Recent York City became a monkeypox infection hotspot even before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its guidelines for the outbreak. But things began to enhance when organizers of gay hookup parties put their events on pause. 

Lots of the Big Apple’s hottest spots for gay sex parties have shut down as monkeypox infections became a growing concern in several social circles. And organizers felt it needed to be done considering the situation. 

“[Monkeypox] definitely affected our business. It was like a double whammy after the 18-month pause with COVID,” Chris Hawke, an organizer of ticketed weekly gay sex party and social club GBU (Golden Boy USA), told Every day Beast. 

Hawke admitted that many attendees voiced their concerns over the monkeypox outbreak as they were “freaked out and somewhat shell-shocked” upon seeing images of the disease online. 

The invite-only gay sex party in Hell’s Kitchen called Members Only Club shut down on July 15. In its announcement, the club said it was halting its operations as a result of “unlucky circumstances that quickly prolonged beyond our control.”

Gay bars and dark rooms, including The Cock, also helped address the troubling situation by getting the word out about monkeypox. They reached out to their clients to tell them concerning the risks. 

“We have now been aggressive in educating our clients through social media and in-house. We proceed to require COVID vax proof and are ceaselessly posting monkeypox info and vax availability on Twitter, Facebook and Insta, a representative for The Cock, positioned in NYC’s East Village, told the outlet. 

Earlier this month, the U.S. CDC released a report on the impact of sexual networks within the transmission of monkeypox amongst gay, bisexual and other men who’ve sex with men.

“Modeling of sexual infection transmission between men indicates that one-time partnerships, which account for 3% of day by day sexual partnerships and 16% of day by day sex acts, account for roughly 50% of day by day Monkeypox virus (MPXV) transmission,” the general public health agency stated.

It continued, “A 40% reduction in one-time partnerships might delay the spread of monkeypox and reduce the share of individuals infected by 20% to 31%.”

The CDC’s report suggested that the efforts of local gay sex parties to halt their operations helped lower the transmission of the virus in men who’ve sex with men. 

Apart from the delayed gratification, it also helped that more people already received their first dose of the monkeypox vaccine in time for the reopening of the dark rooms and gay bars in the realm.