With the close of 2020 it was brought to my attention that Mad Max, the original film of a series about our doomed future, was set in 2021. Well, the person telling me this was wrong about that. Still, for all intents and purposes, it just as well could have been. Yes, with the election of Joe Biden we all let out a communal sigh of relief, but we still have weeks to go before we sleep and wake up in a new world of relative calm. We’ll see how that goes.
Meanwhile, as far as Cream City’s LGBTQ life after the plagues (pick one) goes, it may be a while before any sort of semblance of times past returns. Regarding COVID-19, the vaccine gives us a certain degree of hope, of course. However, it will still take the better part of 2021 for the vaccine to be distributed. The logistical hurdles to be overcome in the process of that enterprise include the unwillingness of some to take it. However, as we have seen in the initial days of its release, Republicans who protested the very existence of the pandemic were the first in line to get the vaccine.
The supply based nature of the immunization process means it is impossible to predict a reliable timeline. At the earliest, according to some estimates, young, healthy populations would not begin to receive a first dose until April. It would then take months to complete that phase of vaccinations. Even if that were to take place quickly, measurable impacts on the spread of COVID-19 cannot be predicted. According to a “guesstimate” by Dr. Fauci, herd immunity kicks in when 80-85% of Americans are vaccinated. Hopefully, at least that many will actually get the vaccine. At this point, according to an NPR cited Kaiser Family Foundation poll published in mid-December, 71% said they would.
Milwaukee in the Coming Year
Anyway, some indications of what the upcoming year may hold are coming to light. GAMMA, Milwaukee’s social and recreational organization of approximately 100, mostly senior male members, went on hiatus in March of 2020. Its activities include in-person gatherings such as sheepshead, cribbage, theater nights, museum visits and dining out. Given the likelihood that its members may be among the first to be inoculated, it has tentatively scheduled its first live event on the 2021 calendar, a July 4 picnic.
Thus far, Milwaukee Pride (MP) has not announced plans for PrideFest 2021. Given its long established role as the season’s inaugural lakefront festival, traditionally taking place on the first full weekend of June, it finds itself in a predicament. MP’s latest social media post indicated the organization is “working hard to review any and all possibilities to celebrate PRIDE in 2021.” Updates are promised but given the fact that vaccinations may not reach the festival’s main demographic of younger attendees by June, it would be impossible to plan for a full-blown festival then or in the months to follow. Perhaps, as in 2020, a Pride March focused on equality would be an alternative.
LGBTQ sports may fair better and be able start their seasons, albeit perhaps a bit later in the summer. Given the smaller numbers of participants and relatively spread out nature of activities like softball and volleyball, they could possibly play with limited likelihood of exposure. However, rugby, with its scrums and close contact, even with masks, may not be safe enough to risk.
The unfortunate reality is that 2021 may be a masked and socially distanced repeat of 2020. Still, with the vaccine in circulation, 2022 might not be so bad.
