If you’re not fighting against mask bans because you think they “only” apply to those committing crimes… consider the following:
Who decides who’s committing a crime? The police. POC who mask will be disproportionately targeted.
Who decides if your medical exemption is “good enough”? Police
The police aren’t doctors. It shouldn’t be up to them to determine who has a valid reason for masking.
Many disabilities are invisible. We struggle to convince healthcare workers that we’re sick. What chance do we have with law enforcement?
Non disabled people also need the right to mask.
Finally, anti mask sentiment is at an all time high.
Before COVID, no one cared if you wore a mask in public. The worst that would happen is you might get a strange look.
Now there’s an entire segment of the population who see it as political virtue signalling.
There’s others with unresolved pandemic trauma who get irrationally angry when they see someone wearing a mask.
It’s (sadly) no longer a non event. Now it’s controversial. Adversarial. Political.
As a result, criminalizing masks will only further embolden those who seek to harm maskers
We need to normalize masks as a public health tool before it’s too late.
If you care about social justice, disability rights, fighting fascism or your health… you should be wearing a mask. Ideally an N95 or better.
The more of us wearing them, the harder they will be to ban.
Don’t make the mistake of assuming these bans are “no big deal”.
They are a very big deal. They will cost lives. Both due to Covid spread and also violence at the hands of law enforcement or vigilante anti-maskers.
Call and email your elected officials. Tell them no mask bans.
Today X can translate Russian, German and French. But not Ukrainian.
