San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ leaders demand better access to monkeypox vaccines

A community ignored and undermined during the Aids crisis 40 years ago feels they are again being failed by the government

San Francisco leaders and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups gathered this week in front of the US Health and Human Services' regional office to protest what they see as a sluggish response to the monkeypox outbreak.

There's a lot of anger, and it's totally justified," said state senator Scott Wiener, who joined protesters from the Alice B Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club, San Francisco Aids Foundation and Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club and other groups demanding increased access to monkeypox vaccines, testing and therapeutics for an outbreak that so far has been disproportionately affecting gay and bisexual men.