PHILADELPHIA -- The last weekend of August, party promoter Jeremy Taylor hosted a dance at a Broad Street club in Philadelphia featuring tracks from Beyonce’s latest album and cards telling guests where to get monkeypox vaccinations.
Protecting people from a new virus spreading rapidly over the summer was a priority for Taylor, who hosts events under the name JayLaTay. His dances draw many people who identify as Black and LGBTQ — a population in Philadelphia that’s more likely to contract monkeypox, and less likely to be vaccinated against it.
Warnings about the virus transmitting through sustained physical contact didn’t phase Taylor, who saw little risk that dancing at the venue beneath the Divine Lorraine would endanger guests.
