My husband and I attended a lovely gathering of folk persons, at least 30 of us, gathering inside, mingling and touching, though masks were required. This may sound like an orgy but it wasn’t. I don’t believe there are orgies in the folk community, or if so, we haven’t been invited. At one point the leader asked who had been vaccinated, and everyone raised a hand, including someone I know for sure had not.

Although this person likely chooses their cis gender on forms, I’m going to use they/them to avoid giving too many identification clues. Because when I approached the person and kiddingly pointed out this deception, they became somewhat agitated, and begged me not to share this information with the group. The rest of the evening I had a little shadow sort of sucking up to me, gauging my likelihood for betrayal.

I have no intention of betraying this person, though I am not above shaming them in private.

Yet here it is, the trend that we Vaxen have dreaded: that persons who lie about their status will cause Vaxen privileges, still much too sparse on the ground, to be reduced or rescinded. Already a cabal of the Choose No Vaccination crazies–as opposed to the tiny portion who legitimately can’t receive one–are loudly protesting the unfairness of allowing venues and shops to make their spaces safer by limiting access to those who are protected.

Excuse me? Unfair is when people cheat and say they are safe when they are not.

Crazies is also carefully chosen. It was explained to me this week that the Vaxen are more likely to have Covid than the non-vaxen because, well, that’s what they get in the shot, right? I have heard of local people specifically searching for medical providers who have not been vaccinated. No idea why this hasn’t made the news yet, though maybe it has. I actually don’t watch or read local news.

From the first moment of CDC announcing new rules for the Vaxen with respect to masking, many of us have had one question: Enforcement? It seems meaningless otherwise, since those determined not to be vaccinated are more likely to be the furtive conspiracy theorists who self-identify as victims. Those people feel almost righteous about sneaking around. If the vast majority of us don’t agree with them, obviously they have to do what it takes to get their…just desserts?

I know this because I have frequent exposure to this group. Have I mentioned that before? Yes, it’s starting to wear on me.

Kudos to the San Francisco Symphony, which is requiring vaccination cards and matching IDs for entry. I know those can be faked, but it will slow at least some people. To attend the symphony you also have to buy a ticket and to listen to the performance, which will deter most people of any vax-status. If someone tries to run a Vaxen-only happy hour or band night, the infiltration rate will be higher.

I should mention the very honorable non-vaccinated who are conservative about medical treatments in general, or have personal experiences that lead them to mistrust vaccinations. There are a goodly number who live with the ramifications of their choice–the fact that they simply won’t be allowed to do some things–gracefully and uncomplainingly. Those I salute.