“A lot of people are fearful that after this weekend,” Mr. Jonathan Valdez, 36, a content creator and podcast host, said that for the first time, a friend of his told him he was glad to be missing New York City Pride, citing concerns about monkeypox. As of Friday, 39 people in New York City had tested positive for orthopoxvirus, according to the Department of Health and Mental Hygienewhich added that all 39 cases were believed to be monkeypox. On Thursday, New York City health officials expanded access to a monkeypox vaccine, offering it to men who have had multiple or anonymous male sexual partners in the last 14 days. Further complicating people’s attitudes heading into the weekend are questions and concerns surrounding monkeypox, a virus that is disproportionately affecting gay men. In many circles, group chats that had days before been focused on party planning switched to coordinating protest plans. Wade immediately shifted the tenor of the weekend’s events. The news on Friday morning of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. The streets come alive with the telltale signs of a celebratory weekend: music, dancing, kissing, the occasional trail of glitter confetti.īut this year, on the cusp of the city’s biggest Pride events, the atmosphere had a different charge. For LGBTQ people in New York City, the last Friday in June is usually a joyful day.