Social Welfare Professor Ian Holloway spoke to the Los Angeles Times about strategies Californians are using to protect themselves from the monkeypox virus as they await vaccination. More than 1,300 monkeypox cases have been reported across the state, prompting an emergency declaration from Gov. Gavin Newsom. Men who have sex with men have been disproportionately affected, and many have changed the ways they socialize, celebrate, and seek love and sex. Sexual expression “is a huge part of gay culture and building gay community,” Holloway said. But “in the face of a pathogen that’s spreading in a way that we haven’t seen before … it’s not a bad idea to press pause for a period of time. We know the vaccine is on its way.” Holloway is director of UCLA’s Gay Sexuality and Social Policy Initiative, which has shared practical guides to help sexually active people reduce their risks.