodeME is the largest ME/CFS study ever conducted; more than 15,000 in the United Kingdom participated by sending their DNA through the mail. Their genetic code was compared to that of 250,000 control participants. The results show that ME/CFS has a modest heritability. Genes can increase the risk of developing the illness, but they play a lesser role than in, for example, schizophrenia, Crohn’s disease, or type 1 diabetes. Further analysis by PrecisionLife suggests that ME/CFS is also highly polygenic meaning that the risk of getting the disease is spread out across many different genes, each contributing only a tiny effect.

Rare mutations
Before DecodeME, there was already a fascinating genetics study that had generated excitement and discussion. Mark Snyder’s team at Stanford University applied a different approach but found similar results.
DecodeME looked at common DNA variants that slightly influence how much of a protein is made. The effects are small and gradual, like turning on a volume knob. Snyder’s group, however, zoomed in on rare DNA variants that have more dramatic effects, such as making a defective protein that no longer functions properly.

Virus hunt
DecodeME and Snyder’s study also had genetic signals pointing to the immune system. Unfortunately, most immunology studies in 2025 found null results.
Let’s start with the hunt for viruses and other pathogens. This year, the severely ill patient study from Ronald Davis’ team finally published its findings on virus sequencing. They looked at 185 human viruses in the blood but found traces of only 17. These weren’t more frequent in patients than in controls. In fact, the authors wrote that “surprisingly, more viruses were found in the healthy controls than in the ME/CFS patients.”

Antibodies
2025 also saw the most extensive study on antibodies in ME/CFS. Maureen Hanson’s group at Cornell used two advanced techniques to measure hundreds of antibodies simultaneously. The first was a 1134 autoantibody Luminex panel. This method uses microscopic beads that are dyed with specific colors so that they act as unique barcodes for different targets. The second method is called Rapid Extracellular Antigen Profiling (REAP) and was developed quite recently by Aaron Ring (who was an author on this paper). Instead of colored beads, REAP uses a library of living yeast cells where each cell displays a specific protein on its surface with a matching DNA barcode inside the cell. Using REAP, the authors could test antibodies against 6183 extracellular human proteins and 225 human viral pathogen proteins.

B-cell repertoires
A study by Audrey Ryback and Graeme Cowen replicated abnormalities in B-cells found by two earlier studies, namely an increase in Immunoglobulin Heavy Variable IGHV3-30.
B-cells are the immune cells that recognize pathogens and make targeted antibodies to neutralize them. These antibodies also sit on the surface of B-cells, where they act as receptors. Our immune system creates an almost endless diversity of these receptors so that it can respond to all sorts of pathogens. One way to do this is to select and rearrange the building blocks for antibodies in new B-cells, a bit like shuffling cards. IGHV3-30 is one of these building blocks. Researchers found that B-cells of ME/CFS patients used it more often in their receptors than controls.

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid #YallMasking #DisabledLiberation #DisabilityJustice #HealthSelfDefense

.