Join here: Unjabbed in Chicago
According to Health Order 2021-12-21 FINAL, which was released today (December 21), as of January 3, 2022, any individual in Chicago who is 5 years of age or older will be required to show proof that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to dine indoors, visit gyms, or enter entertainment venues where food or drink are served.
They allow for those with medical or religious exemptions from vaccinations, but showing proof of exemption isn’t enough. We would have to show that proof along with a COVID-19 test administered by a medical professional within 72 hours prior to entering the gym, restaurant, or other place where food and drink are served.
So if I wanted to enter a place that serves food/drink, I’d have to do this: along with my proof of medical exemption, I’d need to get a medical professional to give me a test. A home test wouldn’t do it. Then, after testing negative, within 72 hours I could go meet a friend for coffee at Starbucks. I would have to do this indefinitely to keep visiting my gym.
I can’t get vaccinated for health reasons and I resent such punitive (or coercive) measures. In my pain and outrage, I’ve decided to organize and I’ll start with an experiment. I know there are thousands of people in the Chicago area who have chosen not to get vaccinated and who have no intention of getting vaccinated. Like me, they said, “No, thanks.” And I want to meet them…in person.
I run two Meetups (this one and this one) and it would cost me nothing in money or effort to start a third one. I want to start a Meetup for people who have deliberately chosen not be vaccinated (in the Chicagoland area so we can meet in person).
Why? Well, the main reason is to watch Meetup.com shut down a group that’s for the unvaccinated. I suspect they will, so this is really to confirm that Meetup.com aligns with YouTube and Facebook and so many other social sites. Right now I can find Chicago Meetup groups with “vaccinated” in the name, but none with “unvaccinated” in the name.
The other reason I want to start such a group is that anyone at this stage in the pandemic who hasn’t had a single vaccination jab is clearly committed to staying unvaccinated and I’d like to meet the ones in the Chicagoland area because they aren’t likely to be Fox watchers, Trump supporters or right-wingers who believe conspiracy theories. I’m looking for left-wingers like me who want nothing to do with the messenger RNA vaccines (Moderna and Pfizer) and I want to meet them because I figure at least a couple of the following applies to them.
- They either don’t have a job that requires vaccination, left a job to avoid vaccination, work for themselves, or don’t have a job.
- Living by their convictions is more important than what others think of them.
- At least in this instance, they didn’t take the easy way.
- They don’t believe the conventional wisdom that it’s better to have an mRNA vaccine in your system than nothing at all.
- They’re strongly critical about the way the mRNA vaccines were created.
- They’re strongly critical about the way the mRNA vaccines have been marketed, distributed, and positioned as the only way to be safe.
- They don’t trust our government to work for the best interests of all its citizens.
- They don’t trust the pharmaceutical industry to work for the best interests of more than a few people.
- They’ve said “No, thanks” to the mRNA vaccines because they believe they’re more dangerous than the coronavirus itself.
- They’re fed up with the Chicago mayor’s responses to COVID.
In this group, like-minded vaccinated people would be welcome, but they would probably be people who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. That’s the traditional, conventional vaccine without the messenger RNA part. People with the Pfizer or Moderna drugs in their systems might not be interested.
This group would get together in my apartment for coffee because as of January 3rd, we won’t be allowed in Chicago restaurants or cafes. We’ll chat, relax, share viewpoints, and feel completely un-judged by each other. We’ll emotionally support each other as we manage relationships with friends and family who feel angry with us for not getting vaccinated. We’ll grieve relationships we’ve lost over this.
There might be other activities. Want to join?
UPDATE: Meetup.com approved this group! Join here: Healthy in Chicago. I’m very surprised, but it will probably only last until someone complains to Meetup that they should shut down this group because it’s a public health menace. So while it lasts, let’s connect!
UPDATE July 2022: the group is now called Post-COVID Good Times for the Un-Jabbed because the spirit of it is getting back to making friends, getting out of the house and rebuilding an active social life. God, I hope I can get this Meetup active because at this point I’m lonelier than ever.
UPDATE Nov 2022: Couldn’t get that Meetup active. Someone else has taken it over and it will probably die on the vine.