Post by Nadica (She/Her) on Nov 26, 2024 3:26:58 GMT
Taipei on what it’s like being a drag artist with Long COVID - Published Nov 22, 2024
by Taipei
In our first video essay for The Sick Times, drag artist Taipei talks about how Long COVID impacts her work as a performer and how many spaces are inaccessible for disabled performers due to a lack of COVID-19 precautions.
Video Link: videopress.com/v/acw1Q1Zy
Transcript:
What’s it like to be a drag artist living with Long COVID? Let’s talk about it.
I’ve been living with this illness for about a year and a half, and I primarily deal with air hunger and shortness of breath, and more recently, with brain fog and fatigue.
One of the challenges of being a drag artist living with Long COVID is that the majority of in-person drag shows are inaccessible to me. Most of them are in crowded indoor bar spaces with little to no masking, which carries a really high risk for repeat COVID exposure. This is actually what drove me to create on social media, because it was something that was safe for me to do.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m so grateful to have grown this platform and to have connected with all of these amazing people. But weirdly enough, even though sometimes millions of people see my content in real life, I’m actually really isolated because of this illness.
Correction: I’m isolated because of how this illness interacts with people’s unwillingness to do COVID safety protocols like masking.
If you’re someone who hasn’t been able to attend in-person drag shows, whether as a performer or an audience member, we would love to hear your stories, so feel free to sound off in the comments.
Thank you to The Sick Times for sponsoring this video. The Sick Times is a nonprofit news site that’s covering the ongoing pandemic and the Long COVID crisis.
They were inspired by HIV publications like Poz, and they highlight the human stories behind Long COVID. You can follow them on social media, subscribe to their free newsletter or check out their website at thesicktimes.org
Take care of yourselves and each other, and please wear your mask. Until next time, goodbye.
by Taipei
In our first video essay for The Sick Times, drag artist Taipei talks about how Long COVID impacts her work as a performer and how many spaces are inaccessible for disabled performers due to a lack of COVID-19 precautions.
Video Link: videopress.com/v/acw1Q1Zy
Transcript:
What’s it like to be a drag artist living with Long COVID? Let’s talk about it.
I’ve been living with this illness for about a year and a half, and I primarily deal with air hunger and shortness of breath, and more recently, with brain fog and fatigue.
One of the challenges of being a drag artist living with Long COVID is that the majority of in-person drag shows are inaccessible to me. Most of them are in crowded indoor bar spaces with little to no masking, which carries a really high risk for repeat COVID exposure. This is actually what drove me to create on social media, because it was something that was safe for me to do.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m so grateful to have grown this platform and to have connected with all of these amazing people. But weirdly enough, even though sometimes millions of people see my content in real life, I’m actually really isolated because of this illness.
Correction: I’m isolated because of how this illness interacts with people’s unwillingness to do COVID safety protocols like masking.
If you’re someone who hasn’t been able to attend in-person drag shows, whether as a performer or an audience member, we would love to hear your stories, so feel free to sound off in the comments.
Thank you to The Sick Times for sponsoring this video. The Sick Times is a nonprofit news site that’s covering the ongoing pandemic and the Long COVID crisis.
They were inspired by HIV publications like Poz, and they highlight the human stories behind Long COVID. You can follow them on social media, subscribe to their free newsletter or check out their website at thesicktimes.org
Take care of yourselves and each other, and please wear your mask. Until next time, goodbye.