BroadwaybabytoAug 15, 2024

The mask ban in Nassau County, NY went into effect today. It’s a dangerous, discriminatory and highly ableist ban that makes masking a criminal act.

The police will determine who is “sick enough” to wear a mask.

Everyone else? $1000 fine and/or jail.

I’ve written about mask bans in great detail in the past - I’m strongly opposed to them. Legislators say they’re designed to deter crime - when we know a medical mask does very little to obscure identity.

The reality is there’s no evidence to suggest they will stop crime - however there’s ample proof that they will deter high risk individuals from masking in public (or from being in public at all).

Invisible illnesses and disabilities are difficult for even doctors to understand - no one is going to feel comfortable letting a police officer determine if they’re “disabled enough” to not be breaking the law.

Bans like this increase the likelihood of harassment and violence against mask wearers - because people feel emboldened by the government effectively telling them that those who mask are “bad”. We aren’t bad - we’re just trying to survive.

My heart aches for everyone who wants and needs to protect their health in places that are enacting these bans - and I can only hope that if we keep getting loud and pushing back we can stop them from spreading.

Don’t make the mistake of assuming it can’t happen where you live - these bans can (and will) be enacted in more places if there isn’t public outcry.

Medical tools should never be banned. Masks are a critical accessibility & public health tool. They help. They don’t harm.

You know what does harm? Unmitigated covid spread. Ableism. Police profiling and law enforcement overreach. Anti-mask aggression. Bad policies and the refusal to pay attention to the science of airborne spread.

Nassau County just became more unsafe for everyone. Maskers and non maskers alike. Just like North Carolina before it… they’ve sent a very clear message that vulnerable people don’t matter. Marginalized people don’t matter. Ableism is alive and well.

If you want to read more about my thoughts on the North Carolina mask ban (and why medical exemptions are problematic and leave people behind)… I wrote an article on it here: https://www.disabledginger.com/p/north-carolina-passes-hb-237-and

You should also read the powerful TeenVogue article by Alice Wong on mask bans. I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to contribute - and I appreciate Teen Vogue being willing to tackle these critical subjects: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/mask-bans-disabled-people-protest

#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 #UglyLaws

North Carolina Passes HB 237 and Bans Medical Masks in Public

This discriminatory and ableist bill puts lives at risk and further isolates vulnerable people from society. It's pandering to anti-maskers who seek to punish disabled and high risk individuals.

The Disabled Ginger
Show threadFrank Bennett 🇯🇵Aug 15, 2024
@broadwaybabyto I live outside the country (Japan), and I must say, this is about the stupidest domestic legislation that I've seen any government anywhere sign into law. Pointlessly vindictive and just unbelievably dumb. Like, what's the point of it, anyway? You can't explain this to people in a sane country as anything other than pushing people around just for the fun of it.
Show threadBroadwaybabytoAug 15, 2024
@fgbjr I’m in Canada and feel the same way. People keep saying it’s to prevent crime but to me it just feels like payback for mask mandates that people are still angry about. It’s probably also to do with surveillance as it’s easier to surveil people who aren’t masking. I sincerely doubt it has anything to do with “crime” and it’s absolutely going to hurt people.
Show threadFrank Bennett 🇯🇵

@broadwaybabyto It's only going to be credibly in scope as a crime discouragement measure if society has been so corroded by deification of naked self-interest that terrorizing people is the only way to keep them from walking away with stuff or killing one another. In the town where I live here, well over half the people in the markets are masked, and everything works just fine.

This level of jackboot is unsustainable, people will eventually snap in the long run, but meanwhile ... grrr.

Aug 15, 2024 at 3:49amWeb
Show threadBroadwaybabytoAug 15, 2024
@fgbjr don’t even get me started on the fact that NC is apparently an open carry state. So it’s legal to walk into a public space with a gun - but not wearing an N95. They’ve lost their way!