As someone with Long COVID, it’s demoralizing to see people in my circles party and engage in COVID-risky behaviors while I sit at home. It would be easy to turn my back on those people and give up on community organizations that minimize COVID-19. But that’s not me, and that’s not what being in community means.
Instead, I have worked with fellow long-haulers in my communities to help other people and organizations improve their COVID-19 policies. It’s not easy work, but it’s necessary, and I’ve learned how to be more effective over time.
On social media, I raise awareness about the issue head-on, writing in my bio: “It’s never too late to start masking again.” As a trans person, I know many trans individuals with Long COVID and related conditions. Over 27% of trans adults reported ever experiencing Long COVID, compared to 22% of cis women and just 14% of cis men, according to September 2024 data from the Household Pulse Survey — a survey that has since stopped asking questions about Long COVID.
In Philadelphia, where I live, some organizations recognize this and do what they can to protect our trans and Long COVID siblings. Organizations like Trans Art Mart and Bloom House, a Black trans communal home, require COVID-19 testing and/or masking for in-person events. And Scissors, a Philly-based QTBIPOC zine, has produced an edition on COVID-19.
But other organizations may need more guidance. So here’s what I’ve found works and doesn’t work while living and organizing in Philadelphia, in hopes that I can help you in your community, too.
Set realistic and reasonable expectations together
For me, the conversation around COVID-19 safety practices is part of a larger conversation about harm. To encourage best COVID-19 practices, we have to move beyond the binary of those who are COVID-safe and those who are unsafe. Not only is this a false binary — as there is a range of COVID-19 precautions and there is no one way to be “safe” — but also it doesn’t allow room for individuals to grow and change.
Let me give you an example. Last year, a private trans-only party group was formed in my city. The hosts posted on social media, asking for questions and comments on how they could make the events accessible to the community. Immediately, I messaged them and asked about COVID-19 policies. The response wasn’t much — they told me I could mask if I wanted, and they encouraged people to stay home if they were sick.
But since then, in talking with me and other people with Long COVID, their policies have improved. For their events, they have an official statement requiring a negative COVID-19 test to be shown at the door. The group also has volunteers at the entrance to give out free tests and assist with testing for those who couldn’t do so beforehand.
While there are more policies I’d like to see implemented, it’s a start. And if I had written them off as being unwilling to change, nothing would have happened in the first place.
To improve COVID-19 policies in your community, start by working with organizers of events and gatherings. You can’t force change on people. Instead, work with community members to see where and how they are willing to change now, educate them on the continued risks of COVID-19, and plant seeds that can sprout later.
While there are more policies I’d like to see implemented, it’s a start. And if I had written them off as being unwilling to change, nothing would have happened in the first place.
Connect COVID-19 to other health risks
In January 2025, a medical plane crashed near Cottman Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard, a busy intersection in Northeast Philadelphia. The six people who were on the plane died, and many more were injured from the crash and resulting fires in the area.
The smoke that followed the crash can cause serious harm to people and animals if inhaled. Despite that, Philadelphia city officials — who passed a ski mask ban earlier in the pandemic — did not organize mask or air purifier distribution for those affected. So mask blocs and volunteers stepped up, as they often do in the face of government abandonment.
One leading group was Philly Breathes, a Philadelphia-based mask and clean air organization. After the plane crash, they worked together with volunteers to pick up and drop off masks for those affected by the smoke. Using a Google form, people were able to request masks that they quickly redistributed to their own communities.
Philly Breathes also helped spread information about the importance of masking, including a two-page infographic on wildfire smoke safety tips. I posted the information on social media and encouraged friends and mutuals to do the same.
This wasn’t the first time I’ve posted about COVID-19 on social media — far from it. But it led to friends who weren’t as interested in masking before suddenly reaching out and asking for tips. When this happens, encourage it! I reminded community members about poor air quality, especially with smoke from wildfires, as one of many reasons to continue masking.
This wasn’t the first time I’ve posted about COVID-19 on social media — far from it. But it led to friends who weren’t as interested in masking before suddenly reaching out and asking for tips.
People who use drugs are also more likely to get COVID-19 and have worse health outcomes because of it. In Philadelphia, this trend impacts people in the neighborhood of Kensington, which is the largest open-air drug market on the East Coast. Following attacks on harm reduction in Kensington, it’s now harder for people who use drugs to access medical care — and unhoused people in Kensington are more vulnerable to COVID-19. City officials claim to care about unhoused people but aren’t addressing how COVID-19 and Long COVID can lead to financial insecurity.
Due to the ski mask ban, there is an increased risk of infection for SARS-CoV-2 as well as other infectious diseases in Kensington. And still, harm reductionists continue to meet and protest the city’s treatment of Kensington residents. Organizations like Prevention Point and Savage Sisters distribute healthcare items, including masks, to those in need to reduce rates of infection.
At the same time, police officers and other government workers can be found in Kensington unmasked, potentially exposing unhoused individuals to airborne illnesses. Supporting our unhoused neighbors also means masking and protecting them from COVID-19 and other pathogens.
COVID-19 crosses and connects struggles
The experiences of Black and white Americans regarding COVID-19 were in stark contrast earlier in the pandemic. According to a study published in 2022, people of color (particularly Black, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaska Native people) experienced higher rates of COVID-19 cases and deaths than white people. With that in mind, it’s unsurprising that Black Americans were more likely than white Americans to wear masks, according to one 2022 survey.
This trend adds to preexisting stereotypes of Black gangsters in masks, leading some people to associate masks with Black Americans. It’s no wonder that Philadelphia city officials aren’t interested in promoting masking — facial coverings are racialized, and the people wearing them are now hypervisible.
In addition to race, religion also plays a role in how people view masks. Around 10 to 20% of Philadelphians are Muslim. And unlike in other cities, many Muslims in Philadelphia are Black. Islamophobia runs rampant in Philly — and across the U.S. — and further contributes to a fear of face and head coverings. Last year, Philadelphia police forcibly removed a pro-Palestinian protester’s hijab after arresting her.
Head coverings were criminalized before COVID-19: In 2010, Pennsylvania courts ruled that police officers and prison employees could be banned from wearing the hijab.
More recently, in 2023, the city council of Philadelphia banned wearing ski masks in public. The ban comes with a $250 fine if caught wearing a ski mask and a $2,000 fine if caught wearing one while committing a crime. Both bans make it clear that city officials are putting anti-Black and Islamophobic biases over public health.
Anti-masking sentiments harm marginalized people. Whether it’s trans people or protestors arrested for exercising their right to protest anonymously, not masking harms us all.
The easiest way to keep us safe is to work with one another. Community isn’t just about people who are easy to work with — we’re all affected by not masking. Long COVID is disabling! It can affect people’s ability to organize and engage with their communities.
COVID-19 crosses and connects struggles. It’s an environmental issue, as masking is a tool in dealing with air pollution. It’s an LGBTQ+ issue, as trans people are juggling the effects of Long COVID. It’s even a labor issue, as jobs force workers back into the office with no COVID-19 precautions in sight. To better connect with those who don’t consider COVID-19 a priority, consider what issues are affecting them the most and remind them how masking is important to their cause.
The easiest way to keep us safe is to work with one another. Community isn’t just about people who are easy to work with — we’re all affected by not masking.
Zaina Fairey (they/them) is a Black trans community health worker based in Philadelphia.
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