The MinInterior Colombia account, in response to a tweet that claimed that Mario from the Super Mario Bros. franchise was straight, tweeted “I hope that Luigi is gay,” with the term being used for gay in the tweet, “marica,” having a negative connotation that can roughly be translated to “sissy,” a negative term for feminine men. 

It is unclear if the original tweet was meant to be supportive of Luigi being gay or mocking Luigi for being an effeminate character. The tweet was immediately deleted by the MinInterior Colombia account, and an apology was issued by the account that reasserted the government’s continued support of LGBTQ+ rights while implicitly blaming a community manager for the tweet using a hashtag. The incident is believed to have been caused by someone who was unable to switch their profiles properly, but the government has yet to confirm this theory.

Sabemos que no fueron las palabras, pero somos conscientes de que la homofobia mata. Por eso estamos a favor de todas las iniciativas que visibilicen a la población LGBTIQ+ y trabajamos para que sus derechos se garanticen. #SalvaUnCM https://t.co/9pObXcShXK

— MinInterior Colombia (@MinInterior) April 19, 2023

While the characters of Mario and Luigi have always been iconic since the release of the first Super Mario Bros. game, the two have earned a new global prominence due to the release of their new hit movie The Super Mario Bros. Movie, where Chris Pratt voices Mario and Charlie Day voices Luigi. The movie has made over $900 million as of press time and will likely end up making more than a billion dollars worldwide once its theatrical run ends. Colombia, meanwhile, has some of the strongest laws protecting the rights of queer and LGBT people in South America, including the legalization of same-sex marriage, legal recognition of non-binary individuals, and laws protecting the LGBT community from hate crimes and harassment.

The Monkeypox infection in humans has symptoms similar to smallpox and chickenpox, but is said to be less lethal than the deadly but eradicated smallpox. Monkeypox is related to smallpox, vaccinia, and cowpox, but is not closely related to chickenpox, which is caused by a type of herpes virus.

Neighboring Peru has 15 cases reported right now.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research. Despite being named “monkeypox”, the source of the disease remains unknown. However, African rodents and non-human primates (like monkeys) may harbor the virus and infect people.

The first human case of monkeypox was recorded in 1970. Since then, monkeypox has been reported in people in several other central and western African countries. Prior to this current 2022 outbreak, nearly all monkeypox cases in people outside of Africa were linked to international travel to countries where the disease commonly occurs, or through imported animals.

The monkeypox virus belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae. The Orthopoxvirus genus also includes variola virus (which causes smallpox), vaccinia virus (used in the smallpox vaccine), and cowpox virus.

It’s not clear how the people were exposed to monkeypox, but the CDC says that early data suggests that gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men make up a high number of cases. Nevertheless, anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has monkeypox is at risk.

The Monkeypox virus can spread from person-to-person through:

• direct contact with the infectious rash, scabs, or body fluids
• respiratory secretions during prolonged, face-to-face contact, or during intimate physical contact, such as kissing, cuddling, or sex
• touching items (such as clothing or linens) that previously touched the infectious rash or body fluids
• pregnant people can spread the virus to their fetus through the placenta
• being scratched or bitten by an infected animal
• preparing meat or using body parts from an infected animal

Symptoms:

Symptoms of monkeypox can include:

• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle aches and backache
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Chills
• Exhaustion
• A rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appears on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals, or anus.
  • The rash goes through different stages before healing completely. The illness typically lasts 2-4 weeks.
• Sometimes, people get a rash first, followed by other symptoms. Others only experience a rash.

Prevention:

Take the following steps to prevent getting monkeypox:

• Avoid close, skin to skin contact with the monkeypox rash.
  • Do not touch the rash or scabs of person with monkeypox.
  • Do not kiss, hug, cuddle or have sex with someone with monkeypox.
  • Do not share eating utensils or cups.
• Do not handle or touch the bedding, towels, or clothing of a sick person.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, especially after contact with sick people.
• A person who is sick with monkeypox should isolate at home. If they have an active rash or other symptoms, they should be in a separate room or area from other family members and pets when possible.

Monkeypox Rash Photos

Photo credit: UK Health Security Agency